Road Cycling - Crunch Time - Opinions On These Bikes Please

I am very close to buying my new bike and have narrowed the choice down to six real contenders. I am looking for input from all of you experts out there on which of these six is your choice in terms of Value, Warranty, Longevity of Frame and Components etc...

Let's assume for the time being that all these bikes are equal in comfort and fit for me.

I will say that I am 6' 0" tall and weigh about 185 lbs in case this makes a difference for frame materials etc... I have not seen weight restrictions listed for any of these frames but if you know of some please advise me.

Thanks for all your help!:)

Go with the Giant TCR Carbon 1. My friend is on one and he says it's a marriage made in heaven!:D

What is the bike going to be used for?

The bike will be used mainly for fitness but I do compete in a few races and triathlons.

I bought a Trek 5200 about a month ago and have put about 400 miles on it. This is the most comfortable bike I have ever owned. It soaks up road "buzz" like nothing else. I have a titanium MTB and this bike is quiter than that one. I am 6'6" and weigh about 260 yet I do not feel any flex in this bike. At first I was a little worried about standing on the pedals and mashing them but now I do it regularily. The only two things I changed with the bike was I installed a longer Thomson seat post and I changed the seat. The stock seat Trek supplies is a pain in the ass.

This is a completely biased, personal opinion.
Go with the Marinoni.
Not a cookie cutter frame.
Its steel and as they say "Steel is real".
Columbus Foco tubing.
Campagnolo components. They just work. Centaur
is very good line.
Neutron wheels, maybe not as high zoot as some of
the others but will hold their place. Chorus level
hubs on the neutron IIRC.
Choice of compact of standard frame (according
to Marinoni web site).

Its ITALIAN, so is the builder even tho he
lives in Canada.

As I said, this is quite biased.
Marty

If all of these are at the lbs thats one good thing.If the warr is the same,thats another good thing.Weight and components are close,thats another good thing.Comes down to best price and best ride.Pit them against each other if at different shops to get the best price.

The soloist is a great machine. An exotic from a Canadian company, all it needs is campy components to make it next to perfect! :) You really can't go wrong with any of the bikes on your list though, but the Cervelo followed by the Marinoni would be my choice. Just my humble opinion.

I have a 2 year old Trek 5200. Don't know much about the other bikes but I can say that I love this bike. Responsive and super smooth.

When I click in, I can hear it whisper "Let's go!"

I think the Cannondale is so freakin sexy. It probably has the nicest alum. frame in the market at this price range. (there! I said it!)

I must admit that I really like the Marinoni but the Cannondale comes with the best stock specs I've seen in this price range. The SSC SL wheels, TTT Forgie XL bars and stem, and even a DA rear derailleur.

The Giant on the other hand is a wonderful frame and ride. How tough it is to make this decision:D I know I can't go wrong with any of them but I will hurt to have to let 5 of them go!

considering I ride a cannondale....I'll say cannondale :D

To bad felt isnt on the list.Could be better bike and price and spec's then the list.

Although I picked the trek, I have ridden one, I would say also go for the Marinoni. I have met the guy on multiple occasions. He used to paint our frames at my store (bosses are friends). I like the diamond and noncommon concepts that he uses for the tubing on his frames. By the way, he is located in Laval, Quebec. That is the island just north of Montreal.

Tough to decide ? Buy one of each for each day of week and on the 7 th day you rest. But seriously I love my Cannondale. Good luck in your decision and I don't think you could go wrong with anything on your list.:confused:

Had to go with the argon because no one else did. :rolleyes:

i own a 5200 and it it AWESOME!

I went to www.qbike.com and found these new, 2000 bianchi daytona,alloro for $1900 and a giro,not sure what year for $1350 and a titanium for $2500,all from bike shops.Dont know if these are good prices but there was a lot of others.Fun to look.

qbike rules

Thanks for all the input. I don't think it has made my decision any easier but I'll let you know how it turns out and when. I am hoping sooner than later.:D

The TCR carbon might be VERY hard to find unless the LBS has one in stock...my LBS said June was the earliest he could get one...but I'm sure the larger shops could get one faster.

The Cannondale IMHO will give you a harsh ride. I've test ridden a CAAD7...R4000...it was FEATHERWEIGHT! omg was it light! wow. buuuut...after riding it for 30 min I was getting sore. I think anyone would get used to it and grow to love the bike...but maybe not...I'm 6'1 165...

I can't comment on the others except for the 5200...great bike...I have test ridden one...I myself just bought a trek but went with the 5900 frame/ultegra.

In my test rides the CAAD7 might have an edge on the 5200 in climbing, but the 5200 was sooooo much more comfortable...its totally silent and smooth...plus lifetime warranty on the frame...

good luck with your choice :D

Originally posted by Coppi51
The TCR carbon might be VERY hard to find unless the LBS has one in stock...my LBS said June was the earliest he could get one...but I'm sure the larger shops could get one faster.


Okay... pre-apology for the shameless plug for my LBS. They do have TCR Composite 1s in stock and I know they do quite a bit of online sales. You might want to consider giving them a shout...

http://www.bikesale.com/product.asp?0=203&1=205&3=361

P.S. I have no affiliation with them other than being a happy loyal customer.

Crunch,
I would say get the bike with Centaur. Campy stuff performs great and lasts a long time. However, Ultegra seems to shift a tad smoother overall. Good luck!
byron

IMHO, not a fan of carbon. We get too many bikes in our shop with cracked frames. The Trek and Look frames I've ridden felt sluggish to me. CDale has the lifetime warranty as well. If you can, just ride 'em all and pick what feels best for you.

That is a tough decision. I like the Marinoni because it is steel and if treated properly should last a life time and the Campy Centaur is a match for the Ultrega group, it could always upgrade bits and pieces at a time to Chorus as things break or wear out. BUT the Giant TCR Carbon is one of the lightest bikes on the market at about 15.5 pounds loaded however they only have 4 sizes-44, 50, 55 and 60 so make sure it fits before you buy it. I don't like frames made of aluminum due to the durability and crash issues. Trek 5200 is a great deal and has a lifetime warranty that Trek is very quick to handle whereas Cannondale would take 6 to 8 months to correct any issues. Component wise, the Ultrega and Centaur are about equal, I prefer Campy stuff due to the repairablity and durabilty.

Don't forget, these are just an opinion.

I would say the Marinoni as well. I'm a big fan of Campy, I just switched over from Ultegra. I find the Ergo's much more comfortable and I like the fact that they are rebuildable rather then just throw away and replace parts. Plus, you wont see as many of those on the road.

Second choice would be the 5200. Great, solid bikes backed by an excellent company. Not nearly as exciting IMO (I work at a Trek dealer and see 5200's every day, they've lost any real excitement factor for me) but a good solid bike that has proven itself.

If the 5200 is so good,how come so many being sold on e-bay?Why dont trek warr. the frame for life?UM.

Um...Trek does warranty the frame for life. All Trek frames have a lifetime warranty on them.

Don't know why so many on ebay. Probably because there are so many sold in the first place, and people are always looking for something new even if nothing was wrong with what they had in the first place.

Originally posted by froze
5200 is a great deal and has a lifetime warranty that Trek is very quick to handle whereas Cannondale would take 6 to 8 months to correct any issues.
That's odd, our shop has never had any problems getting prompt service from Cannondale.

Cannondale has been great where as trek took 3 months of having my bike before they found it had a cracked frame.Thats 3 months without a bike,thanks trek.

Wow, that is unusual for Trek. My shop actually sold Trek and C-Dale up until last year. We had trouble with C-Dale warranty work, often getting long delays before we would get things back. Finally dropped them sometime last year. They made nice bikes, but the service left a lot to be desired in our oppinion. There have been times when Trek has bent over backwards for me and my customers. I've been amazed at the level of service they offer.

Anyway, I'm not trying to be a spokesperson for Trek here, just my oppinion. I still think you should go for the Marinoni.

Is the Marinoni steel? If it is, it would provide the best ride of the group. And, the Campy Neutron wheels are really nice. Once I get down to 175 I am going to treat myself to a set for being such a good boy. Will make those hills melt away. But they all sound nice. The Extra just sounds extra nice and has the gruppo/wheel set. Not often you see Neutrons on a stock bike.

Steel,did you say steel.Man i've been looking at steel.Comes down to jamis eclipse,fuji roubaix pro,LeMond zurich or buenos aires.Havent found any others as good in this price range.Oh and maybe the cervelo prodigy.Trying to stay with 853 steel.

Speaking of steel. I'm on a Lemond Buenos Aires that I've switched over to Campy (Centaur/Chorus mix). These are great steel frames for the money. I've been really happy with it so far.

The 853 Select frame on the Buenos Aires is 3.7lbs for a 55cm frame and has 525 stays.

The 853 Pro on the Zurich is 3.3lbs for a 55cm and has 725 stays.

Either makes a good choice. Not as familiar with the other ones you mentioned but I've heard some good things about the Fuji.

Go with the Giant TCR Carbon 1. My friend is on one and he says it's a marriage made in heaven!
I agree with this statement, this bike is the best bike I have ever ridden, it is super light and is amazing for climbing.
I am 5'8 and bought the medium size, with Ultegra and Krysium SL it weighs 16.5pounds/7.5kg.

An excellent bike with a 10 year warrantee.

CHEERS.

Mark

The Marinoni Piuma Extra is certainly steel. Ultra Foco tubeset and comes totally made to your custom specs. Including components and wheels and all the measurements. Color too. Here is a link:

http://www.marinoni.qc.ca/html/eng_piumaxtra.asp

For those worried about the weight of steel you should think twice. This bike is only about 200 grams more than it's aluminum competetion which is less than the weight of a water bottle.

What a sweet ride!:D

Here is a pic although not in the colours I would choose. I hope the pic somes through.

Ok so the link worked but the picture did not come through. How do you attach a picture?

If you are going to do Tri as well then you could not get better than the Cervelo without getting a pure Tri bike. It is the only bike in the world (patented tubing) with a true airfoil shaped tubing. Check it out http://www.cervelo.com/text-icon-Solo-team.html#New
I would have bought the Soloist if I didn't find my Litespeed first!

I have narrowed the bikes to (very similar to you): klein q-pro carbon, q-carbon, trek 5200, cannondale R1000 and giant TCR composite. (based on the quality, budget, riding and of course availability -I am in Poland).

After thinking for two-three weeks - browsing websites etc, I came to a conclusion that all of them are of similar quality and riding.
all of these are excellent bikes - no matter what you choose - you should be happy with the product.

I would look for:
1. frame material - what do you want - alu or carbon, steel, titan? materials have different riding characteristics
2. then brand or value - denpends on what type you are
3. remember that you should love the bike - I once bought kona kula (mtb) - great value for money and excellent bike but i didn't "love it" - it just wasn't it. So the bike must be pretty and you must like it. When you look at it you should think: what a hell of a bike I bought!

I would go for 1. trek, 2. cannondale, 3. giant

Apologies if I'm tepping on some toes here but I think the decision is a no Brainer.

The CAAD7 wins it hands down.
Super light weight
Lifetime warranty
They build the best Aluminium frames
It feels lively almost like Titanium but without the spring. This bike is stiff, stiff like a stiff thing. Super responsive and greta component spec.

I'd only consider the Trek if i was specifically looking for a bonded carbon frame. (not my favourite materila for bike applications)

Captain - Does you last post mean that you have settled on the Marinoni? If so, you have made a wise choice. Have put 600+ miles on my new Scapin, which is a similar steel frame with carbon fork (also Campy 10-speed) and it is the fastest, most responsive and most comfortable bike I have ridden. One always wants to validate their selection (money spent), but in this case I truly got it right. Nothing as nice as a good steel frame and Campy gear. It has made me a better rider (mostly due to the fact that I get on it and ride more often). You'll be very happy with the Marinoni. Enjoy!!

Paramount Scapin

I am heading down to buy my bike this weekend. I am certainly leaning towards the Marinoni but have yet to test ride the Cannondale CAAD 7 Frames, Trek 5200 and the Argon 18 Krypton. I am going to get a chance to test them all this weekend and make my decision based on the rides of each. I do like the idea of the steel Marinoni and if I go with it I have to decide whether or not I am going to put the carbon rear triangle on it as well. Oh man there are too many options available.
The Krypton is an aluminum frame but the tubing is all assembled by Marinoni or past workers from their factory. The workmanship is absolutely beautiful. I don't think I can wrong with either decision.

Wish me luck.

:beer:

I'm assuming that they're all about the same price?
Go for the bike with the best frame .. for you that is.
The other stuff on a bike can always be upgraded after if need be.
I really like the new carbon giant frames .. (but this is only over the cannondale and trek which is all i've ridden)
Choosing a bike can be hard work .. but its also a lot of fun!

bought a 5200 about 300 miles ago.....the more I ride this the more I absolutley love it. I had steel ...yes steel is real ... so is a 5200 !!!!

I'd lean towards the steel bike (Marinoni), except I'm philosophically opposed to integrated headsets. :crash: Since five of your six options come with integrated or zero-stack, I'm guessing you don't mind :) so consider that a vote for the Marinoni.

I ended up going with a Marinoni but it was aluminum over the steel. I just liked the ride more.

See the other threads I posted entitled "My New Marinoni" with pics of the new bike.