Buying my first road bike

[Icarian]

Hi there,
I'm looking to purchase my first road bike. My budget is ~2000 CAD preferable under 2k.
I was originally looking at these:
https://www.cannondale.com/en-ca/bikes/road/endurance/synapse/synapse-disc-105/2019?sku=c12349m1048
https://www.specialized.com/ca/en/allez-elite/p/171313?color=274140-171313&searchText=90020-4254

But I came across this argon 18 krypton for 1600 used. https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1504778226 It's from 2012 which has be quite concerned. Is a 105 groupset from 2012 okay?
or should I just buy an aluminum frame with a brand new 105 groupset. I did message the sellar and can lower the price. With tax and everything it could be half the price of a brand new aluminum bike.

From the research that I've done, I want shimano 105 groupset. And hopefully my budget can get that.

As I'm sure you can tell I'm new to road cycling and any advice would be really wonderful.
Thank you in advance

[Joe_W]

105 is pretty decent. Though the newer Tiagra is probably quite similar to the old (older...) 105. Yeah, a bit heavier, but I could lose a stone in weight myself.

Used (especially carbon) frame: sure, if it's in a good condition. Argon makes nice bikes. Cannondale and Specialized as well and some of the modern aluminium frames are pretty good. Not having a chance to look at the bike myself I don't want to make any definitive statements...
One thing :The Tektro disc brake suck (the ones I had on my cyclocross, same model, older version), replacing those with Avid BB7 was a good thing.

Things to replace in any used bike (unless the seller just did that...) brake pads, tyres, tubes, maybe spring for new cables and housing, check chain for wear.

[Icarian]

(06-06-2020, 11:33 AM)Joe_W Wrote:  105 is pretty decent. Though the newer Tiagra is probably quite similar to the old (older...) 105. Yeah, a bit heavier, but I could lose a stone in weight myself.

Used (especially carbon) frame: sure, if it's in a good condition. Argon makes nice bikes. Cannondale and Specialized as well and some of the modern aluminium frames are pretty good. Not having a chance to look at the bike myself I don't want to make any definitive statements...
One thing :The Tektro disc brake suck (the ones I had on my cyclocross, same model, older version), replacing those with Avid BB7 was a good thing.

Things to replace in any used bike (unless the seller just did that...) brake pads, tyres, tubes, maybe spring for new cables and housing, check chain for wear.

Thanks for the reply!
It makes sense that the older 105 is closer to the Tiagra.
I was talking to a friend and I found the Giant contend AR 1 which has full 105 disc brakes and wider tires which might suit what I'm wanting a bit more. Something a little bit more versatile. That's what I'm leaning towards now. I'm feeling like I might be a bit too much of a novice to comfortably buy a used bike. Especially at that price point.

Thanks again

[Joe_W]

Advantage of more modern frames is that you can fit (slightly) wide tyres, especially with disc brakes. I rode 29mm Conti GP4000s for a couple of summers on my commuter (cyclocross) bike. They roll fast enough and are wide enough for some loose gravel (short stretches). Cyclocross rules actually state that the tyre must not be wider than 30mm, if I recall correctly....

My first road bike was an old used one, still miss it (crashed and bent the fork and very likely damaged the frame)

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Advantage of more modern frames is that you can fit (slightly) wide tyres, especially with disc brakes. I rode 29mm Conti GP4000s for a couple of summers on my commuter (cyclocross) bike. They roll fast enough and are wide enough for some loose gravel (short stretches). Cyclocross rules actually state that the tyre must not be wider than 30mm, if I recall correctly. So that bike might be a bit more versatile. Heck, you might even be able to fit pretty wide 27.5er tyres on it (circumference matches that of a normal road tyre). I would probably not do that, I try to have as few tyre and tube sizes as possible in the household.

My first road bike was an old used one, still miss it (crashed and bent the fork and very likely damaged the frame).