I would anyway recommend to anybody starting this sport to first find a good local dealer who would later give support with the developing needs, gimmicks, upgrades and most importantly the repairs/fixings.
There you should try various bikes, sit, ride, test, and decide.
Most likely there is by far no need to spend so much money for the first bike anyway.
Get some good standards, and save the rest for taking out your girlfriend for many nice evenings
Definitely not an S-Works as it would say S-Works on the down tube not Specialized. As others have said no S-Works is going to have 105 and itās probably a Comp model as someone already indicated.
Other than that, send the photos to Specialized they might be able to tell if itās a legit frame or not.
So I did some more digging on Specializedās website and finally found an image of a Venge from that era that does indeed have the bulged cable stopsā¦this was a 2016 Venge Elite. Interesting that the Comp model from that year didnāt have the same stops, but the older internal cable stops.
Ditto. Best option is to visit several local shops, tell them your goals and ideas, and see what they can do to help.
Hard to beat local knowledge about options best suited for the area. And being able to chat about the many options is priceless.
Case in point, a Venge is not what I would consider for a new rider. Maybe itās appropriate, but it is a dated model with sacrifices associated with the times. I feel there are likely better options for the same money.
New riders donāt necessarily know what they want, and it can lead to a costly mistake when they figure out what they would like more. So leverage the knowledge and support local shops. It will likely be a good thing for everyone involved.
You were able to hit my situation accurately. Would it be better then first for me to get an entry level one? I was thinking of getting a second hand bike for the price I would pay for a new one since I thought t would give me more value for money. Although in the case of bikes, is it preferable to just purchase a new one?
Thank you for the advice!
Thank you! I have been renting bikes to test out the feel of it. Unfortunately, Im still reading on how bike size affects my riding as I cannot discern it yet
If you are starting out, I would get a new mid-level bike on your budget. Learn to ride, learn to do structured workouts, learn the nuances of equipment, and check out a local bike club. Get to know a solid local bike shop. After a year or two, you will be in a much much better position to know what you would want. A decent bike and bike fit goes a long way to becoming a life-long cyclist, enjoying the sport. I rode for a year before I put down (to me) significant monies for a Specialized Roubaix.