Road Cycling - 2004 Trek 1500 vs. 2003 Trek 2000

I made myself ride a hand me down inexpensive bike for 1000miles before I blew a lot of money in a new hobby. Well I just rolled over 1k (in less than 6 months, not bad for a newbie) on my buddies 15 year old Le Mans Centurion.

So now I'm ready to spend some coin on a "good" road bike. I'm not a racer, most of my road riding is solo for the fitness / mental therapy aspect. I'm on the gulf coast so I have almost NO hills but I do plan on doing the occasional MS150 (Houston to Austin). I'm your typical stressed out professional with a demanding job, wife and kid so my primary goal is durability and low maintenance (keep in mind I'm on track to log 2k+ miles / year).

I went to my local LBS trying to make up my mind between the 2003 Trek 2000 (on sale for $999 this week) and the 2003 Trek 2200 (sale for $1429). 2000 was a "good enough" bike but I really liked the Bontrager wheelset since I seem to have a knack for hitting road trash and tweaking my rims (twice in 6 months). Anyway, they had a 2004 Trek 1500 on the wall. I had not seen this model but the componentry looked good for the price, $979 on sale.

http://www.trekbike.com/bikes/2004/road/1500.jsp

http://www.trekbike.com/bikes/2003/road/2000.jsp

So I'm enthusiastic but not terribly educated on the topic so I'm looking for some opinions. To me it looks like I get the same frame and componentry except I gain the good wheels (bontrager select) and also get an Ultegra rear derailleur and lose clipless pedals and get a bontrager crank instead of a 105.

Is the Bontrager crank anything to be concerned about? Should I upgrade the front derailleur to 105?

I wish I could ride one but they don't have a 1500 in the store yet. So I have to put down a deposit now to get the sale price (sale ends next week) and wait a few weeks for it to come in. If I don't like it they will happily credit my deposit towards a 2003 2000 at the sale price but there is no gaurantee they will have one left .

So you guys are my experts. I think the 1500 is a great bike for me, it has all the features of the 2000 except nicer wheels and RD in exchange for Bontrager crank and no clipless pedals (I already have clipless pedals). Is there something in the 1500 specs that should make me concerned? For $20 less, I'm leaning toward the 2004 1500.

thanks for your time.

David

Light, aero, high-zoot wheels do not translate into more durable wheels.

Does the shop have a master wheelbuilder? Does the wheelbuilder hand-prep every wheel, including the machine-made ones that come on new bikes, or do they just pull the wheels out of the box and tighten the QR, and call it "installed?"

If the former -- if the wheels are stress-relieved and properly tensioned by hand before being ridden -- then you can save your money and buy the less expensive bike. Or, alternatively, maybe the shop will credit you for the factory wheels and give you a price on some custom hand-built wheels.

That's what I'd do, if I didn't care about riding fashionable boutique wheels or winning races. The 2000 with hand-built wheels would be a fine bike.

As always, of course, this is all based on the assumption that Trek road geometry fits you. There are only three valid criteria for choosing a frame, and brand name isn't one of them. The three are:

1) fit;
2) fit; and
3) fit.

RichC

I priced one here. They were going to sell for $1200.00, including an upgrade to an Ultegra crank and an Ultegra front derailler. The Ultegra crank only amounts to another 60.00 dollars, over a 105. The 1500 is a great buy, I think. I was still going to upgrade the brakes though.

I've got a 2000 and LOVE it. '00 model, but I imagine the '03 is even better.

Pardon a potentially dumb statement, but lower model numbers usually mean "not as good" (in a relative sense). I've not seen many things where a lower model number meant it was actually better (i.e. better construction/components/materials/etc)... Of course, I could be 100% wrong, but it might be something to consider. My thought? I always go with the the "best" deal which for me, given the same sale price, means whatever cost more originally :D

In the final scheme of things, go with whatever makes you happiest!

The way it worked out here,,,,,, I could make the 1500 better than the 2000, for less money, by upgrading a couple things. If you tried to match the componentry of the 2200, then you might as well have bought the 2200.

Looks like it is the 1500 for me. The test ride sold me, rode a 2000 and 1500 back to back and the Ultegra rear derailleur was very nice shifting. I think I will spend the $30 to get an ultegra front derailleur. If all goes well I should be picking it up tomorrow.

LongRider, you made a comment about upgrading the brakes. Can you elaborate a little on what about the brakes need attention? Thanks,

David

They come with the Tektro brakes on them. They are a little mushy. They work fine, but once you use a pair of 105 or better, the Tektro just dont feel good anymore. The brakes will be fine starting out, if you dont want to upgrade right off. It is an easy,,,, do it yourself,,, upgrade, any time you want to. Congrats on the new 1500. They are very nice.

I have the 03 2000, as of this morning it has 1700 miles on it. I weigh 240, have the stock wheels and the select, ride both, average the same speed on both, can't tell one bit of difference in the two wheel sets! 105 shifts very well and has tiagra front derail. In a race last week I passed bikes costing twice as much and that kinda made me feel good also.
This bike has given me ZERO problems for what it's worth.

I hate black bikes! This is the reason I didn't get the 2200 last year. As long as you ride it like there is no tomorrow either will be worth every penny!:D

OK, either the board software is malfunctioning or I don't understand how to use it. I replied to this thread yesterday saying I took the plunge and bought the 1500. My reply never appeared (yes I tried clearing the cache). Now today I got a reply notification saying someone had replied and I see neither my reply nor anyone else's. Anybody know what i am doing wrong?

David

A few posts, from yesterday, were lost because of the problems the site was having. I lost a couple too.

Congratulations on the 1500. It's a sweet looking bike, and a great buy.

Which color did you get?

Got the USPS team colors. "Metallic Charcoal/Baja Blue (Team)" They don't have a picture of it on the website yet but I like it much better than the black scheme.

Sucks being so busy at work, I've had it three days now and have only squeezed in one short 13 miler. It is such a huge step up from my previous bike it feels fantastic. Hopefully I'll be able to get a 40 miler in tomorrow before I head back into work.

David

I know the feeling. It has rained almost non stop since my Bianchi got here. It hadnt rained an inch in 2 months, prior. :(

Congrats djs_tx...I just got my Trek 5200 in the USPS team colors last week. Hopefully you get to get out on that longer ride tomorrow. Have fun!

Teski