gnychis

Hi all,

I'm looking for a first time road bike and was looking at the trek 1.2 or 1.5 at a local trek store. I was able to ride the 1.2 outside and it felt great. Very smooth ride compared to my old mountain bikes.

I tried two sizes: 54 and 56. The 56 felt a little more comfortable.

I am considering these bikes, but I'm not very familiar with road bikes in general. The 1.2 is an 8 speed and the 1.5 is 9 speed. That's the major difference for a $200 mark up. I am not sure what decision to make here.

Also, I was hoping to find some of these bikes on ebay for cheaper, but no luck at all.

Any opinions and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. If there are other bikes with the same feel with the same, or better, features I am open to it. I would really love to stay under $500 but I may have to go higher. Absolutely nothing over $1000.

Thanks all!
George

davidhowland14

The number of speeds on the bike is far from the only difference between these two bikes. The 1.5 has tiagra and sora, where as the 1.2 has crap and tiagra. The 1.5 has bontrager wheels, as opposed to alex wheels. For $200, you're getting a greatly superior bike that will perform better and last longer. pony up, you'll appreciate it later.

johnny99

You get what you pay for. The more expensive bike should be a little lighter and shift a little smoother and be a little more reliable/durable. The extra money is worthwhile if you plan on riding a lot. Most of my biking friends ride over 100 miles/week year round (5000 miles/year). If the bike lasts 10 years, that extra $200 is only a few pennies per hour of fun.

MedicMan55

If you can, try getting the last years model, the Trek 1500. It has 105 all around, and should be pretty cheap at this point.

Amen

I would get one of those bikes used.

You can find a used trek 1500 (the name changed to 1.5 back in 2006 I think) for about $400 bucks.

9 speed with a mix of ultegra and 105 in some instances.

If you live in the NYC area, I have a trek 1500 discovery channel team edition 9 speed, with all 105. Make me an offer.

bailcash09

HOnestly, trek is not looking very good in bang for your $. For $1000, you could get a CAAD9 w/ tiagra instead of the sora on the 1.5, or get an allez with sora for $800. I would recommend going with a lightly used bike, but if you go new I think you can get more for your $. The 1.5 is not a bad bike, I just think it's overpriced.

hendrick81

+1. And dont buyf from ebay. you want to get the bike from your LBS, so you can get fitted and have proof of purchase, for treks great lifetime garuntee.

gnychis

thanks for all of the replies, they were extremely helpful

it seems like I should be targeting the 1.5 or 1500 then.

do trek stores sell used bikes? the one around me does not... so i'm not sure i could find a 1500 used to still get the lifetime guarantee, unless who I am purchasing it from still has that information?

What does "105" define?

thanks for the suggestions, I will also take a look at these bikes... new to this so I'm not sure of all my options

thanks all!

rail157

Lifetime warranty is for original owner only.

gnychis

this lifetime warranty only seems to cover the frame... obviously the frame is important to the bike. How often will something like a frame fail that this would be needed?

gnychis

so I got to read a bit more about the bike

it seems as though the 2007 Trek 1500 was a bit superior to the 2008 Trek 1.5 ... they downgraded the FD from the 105 to the Tiagra, which is not as bad as the Sora on the 1.2. The 1500 was a 10-speed, the 1.5 is a 9 speed.

This makes me want to seek out a used 1500, as it seems like a better bike for probably half the price if I can find one used.

are there any other bikes i should look in to other than the trek?

Hachi

Other bikes to look at (my opinion)

Giant OCR 2( or OCR1) https://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-AU/...ad/1128/28937/
Scott Speedster S40 (or S30) https://scottusa.com/us_en/product/70/779/speedster_s30
Jamis Sattelite / Quest (steel!) or Ventura Comp / Race https://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/bikes/...satellite.html
Felt F85 (75) (Racing Geometry) https://www.feltracing.com/08/product...,1515&pid=8665
Felt Z70 (or Z90) (Touring geometry) https://www.feltracing.com/08/product...,1515&pid=8678

I wish I had your budget...

good luck on the bike, try a lot of different ones. For me they all kind of looked the same, but in reality they ride quite differently, so do as many test rides at as many shops as you can! If you go used good luck, and remember to set a little aside for a tuneup after you buy it, or to at least have it checked out by a bike mech.

gnychis

how does a Cannondale CAAD 3 compare?
https://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/bik/752463148.html

I think that it uses the shimano 105 like the trek 1500 did...

rb07

105 is a line of Shimano components: https://bike.shimano.com/publish/cont.../road/105.html

It is the line above Tiagra.

rail157

1500 was 9-speed 105. You had to go to the 1600 to get 10 speeds.