Introductions - HI & Help

Hi - I've been away from Road riding for about 12 years but have been mountain biking - even a little racing. I'm 48 and want to get back into road biking and buy a nice bike. I am considering both a Lynskey TI bike and a Carbon Trek, or a Seven Axiom. My LBS has a "new" (as in been sittin there a while) 2005 Trek Madone 5.9. I rode it and it is rock solid and smooth with Dura-Ace. It is the older "aero" frame that Trek is not making anymore. Still felt pretty good to me so I gusess I need to know what problems there were with this frame - why didn't Lance like it? The bike is being offered at $2999.00 which sounds pretty good compared to it's original >$5K cost; however, a new 5.9 SL is on sale now for $3800 (but I don't like the 2007 color). I'm also considering a 2007 Madone 5.5 (nice gray) for $3300. Is the 2005 bike price a good deal considering it has several upgraded components over the 5.5 or are these upgrades minor and I should stick with the newer frame with a good paint scheme? Yes, I know - fit is most important - got it. Anyhow thanks for any thoughts on these bikes

Oh, you'd want to ask the Road cycling lot about why Lance didn't like the bike. All I know is that if the Madone 5.9 came in a size to fit me, I'd be thinking hard about getting it at that price.

Where are you located?

Welcome to BF!

East Hill

welcome.

i can't answer your questions, but at the end of the day- does paint scheme really matter?


/rides a new Felt Q720 w/ ugly gray paint and an old fuji road bike with a rattle-can repaint thats chipping off everywhere

Hi - I've been away from Road riding for about 12 years but have been mountain biking - even a little racing. I'm 48 and want to get back into road biking and buy a nice bike. I am considering both a Lynskey TI bike and a Carbon Trek, or a Seven Axiom. My LBS has a "new" (as in been sittin there a while) 2005 Trek Madone 5.9. I rode it and it is rock solid and smooth with Dura-Ace. It is the older "aero" frame that Trek is not making anymore. Still felt pretty good to me so I gusess I need to know what problems there were with this frame - why didn't Lance like it? The bike is being offered at $2999.00 which sounds pretty good compared to it's original >$5K cost; however, a new 5.9 SL is on sale now for $3800 (but I don't like the 2007 color). I'm also considering a 2007 Madone 5.5 (nice gray) for $3300. Is the 2005 bike price a good deal considering it has several upgraded components over the 5.5 or are these upgrades minor and I should stick with the newer frame with a good paint scheme? Yes, I know - fit is most important - got it. Anyhow thanks for any thoughts on these bikes

Yup, check over at the road bike forum for opinions on the Madone - you'll get plenty! Certainly all three steeds you've chosen to look at are very nice machines. I'd simply go with the one that felt the best to me, and my budget. Good luck, and welcome to the forums! :)

... Brad

I'm in Santa Clarita, CA. Actually a new 2007 5.9SL is just a few hundred more. The bike shop owner sort of did the old "that looks about right" to me sizing technique. He didn't measure me but did watch me sit on the bike and pedal backwards. He made a stem change and adjusted the seat - that was it. In contrast, another bike store took the time to do a "fit kit" style measurement of me and let me ride three different bikes for as long as I wanted and changed multiple aspects (i.e. seat, stem, etc.). I am considering a Lynskey TI frame and let that shop build me a "custom" style bike to specifically fit me.

I'd be going with the LBS that did the proper fitting :) . If you've got the money, a 'custom' bike is a nice way to go. There is a Southern California forum, but it's not acting very responsibly at the moment :( . You might want to wait a few weeks before you venture over there...

East Hill