Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.Captain Crunch
05-09-03, 09:45 PM
Well, I have finally got the O.K. from my wife to go and get my new bike. Now I have to make some decisions.
I live in Northern Ontario and the closest bike shops are at least 1 hour away for the Trek Dealer. All the other bikes I am looking at I have to travel at least 6 hours for down to Toronto. So my question is how much weight do I put on having the service center close to home? I do some maintenance myself but I don't like to take too many chances with things I am not familiar with. We do get to Toronto at least once a month and I do have a back-up ride if my new bike ends up needing special attention. So it is not like I will be without a bike to ride.
Do I still just go with what feels the best and deal with a problem if and when it occurs or is there one real standout in this group that is worth going for no matter what? (obviously as long as it fits and I like the ride) My one concern is that the LBS near me is very limited in what they carry for parts to swap out on the Trek (ie. If I want to change or upgrade the seatpost or bars etc.. they will not have much to chose from in the store whereas if I buy in Toronto they have anything you can imagine to chose from right there and then.
Here is what I am looking at right now.
1. Trek 5200 (Ultegra, Bontrager Race Lite wheels, Stock Ritchey bars, stem and seatpost) with lifetime warranty and can be bought from a local shop within 1 hour of home.
The following are all 6 hours way :
2. Argon 18 Platinum (Ultegra or Centaur, Mavic CXP 33 rims, TTT bars and stem, Use Alien seatpost) 3 year warranty
3. Argon 18 Krypton (Ultegra or Centaur, Mavic Ksyrium SSC SL, TTT bars and stem, Use Alien Seatpost) 3 Year Warranty
4. Cannondale R2000 (Ultegra/DA Mix, Kysrium SSC SL's, TTT bars and stem, Cannondale seatpost) Lifetime warranty?
The prices are all fairly close to each other as they are listed. Upgrades can be made but I am pretty much at the upper end of my limit as these are listed here. The Krypton frame is much less expensive than the Platinum and that is why I could afford the upgrade on wheels for it.
Thanks for reading this long winded article but I trust all of you out there to help me sort this out.
:p
I live in Northern Ontario and the closest bike shops are at least 1 hour away for the Trek Dealer. All the other bikes I am looking at I have to travel at least 6 hours for down to Toronto. So my question is how much weight do I put on having the service center close to home? I do some maintenance myself but I don't like to take too many chances with things I am not familiar with. We do get to Toronto at least once a month and I do have a back-up ride if my new bike ends up needing special attention. So it is not like I will be without a bike to ride.
Do I still just go with what feels the best and deal with a problem if and when it occurs or is there one real standout in this group that is worth going for no matter what? (obviously as long as it fits and I like the ride) My one concern is that the LBS near me is very limited in what they carry for parts to swap out on the Trek (ie. If I want to change or upgrade the seatpost or bars etc.. they will not have much to chose from in the store whereas if I buy in Toronto they have anything you can imagine to chose from right there and then.
Here is what I am looking at right now.
1. Trek 5200 (Ultegra, Bontrager Race Lite wheels, Stock Ritchey bars, stem and seatpost) with lifetime warranty and can be bought from a local shop within 1 hour of home.
The following are all 6 hours way :
2. Argon 18 Platinum (Ultegra or Centaur, Mavic CXP 33 rims, TTT bars and stem, Use Alien seatpost) 3 year warranty
3. Argon 18 Krypton (Ultegra or Centaur, Mavic Ksyrium SSC SL, TTT bars and stem, Use Alien Seatpost) 3 Year Warranty
4. Cannondale R2000 (Ultegra/DA Mix, Kysrium SSC SL's, TTT bars and stem, Cannondale seatpost) Lifetime warranty?
The prices are all fairly close to each other as they are listed. Upgrades can be made but I am pretty much at the upper end of my limit as these are listed here. The Krypton frame is much less expensive than the Platinum and that is why I could afford the upgrade on wheels for it.
Thanks for reading this long winded article but I trust all of you out there to help me sort this out.
:p