af2nr

Well the wife wants to get a road bike, right now she has a Trek 7200FX. We went and let her ride a few to get a idea of what size she would need. Turns out she rides a mens 54, she's 5'8". Well I have found a few bikes and am looking for some help/opinions. I found the following, all 05's, Trek 1200 for $700, 1500 for $900 or a 2100 for $1350. She seemed to like the 1500 and 2100 equally, maybe favoring the 1500 because of the paint job. She will be road riding and wants to do a triatholon next April. Which bike would be best for her needs and overall? I think the 2100 but maybe that is just what I like. Also are these pretty good prices, I know the 1200 is close to what I paid for my LeMond Etape in July. Thanks for the help!

CPcyclist

If you can have her look at more then just the one brand, nothing against Trek.

Also if she wants to use the bike for Tri's make sure she trys to lay out in an aero bar position if she want ot use the for racing as things will feel much different.

af2nr

WOW! Thanks for all the help?! You guys are the best. CPcyclist, she has looked at other brands that, Trek, is just the ones we had found deals on...We also just found a Felt F70 for $900.

14max

Of those you listed it seems like she's leaning toward the 1500 (WSD?) which is a good price and nicely spec'ed. It's upgradable so it could be with her for a long time...

chrisvu05

my theory is...."buy the best one you can afford" push the budget some and you won't regret it...she will get a bike that she likes alot more if you get the better bike...the money spent makes you justify riding non-stop

SpongeDad

1500 comes with a triple (maybe others do too). 2100 is nice because it has the rear carbon stays, so it's a better platform for upgrading.

I have a 2004 54cm 1500 with upgraded front deraileur (105), brakes (105) and handlebars (38cm c-c). I was going to use it as my winter bike (stayed inside on rollers with it last year). I might be convinced to part with it; if you're interested send me a PM.

Phantoj

My theory is that decent bikes are pretty much equivalent. Get the one she likes the best; that sounds like the 1500.

Good-looking bikes tend to be faster, because they push their owners to ride more.

xerocoma

Just bought the wife a 05 Cannondale R900 - awesome bike, nicely spec'd... she replaced the stock saddle wit a Fizik and is completely happy.. paid $1350.00 for it as it was end of model year...

af2nr

Thanks for the posts. She is now torn between the 1500 and F70, we both have a yellow fetish. Is one better than the other? I still like the 2100 myself?

ImprezaDrvr

Is she doing sprint tri or longer distances? I noticed that Cannondale has a sprint tri oriented bike this year and it looks like a roadie with clip on bars, not a full fledged tri bike. Might be of interest, no idea what it costs.

Pay more for a nicer frame if it comes down to it. But, you can't discount the looks of a bike and their importance to the rider.

af2nr

More along the lines of sprints and duals, that is what she says anyway. Thanks!

Ineedhelp

You know, it probably would have helped you get more responses if you posted pictures--or at least links to the websites. Not all of us here have the specs of every bike on the market committed to memory--I could be wrong about that though, maybe it's just me.

Oh well, after looking them up, my vote is for the 1500. The price is right and I like the way it looks the best. I don't like the paint job on the 2100, and all the crying every time I climbed on I think would hinder my riding performance--although it has a better wheelset and the carbon stays may be nice, but would they necessarily be better for triathalons? The other components seem to be roughly equivalent, and I'd personally have to start at least placing in races before considering upgrading.

Most importantly though, at the prices you found, if your wife later decided she wanted a better bike, I don't think you'd lose much in the resale market on the 1500.

af2nr

Thanks for the help, Ineedhelp. I just know they are pretty common and thought I had rambled on long enough in the OP without pics or links and I had already knew the differences between the bikes. Guess I was looking for some "real world" experiences with those bikes. Also I am still trying to get an idea of whether or not the prices are good, ultimately it will be her choice though.

SpongeDad

Well, the wheelbase on the 2100 is an inch shorter, so handling should be a bit quicker (good) or twitchier (bad) depending on how you look at it. (I can tell the difference between my 1500 and a frame with a 2 inch difference, but it isn't huge.) Tri bikes tend to have shorter wheelbases for aero, but if I was using aero bars I might appreciate a longer wheelbase.

I'd have her do another ride on both with some hard corners to see how they feel. Also, have her ride over some rough or rutted pavement to see if she can feel any difference from the carbon seatstays. If she's still indifferent to the two frames, get the 1500 and put the extra money into good gear.

Fox Farm

I suppose the really big question is budget. How much are you able or willing to spend? Up to what, $2000?

Ineedhelp

On prices, I don't think the Felt at $900 is a great deal because the first site I went to look at it gave a price of $799 at Buck's bike shop.

The 1500 originally lists at $1099, while the 2100 lists at $1,649 or $1679. To get a good idea of the potential resale value, just go to e-bay, and check the "completed items" listings. I can't see that you would lose much on the resale market going with the 1500.

I prefer the wsd bikes, but I may not be comparable to your wife because I'm short, and also like the 650c wheels, which I understand are most commonly found on tri bikes and smaller models. They accelerate better, and are good for climbing hills, but lose a little momentum on long downhills.

I travel mostly long distance, so I found titanium offers a little more comfort, without sacrificing the stiffness of an aluminum bike. Most aluminum bikes are be pretty hard on the joints over the long haul, but I can see some benefits in aluminum for triathalons.

Of course, the final deciding factor is which bike feels best to your wife...it's all personal.

af2nr

The budget is $1500, she will already be riding a better bike than I am so I don't plan to let her go overboard before me. Plus we would like to get her some other cycling stuff too. She already has the basics but you can always use more.

SpongeDad, we are going this afternoon to let her road test both bikes to see if she can tell a difference between the two, of course now she is starting to "think" she likes the 2100 better. Maybe she just knows its more expensive?

Ineedhelp, you saw the Felt for $799? The MSRP on it was $1099 so I thought it was a comparable deal to the 1500.

Thanks again for the help!

SpongeDad

Good move; definitely try some rough pavement. I love my 1500 and really developed a lot as a rider on it, but when I moved to a more compliant frame (titanium) I was amazed at how much more comfortable the rough pavement and ruts became.

Ineedhelp

The $799 price wasn't on a Felt site--it was a reader review, and that's what he said he paid for his...

feltrider

My wife choosed the 2005 Pilot 2.1 wsd. Its also a nice bike around 1300.00.

Ineedhelp

I looked at that one. Brushed aluminum finish? Very sharp look!

af2nr

Well she is still undecided after the longer rides this afternoon. I am getting ready to go out of town for a few weeks and may see what I can find at some other shops. The 05's I mentioned were the only ones available here so maybe I can find something else to wet her whistle.

dagna

I bought the '05 Trek 2100 on end-of-year sale about six weeks ago, and I love it. I believed I could feel a difference with the carbon seat stays, over the 1500. Maybe that's true, maybe it's wishful thinking, but hey I'm happy. The funny thing is, the bike shop guys seem to like it almost better than I do--when I took it in for some adjustments today, more than one of them told me what a nice bike it was.

I was willing to try the WSD version, but none of the area LBS's had it in my size. The men's version fit fine and I really like it (though I did replace the saddle with a women's specific one).

Dagna