Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - New Bike Trek or Cannondale

I'm going to spoil myself next year by getting a new ride and am really torn between two specific bikes. The Trek Madone or the Cannondale Carbon1. Both right around the same price the Madone has Sram Force the Carbon1 has the old dura ace not the 7900. Dealer will switch out the crank on either one to a 53/39 as they both come with a compact which I feel I no longer require. I really like the looks of the Madone and love the Sram but I think the Mavics on the Carbon1 are better wheels.
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/road/madone/madone55/
http://www.cannondale.com/bikes/09/cusa/model-9RSX1D_9RSX1C.html

Everyone has their own bicycle manufacturer preferences and asking a such a question always brings out biased opinins.

Simple solution: buy the one that feels best. If that doesn't make it easier, ask yourself which LBS is better?
About the wheels. A good LBS should be able to get the wheels you want when you're dropping that kind of change.

But damn.....that Red Madone is hot

I'm not the worlds biggest Trek fan, but that red and white just pops. Force is good stuff too.

If you have to have problems, this isn't a bad one to have, lol.

I've never been what you would call a huge fan of Trek either but that Madone stirred something in me. I almost bought a Cannondale SuperSix this spring but decided to wait another year. Now Dale has went to himod carbon and out priced me. I like the Carbon1 but that Trek is hot.

I can't say a thing about the Cannondale simply because I have a favorite LBS that treats me well and have been a Trek guy for a long time now, but I have seen that Madone locally and it is pretty sweet.

You will just have to ride both of them. When you are done, you can clean out your shorts and pick which one you liked the best.

Personally, I wouldn't buy either of those bikes.

The Trek retails for $4620. For that kind of cash, you can do much better. My LBS is selling 2009 Specialized Roubaix Pro framesets for $1700. Do what I did and by an SRAM Force build kit from GVH bikes that includes Red shifters, Red brakes, Red crank, Red rear derailleur, and OG-1090R chain for $1250. Make reasonable selections for bars, stem, tape, seapost, tires, headset and pedals and the price goes to $1600. Or get a Dura-Ace 7800 gruppo for about the same price. Recycle the saddle from your current bike. Then snag a set of 1550g Easton EA90 SL wheels from eBay, using 25% cashback from live.com, for $400 net. That's a total of $3700 by my calculations.

That's one Hell of a bike and lots of cash left over to play around with: upgrade to 1400g EA90 SLX wheels for an additional $125, or get Reynolds Attack carbon fiber wheels for an additional $250. Snag a Cervelo RS frame for an additional $500 or a Pinarello F4:13 for another $750...

Personally, I wouldn't buy either of those bikes.

The Trek retails for $4620. For that kind of cash, you can do much better. My LBS is selling 2009 Specialized Roubaix Pro framesets for $1700. Do what I did and by an SRAM Force build kit from GVH bikes that includes Red shifters, Red brakes, Red crank, Red rear derailleur, and OG-1090R chain for $1250. Make reasonable selections for bars, stem, tape, seapost, tires, headset and pedals and the price goes to $1600. Or get a Dura-Ace 7800 gruppo for about the same price. Recycle the saddle from your current bike. Then snag a set of 1550g Easton EA90 SL wheels from eBay, using 25% cashback from live.com, for $400 net. That's a total of $3700 by my calculations.

That's one Hell of a bike and lots of cash left over to play around with: upgrade to 1400g EA90 SLX wheels for an additional $125, or get Reynolds Attack carbon fiber wheels for an additional $250. Snag a Cervelo RS frame for an additional $500 or a Pinarello F4:13 for another $750...


Don't forget the additional expense of a work stand and any other tools that might be required for this build. It will still be cheaper but not an incredible amount. Plus if the OP were to buy from a shop he gets the peace of mind of warrenty service plus whatever freebies. Subby has to decide which is better for him, sweet a$s gruppo or service and support.

<drool>Roubiax decked out in red</drool>

One thing I'm man enough to admit is my lack of bike repair or service build up. Fix a tractor trailer sure no problem fix a poorly adjusted derailer, don't think so. Not sure why but I look at bike gearing and my brain has a fart. Plus I'd need to buy all the tools plus pay for a coarse to learn how to use them. I would love to build it myself but I'm also happy taking my bike into the LBS I deal with. They fix it I ride away, no money changes hands and I keep coming back for all my other cycling needs. I do like the Pinarello though and the Dogma may very well be in my stable in another 4-5 years.

Don't forget the additional expense of a work stand and any other tools that might be required for this build.

There's really very little that's required to build a bike... both in terms of special tools and mechanical expertise. I've built 2-3 bikes over the last 12-18 months. I don't have any formal training as a bicycle mechanic, but managed to get by reading the Park Tool website, Sheldon Brown's site, and the directions that came with the components I purchased.

As far as special tools, I own a bottom bracket tool (Park BBT-9 in my case, $17), and a cassette lockring tool (Park FR-5 for me, $6). I bought a Park cable and housing cutter (CN-10, $27) but it doesn't work that well; I mostly use an old set of diagonal pliers (for cables) and an old Dremel tool with a cut-off wheel (for housing). A set of metric allen wrenches, a Philips screwdriver, and a pair of ViceGrip pliers round out the toolkit. Of course, there are additional special tools you can buy. Cutting a fork to length and installing a headset with press-in cups requires quite a few tools. I like being able to do everything myself, so I happen to own the tools, but they're a luxury: my local Performance Bike shop will do all of the work for $25 or $30, usually the same day I drop off the parts.

Life is certainly easier if you own a repair stand. I do all of my own maintenance, so I bought a nice one (http://www.rei.com/product/752335) on sale a year ago for $100 or $120. Again, it's a bit of a luxury; it makes life easier, but there's nothing that really requires it. Get your shop to install the headset and cut your fork to length. Install the fork and stem, throw some wheels on the bike, and it's self supporting. From there you can easily install the rest of the components. When it comes time to tweak the derailleurs, you can rest the bike upside down on handlbars and saddle, or find a buddy to hold the rear tire off the ground while you twiddle the adjustment screws...