Road Cycling - Bike Recommendations!

I know you get loads of these kinda threads so please don't flip! I was going to buy a trek 2200 but i got some extra work for the summer, saved hard and suddenly i have enough to buy a trek 5200. My budget is £2000(about $3650) so can anyone else recommend any really good bikes for this price range that i should test? Of the bikes in this range the 5200 is the one that appeals most on looks but i have yet to test ride any at all. Also, what kind of quality are the bikes in this range, are they really really really good and will last ages or just quite good? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Look at the Trek 5000. I was in the same boat as you . I set out to buy a 2200. On the day of my fitting The LBS was out of stock on the 2200. I test rode a 2300 and the 5000. Really like the smooth ride of the 5000.

If you break it down the 5000 uses the same OCLV120 frame as the 5200, but shares the component group of the 2200.

I've had it a month now and had no regrets. It seem to be a very well made bike, fit and finish is excellent and everything from the ride to the shifting is super smooth.

At around $500 less money than the 5200 its worth a look.

www.trekbikes.com

Good Luck

no trek 5000 in the uk! we get dumped on over here.

Too bad about the availability of the 5000. I don't think you can go wrong with the 5200. Just came back from a 42 mile ride. Got a big smile on my face. Happy I bought what I did. :D . Test ride the 5200 I'm sure you'll be pleased :)

Hi,
with that budget, most any bike you want is yours. You mentioned durability. Titanium and steel are what I think of
for durablity.Buy one good bike and ride it forever. The first thing to do is decide what sort of ride you want. Race, high performance, performance/sport, etc. I am going to assume for the moment you want high performance. I haven't tried a lot of bikes in that price range. One that I have tried is the Litespeed Tuscany. Great bike if they sell them where you are. You may have to do some traveling to test ride some bikes that are less well known than Trek. Trek makes some great bikes, but you never know until you try it, what is going to knock your socks off.

just save up for the super light

Build a nice steel bike.They have a great ride and will last forever. Find a custom builder in your area.

If i had that much to spend, I would look into something with a titanium frame. Just a thought.

Colnago Mix is in your price range with full centaur. Beauty of a bike. I almost got one with the spider paint job (PRAL colour code) but I went with the rapid and a pile of nice assecories new shoes etc;

(Aluminum doesn't bother me much...I guess I'm just young and dont mind "roughing it" if you can say that about a colnago...)

Chad


*Note the above post may be biased...but I think all posts are going to be biased based on what the owner likes...since you want opinions :)*

I just got a new Trek 5200 10 days ago. Buy one. They're great! This bike is comfortable, efficient and looks great. I tried a Litespeed Ti but for me the Trek just felt perfect.
The business of it feeling 'dead' is a mystery to me. I can feel the road, it just doesn't bother me anymore. I would imagine this is the last bike I ever own. I spoke to several people about carbon fibre durability and have assured myself that unless I am careless, it will last as long as I'd like it to.