Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Trek Pilot 5.0

Hi folks, I'm looking at replacing my old softride with a new bike for brevets...I'm interested in the Trek Pilot 5.0...I thought it had a nice balance of comfort (a bit more upright geometry) versus performance. Obviously the real test is a long (100+) ride, which is difficult to simulate at a bike shop. Does any ride a Pilot? If so, are you happy with it's long distance reliability, comfort and performance? If you use a Pilot for long distances, what kind of bags do you use on it to haul your supplies? Are there any fenders that will fit on it? My lbs is having a great deal on this bike during July, so I have until Monday to decide! Frank

I have a Pilot 5.0. I got mine about 3 months ago to replace a year old Trek 1200. I'm 37 and in pretty good shape, but the 1200 really beat me up after 50 miles. We're riding a century next weekend and we've been training for it for a couple months. Last two weekends I've ridden 78 miles each day and have had no problems. Very comfortable. The only problem is finding a good seat. The one that comes on it is nice and soft and only good for about 25 miles and then it gets very uncomfortable. I now have a E3 form and it's not bad. I may look at a Brooks. I would recommend it. It's great for long rides, but maybe not the fastest as the aerodynamics aren't as good as your regular roadie. But after 100 miles, I think I'll be glad to give up the speed for the lack of an aching back...

i've had my pilot 5.0wsd since february. it has been great! very comfortable, except the stock seat on rides greater than 30-40mi. switched seat out to a terry butterfly and will be doing 75mi this saturday. so far no comfort issues. it's fast enough for me too. i'm usually in the 14.5-16.5 avg, and can get it up to 22+ on the flats. i would recommend it; in fact, my husband bought a pilot 2.1 and loves his.

I just found a 2005 5.2 still in the box at my LBS for the same price as the 2006 5.0. I haven't ridden it much yet, but I am very impressed with how comfortable it feels.

fopianki,

Have you considered renting? One lbs here rents bikes for the weekend for $35, and then deducts all rental fees from the purchase price of a new bike.

That allows a much longer time with the bike than a spin around the parking lot allows.

Good luck.

If you are willing to spend that kind of cash on a bike I would for sure check out the following:

Giant OCR,
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/030.000.000/030.000.006.asp?range=241

Specialized Allez,
http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?a=b&minisite=10029&bikeTab=techspec?&spid=12390

Scott Speedster,
http://www.scottusa.com/product.php?UID=7969

Cannondale Synapse,
http://www.cannondale.com/bikes/06/cusa/cats/road_pr_synapse_carbon.html

I too have been looking at a Pilot for my next bike; granted a Pilot 1.0 since I don't really have the cash to spend. All of the above bike frames have more of the upright relaxed riding position.

I'm confused on how the term Brevet is used. Below is the pasted definition of brevet, and definition of randonee. The definition below indicates that a brevet is a sort of qualifying run.

What is a brevet, and what is a randonee, and which of these terms would apply to a century (or double century) ride?

From Sheldon Brown's Glossary:
Brevet: A randonnée (http://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_ra-e.html#randonnee) to qualify a rider to enter a longer randonnée.

Randonee: The French word "randonnée" is not exactly translatable into English. The closest is probably "hike", which is not commonly used in bicycle contexts. A randonné is an organized group ride, with some emphasis on speed, but it is not a race. Riders will typically be on road-racing (http://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_ra-e.html#roadracing) or light-touring (http://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_ta-o.html#touring) bicycles. Randonnées are often quite long, but do not normally involve stopping for the night away from the start. Some randonnées run all night. One of the most famous (and most rigorous) is the quadrennial Paris-Brest-Paris (http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/fell/PBP1975.html) ride, 1200 kilometers, (750 miles) stopping only for meals and catnaps.

A 200, 300, 400, 600, 1000, or 1200k ride.

From www.rusa.org

# What is a brevet?

Again, this is a French word for which we have no direct translation for its cycling usage. In general, it means a "patent", "certificate", or "diploma". For the randonneur, the randonnée, they have entered is often called a "brevet". This is typically a challenging 200-, 300-, 400-, 600-, 1000- or 1200- kilometer ride, each with a specific time limit. The randonneur carries a brevet card, which is signed and stamped at each checkpoint along the way to prove they have covered the distance successfully. (Losing the card, or missing a required checkpoint is a very bad thing to do!) Also, pronounce the word correctly: "brevet" rhymes with "say" or "Chevrolet", not "get" or "let".

I test rode a Pilot for a few blocks and liked it. Would appreciate any input from owners out there as to actual tire clearance with the 'long-reach' brakes on this frame.