veganpower

I meant "what brand". I'm planing on buying a new carbon bike, either later this year or next year, but I'm having some trouble choosing the right bike. I have two good bike shops in the area and one shop sells Trek and Lapierre bikes and the other sells Specialized bikes. What brand would you guys go with? I'm looking to put out about $3000 give or take.

Thanks in advance!

Silvercivic27

Out of those 3? As much as it pains me to say this, Specialized.

a77impala

They are probably all going to be made by Giant, I would go with Trek, not a fan of Specialized.

bahula03

Out of those three, I'd go for Specialized as well. How far away is the next nearest shop that could get you into another brand like Cannondale, Felt, etc?

rpenmanparker 

I wouldn't fool with the LaPierre which may not survive for long in the USA. It is a new introduction, and who knows how long they will last if significant volume can't be developed for their products here. Both Trek and Specialized are TOP brands (on a world-wide basis), prejudice for one reason or another to the contrary. Don't listen to all the crap about Specialized being the epitome of evil and Trek bikes asploding. It is all a lot of hot air repeated ad nauseam by folks who don't have any idea what they are talking about. Why should you let all that bull make buying a bike harder than it has to be? If you can get properly fit, you can't do better than either of these USA-based brands.

gc3

Like the guy said...buy the Giant...

Team Sarcasm

Is your heart set on carbon?

The specialized allez sworks (aluminum) frameset is 2k. You can probably get one built up w/shimano 105 for 3k
They also sell the allez expert w/ultegra for 2.4k which will give you 600 to get a nicer wheel set.

Both are awesome bikes and if I didnt have a cannondale dealer near me I would have gotten an allez.

Specialized tarmacs are carbon and the ultegra one is 2950. The 105 equipped tarmac is 2600 and will give you some money for a computer/pedals/gear etc.

btw gear for the bike can be pretty pricey as well so keep that in consideration. I think the allez would be the best bang for you buck. the 105 e5 allez will be an awesome bike and will leave you room to upgrade wheels and get your gear.

link0

I would steer far away from Lapierre and other such lesser known brands if you ever plan on reselling.

bobones

Giant, Specialized, and Trek are all pretty soulless as brands IMO. Your choice should depend on what you want from the bike and what type of riding you do. Looks matter a lot though. I've never liked Giant as a brand, but the Propel has changed my opinion to an extent. The Trek Domane is a stonking bike by all accounts and is good enough for Flanders and Roubaix champ, Cancellera. Specialized Tarmac, Venge and Roubaix are undeniably great bikes too. However, if I had $3000 to spend on a new bike, I'd be putting it down on one of the new Felt AR series: beautiful of form and supremely aero of function.

garciawork

Wouldn't Specialized bikes be made by Merida since they own a huge percentage of the company? Why would they have Giant build them? Am I missing something?

rpenmanparker 

Funny how to hear it told, every bike on Earth is made by Giant. Sure they are the biggest, but they aren't the only ones.

hokie cycler

OP asks carbon brand A, B or C and the responses start with brands not mentioned and aluminum. Sheesh!

Trek or Specialized are both good bikes and either will meet your needs. You may also consider on how much you like the shop and the people there as you may have to deal with them in the future on service and/or warranty issues.

rjones28 

Folks here think all bikes are made in the same huge factory by minions of the devil. #41ier .

rjones28 

I would choose based on which shop you like better and then the bike that seems to fit better.

The Lapierre looks most interesting to me. I definitely want to ride one.

garciawork

That explains it!

Well, anywho, OP I would go with Specialized if the shop is good, just by personal preference.

gc3

Three years on the 41 and you're just noticing this SOP?

moppeddler

Trek & Specialized are both very good bikes. Either will do very well for you. You need to decide what YOU like better. All asking which is better on an Internet forum is going to do is bring out people's' dumb biases. There is no way any of us can tell you what the perfect bike is for you.

My advice, ask around to people who've dealt with both these shops and try to get a gauge on which one is more customer friendly/easier to deal with. Pick the shop you like best and let them guide you to a couple of different bikes that fit your criteria. Ride them and decide what you like. It's just that simple. Ignore anyone who would get on the internet and try to tell you what you should buy without having any knowledge about you. Enjoy the process, and good luck!

hokie cycler

The lack of reading comprehension still amazes me. Despite the utter face palm of this place, I still enjoy lurking here.

8086bruce

I'd buy a felt f4 for 2500 or so and sell the stock wheels for 250 and take the extra 750 and buy a nice set of wheels for it.

gc3

I'd offer that 90% of this is intentional, a sarcastic nudge that independent thinking and testing might provide a better answer than asking strangers "what's best"....

But to answer the original post, it's a no brainer....as was previously reported, Spesh Tarmac with Ultegra is the best of those three at that price point...

zymphad

Lapierre, they look interesting and would make you stand out/unique.

But outside of those three. BMC Race Machine!

veganpower

Thanks for all the replies guys, I appreciate it. Since I live in a smallish town in Sweden the options are limited, although I could travel 200k to another bike shop that probably sell other brands like felt etc. I think I'll choose between Trek and Specialized, like many of you said, the lapierre is new to the market and might be difficult to resell in a few years. Trek and Specialized seem like two good brands, heck Trek has won 8 TdF with Lance and Contador. If they are good enough for Lance they are good enough for me. If I choose Trek I don't know if I want the Madone or Domane, the Madone is a bit more appealing.

znomit

I would get the Nishiki.

coasting 

i would go along the value for money approach. nothing is going to be pants. for 3k you will have a top notch bike whatever brand. So try get the most bang for your 3k buck.

this does depend on the industry structure of course. is trek cheap in usa? in uk it is really expensive. in Taiwan no one can beat Giant's pricing, so maybe in USA Trek is cheapest.

iamtim

Best response to the OPs question so far.