Originally Posted by PRude
ZachJones-----I was wondering if you have more detailed road reports with your Equinox 7? If so, any pros or cons. I'm about to purchase my first tri bike in the next few weeks and I am undecided between the Trek Equinox 7 and Cervelo Dual (9spd). It seems you get more bang for the buck with the Cervelo and a true tri bike fit unlike the Trek Equinox 7 (2004) version how much better is the "05" model. Any feedback would be greatly appreciative for the new guy. Thank you.
Sure thing. Truth be told if I didn't absolutely fall in love with the look of the Equinox when I first saw it at the LBS I probably would have researched all of the tri bikes in the sub 2000 range and may have ended up with something else. There are some great values out there, but for me it was love at first sight, in fact it was so bad that 3 other guys bought them with me in one big package deal
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Likes and dislikes:
Like - the carbon front fork. It really makes for a smooooooth ride.
Like - the feel of the bike at 20+ MPH. It's one of those machines where it just seems to want to ride faster and faster.
Like - the seat. I didn't think I would at first but once I got it dialed in for me I've been very pleased with it.
Like - the look, drop dead sexy.
Dislike - 175 cranks were standard on the 56 cm and the bike store said they would cut me a deal on a new Bontrager crankset but instead I bought a 105 172.5 crankset off of ebay and saved a bundle in the process.
Dislike - the weight of the wheels. While they look cool and all of that they are heavier compared to the 32 spoke training wheels. I haven't put the wheels on a scale to confirm but just by hoding them they seem heavier.
Dislike - Tires. They only hold 100 PSI. Seems 120 - 140 is the norm in tires these days so I'll be replacing them.
Dislike - Front derailleur. This one really ticks me off. I have had to take the bike back to the shop multiple times to have the front braze on derailleur adjusted. First the bolt holding the cable in place came loose and I couldn't shift into the big ring. Next the whole derailleur slide down on the bracket and would rub the big chain ring. After a few other returns the guys at the LBS contacted Trek who told them they needed a special tool to fix the problem. Of course the LBS does not have that tool so Trek has to send it to them. They were supposed to get the tool today so I should be able to pick up the bike tomorrow. It has better shift like a hot knife through butter from now on. If it doesn't I'll ask for a refund and go find a different tri bike. I will go on record and say that my bike is the only one having any shifting problems. The other bikes shift just fine.
I didn't have the bike this past weekend when I did a metric century with two of the other guys that bought the same bike. I sure missed being down on the bars like they were. I did manage to do just fine on my old Sora equipped Fuji Ace. I had no issues with Rudy the Roadie this go 'round (see road bike snob thread for Rudy reference).
Although I've listed several dislikes for the Equinox I still love it and as long as it shifts correctly I'll probably ride it until the wheels fall off. Feel free to ask any other questions about it. I'll be happy to answer them as best I can.