# LBS has a "new" 2005 Roubaix... say huh?



## aw2pp (Aug 19, 2010)

My preferred LBS is a different animal... one-man show, no showroom to speak of. It's basically a dirty garage with a lot of built-out bikes, and an even larger number of bikes in boxes. The fellow who runs it is an acerbic, slightly insane fellow who is equally likely to insult you as he is to provide helpful information and good value. But we've done business with him before, we like what we've bought from him, and trust what he has to say. (Those of you who live near Geneva, Illinois probably know who I am talking about.) Today we went to see what he had in stock for an introductory road bike.

Answer: not much. I'm 6'5", which limits the choices as it is. He spent some time doing measurements, fired up his calculator, and concluded that I need a 64 cm frame. He was disappointed to find that out, because he had only 4 bikes that size, 3 of which were way out of my price range. The only one remotely near my price ceiling: a 2005 Roubaix with full 105 group.

I gave it a spin and liked it plenty. Seemed comfortable and light, but mind you, I have zero road bike experience, so anything worth it's salt would seem a step up to me. But this bike has sat in his shop for four years, and therefore it's hard for me to know what a good price would be. More importantly, what would you want to be aware of, with a bike sitting around the shop for that kind of time? Is this a non-starter?


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## bikerjulio (Jan 19, 2010)

I presume you are talking about a Fuji Roubaix? I have one as a winter bike and it is extremely comfortable. One of my best deals. So it comes down to price.


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## aw2pp (Aug 19, 2010)

Yes, I should have been clearer. LBS has a 2005 never-been-used Fuji Roubaix. Looks similar to the pic above, but almost completely red. What should I be aware of as I consider a 5+ year old back that has sat in a shop for most of it's life, and how to I gauge what a fair price would be for it?


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## cski (Mar 11, 2010)

aw2pp said:


> Yes, I should have been clearer. LBS has a 2005 never-been-used Fuji Roubaix. Looks similar to the pic above, but almost completely red. What should I be aware of as I consider a 5+ year old back that has sat in a shop for most of it's life, and how to I gauge what a fair price would be for it?


How much is he asking ?


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## aw2pp (Aug 19, 2010)

$900. I might could talk him down further, I haven't really tried yet. But that's part of the point of this thread, to better understand the issues I can leverage in my favor. I don't mind paying a fair price, I just have a hard time knowing what that would be.


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## jkuo (Mar 30, 2008)

Given that Roubaix's often go for $900 or less at year end close outs, I think you could definitely go down some for a 5 year old bike. I've seen them go for as low as $800 on closeout at Performance. 



aw2pp said:


> $900. I might could talk him down further, I haven't really tried yet. But that's part of the point of this thread, to better understand the issues I can leverage in my favor. I don't mind paying a fair price, I just have a hard time knowing what that would be.


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## CROCK U (Aug 5, 2010)

Bought my 2009 64cm Roubaix Pro this year for $950.00. Love it! 6'5" also. 350 miles later with no pains, except a little hand vibration, which I have learned it kind of the norm.


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## aw2pp (Aug 19, 2010)

Thanks, everyone. From what I am getting out of this thread, there is nothing inherently problematic about buying a bike that has been sitting around collecting dust for 5 years. I'll work on the LBS to either come down a little or throw in some goodies to make it worth the while.


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## Erion929 (Jun 10, 2010)

aw2pp said:


> Thanks, everyone. From what I am getting out of this thread, there is nothing inherently problematic about buying a bike that has been sitting around collecting dust for 5 years. I'll work on the LBS to either come down a little or throw in some goodies to make it worth the while.



"...come down a little"?  Doing a little quick research, it looks like the 2010 Fuji Roubaix line of bikes (1.0, 2.0, 3.0) can be had for $700-1000 or so. Definitely the 2009 ones could be had for similar, at most, as the other posters noted. 

Why would you pay similar for a 2005?  Sheesh, I'd offer in the $500 range....he's NEVER going to get rid of a 2005 64cm bike.

**


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## aw2pp (Aug 19, 2010)

Erion929 said:


> "...come down a little"?  Doing a little quick research, it looks like the 2010 Fuji Roubaix line of bikes (1.0, 2.0, 3.0) can be had for $700-1000 or so. Definitely the 2009 ones could be had for similar, at most, as the other posters noted.
> 
> Why would you pay similar for a 2005?  Sheesh, I'd offer in the $500 range....he's NEVER going to get rid of a 2005 64cm bike.
> 
> **


You almost certainly know more about this than I do. I have had a hard time mapping the current offerings with this particular bike. The multitude of offerings is a little dizzying to a noob shopper. Best as I can tell, a 2011 similarly spec'd bike runs in the $1500 range MSRP, but again, what do I know?


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## NJgreyhead (Jun 27, 2009)

So, did you go for it, aw2pp?

I like that it is full 105, and I'm happy with my 2007 Roubaix with Tiagra / 105. 

You might also compare with new ones from Performance Bike. They carry Fuji, and discount heavily.


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## aw2pp (Aug 19, 2010)

NJgreyhead said:


> So, did you go for it, aw2pp?
> 
> I like that it is full 105, and I'm happy with my 2007 Roubaix with Tiagra / 105.
> 
> You might also compare with new ones from Performance Bike. They carry Fuji, and discount heavily.


Thanks for asking. I punted. Partly because of the feedback in this thread, but mostly because of finances. Gonna make do with my old Fuji Hybrid until the Spring, most likely. Even then, I doubt I'll go back and resume this conversation. As I get more educated about the road bike space, as I ride friend's bikes, and as I get a better idea of my wants and needs, I become more convinced that this bike isn't for me.

So here's hoping I can sell some software between now and then, so I can afford what I really want.


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## terbennett (Apr 1, 2006)

bikerjulio said:


> I presume you are talking about a Fuji Roubaix? I have one as a winter bike and it is extremely comfortable. One of my best deals. So it comes down to price.


That is one freakin sexy bike! Little do most people know that you're riding a sub 16 lb. bike. I believe they weighed in around 15.5 lbs during a time when carbon offerings of similar weight were going for at least 3 to 4 times as much. Fuji really did it's home work with the Roubaix SL and went with super light aluminum parts instead of super light carbon parts to keep the costs down. Then again, they did the same with the Team SL a few years a earlier. Always wondered if those two were essentially the same bike.


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