clausen

Why is that a complaint? Material of the frame does not make a bike good, bad or great.

the sci guy 

On my Cross-Check I'd say the wheels. I'd like something a little lighter. I'll probably be putting on some 28s soon.

Also the toe overlap.

SmallFront

Weight, obviously. Who wouldn't like a bike that weighed in at 5 pounds, yet were superstrong?

Seriously, though, my singe complaint - which is true of most any bike, is the damn paint jobs and the vast amount of decals hidden under clear coats, making it hell to remove. If I wanted to run around advertise for something, they should pay me, not the other way around.

Dave Cutter

It's a good movie... I have it on DVD. And where I am not nearly as talented or good looking as the actor I do resemble him in some ways. Watching bicycling movies is part of my off season training!

gsa103

Another vote for the mysterious creak.

Its either the cassette, bottom bracket, pedals or rear wheels spokes. Grrrrr.....

Creaks exactly once per pedal rev, and only in the highest torque gearing...

As for the Trek saddle thing, seriously go talk nicely with the bike shop and see if they won't let you swap and credit some price difference, or at least a significant discount on a new saddle. My bike was half the price of yours, and the shop credited me the shop price since I wanted to swap out the Fizik saddle. Its not like you've had the bike for months. I see that as the sort of thing that really makes or breaks a shop's reputation for service. You're making a reasonable request. A shop with excellent does something to help you out.

LesterOfPuppets

Paint does suck.

Team Sarcasm

I hate the color:

2702

Creaks, moans and weird sounds here and there mostly from the front end.

SmallFront

Yup, that's the stuff!

Come to think of it, the branding on gears, hubs, rims, levers, cranks, pedals, tyres, and whatnot is also super annoying. Even if I removed all I could, I would still have plenty of branding in the most annoying places. Do I want to see "brooks" and the model name on my saddle? No. Do I want to see that the hub is a "Shimano", and the model series is "Alfine"? That the front hub is "Shimano", and the model series is "XT"? No, of course not. Stem, handlebars, you name it, and there is a good chance it will have some stupid name printed or pressed onto it. Every.god.damn.thing.is.an.advertisement.

SirHustlerEsq

Other. My bike is Pantone blue with Azure or Navy blue as a minor color. However, Cannondale decided to add black lettering in addition to the blue. This makes me sad.

joeyduck

The branding on my Shimano M076 shoes. Everytime I look at my feet the M076 seems to spell SLOW (Upsidedown and backwards with a 5 not 6).

I try to go faster, but it never changes.

Otherwise colors, decal and adverts in general annoy me.

Leinster

Each to their own. I bought the same one because I loved the colour.

My problem is that the 105 FD doesn't spring down to the small ring all the way. Meaning it sometimes doesn't shift down straight away, and when riding in 1st gear I sometimes have to push the FD in by hand to stop the inside chain-rub. It sucks having to reach down to your FD when you're climbing anything steep enough to require a 34x27.

wallrat

Noise I can't figure out. Today I thought my headset was loose or spokes on my front wheel. It bothered me for 50 miles before I figured out it was the valve stem. The last 40 went a lot better.

merlinextraligh

No, that's why derailleurs have trim. Unless you have a bike with very short chain stays, you should be able to adjust it to the point this doesn't happen. First step is make sure the derailleur is set at the right height in relation to the rings, and is alligned correctly. Then set the limit screws, then set the cable tension, then adjust as needed with an inline adjuster.

Or, get a SRAM RED derailleur with YAW


All that said, a little chain rub when cross chained isn't a big deal, given that you're best to avoid those combinations anyway.

Barrettscv 

I also hate paint.


Most of my bikes are built up by myself. Starting with an unpainted carbon frameset or a carefully selected vintage frame and fork. I then select the saddle, cockpit items, pedals, divetrain, wheelset, tires and I'll add a few features not normally found on production bikes. This is how I avoid component choices that are made by some product manager who needs to sell in volume to the paying public.

My only disappointment with one of my bikes was a creaking noise from the BB 30 crankset. A change in bearings and that problem got solved.

heffdiddy

How could anyone tell right away if the saddle is going to work for them or not? Even if the fitting lasts for an hour it still is not the same as being out on the road and riding it. Derp.

Jaeger99

Why is it that people don't realize that there is no single "right" saddle that a manufacturer can supply with any given bike that will please all riders? That just doesn't exist. And until we are all the same size, shape and weight - and have the same subjective preferences - it won't exist.

I knew I hated the OEM saddle right off the bat, and my first option on a replacement saddle from the LBS wasn't much better. The next one was an absolute dream. I should buy a backup just in case they stop making it.

As for problems / complaints - I had bottom bracket squeak which was fixed by the LBS and now the bike is silent, smooth and comfortable for as many miles as the engine will provide. Colour me seriously freaking happy.

RPK79

I don't have any complaints with my bike. Are there some things about it I would change if money were not an issue? Sure, but there is nothing wrong with the way I have it right now. I guess that's one of the benefits to building up the bike yourself. You pick the frame and all the components.

Leinster

You can know when one isn't going to work. I knew pretty early on that the Prologo torture device that came stock on my bike wasn't going to stay on it for very long. I just threw on a saddle from another bike of mine that I knew was comfortable, and didn't look back. The Prologo continues to gather dust in the garage.

I agree with whoever said earlier in the thread that saddles might eventually go the way of pedals and not come as standard on any bike above a certain price point. I definitely sympathise with the OP who spent a large chunk of change on a bike that isn't comfortable to ride.

Leinster

"People" do realise it, that's why some saddle manufacturers have trial periods.

banerjek

I have that same problem with all my bikes. I keep hoping I can find a bike that doesn't have that problem but no luck. Yet.

bbattle

I take it as a given that the saddle on the bike is a freebie; a bonus if it works for me; nothing to cry about if it doesn't. My reading comprehension is good enough to know that since Trek sold me a bike, Trek is not necessarily obligated to honor a guarantee written by Bontrager. Especially one that specifically omits Bontrager items sold on Trek bikes.

I likewise don't get upset that there are no pedals on the bike. Or bottle cages, or mirrors, or lights or a rack or fenders or streamers or a bell or powermeter or gps or speedometer/odometer or pump or a basket.

RNAV

Here's the deal. Bontrager states there is an UNCONDITIONAL comfort guarantee on all their saddles. When I bought my Trek, I also paid for the Bontrager saddle. I didn't steal it. It wasn't given to me for free. It was part of the sale of my bike, for which I paid.

I'm not saying that I have any expectation of a stock saddle being comfortable. What I am saying, however, if that if you're going to advertise a comfort guarantee as being optional, you should honor that guarantee, even if there isn't a separate line-item for the saddle on a receipt.

PhotoJoe 

My biggest complaint is I'm too cheap. Bought the best bike I could afford at the time, with cheap wheels and 105. I would have preferred nicer wheels and Ultegra, but time will fix that!

caloso

Another white bike owner not crazy about the color. It just constantly looks dirty.