guitardude7889

Hey guys, im in the market for a good commuting bike, and i've narrowed down to the trek portland or the leMond poprad disc. i haven't had a chance to ride either one, so i dont have any opinions yet about either. I was origonally looking at the Specialized Tricross i found at my LBS for around $1,150 until i saw the canondale optima cx disc. I was intrigued by the disc brakes, and heard nothing but great things about them seeing as i dont see myself racing CX any time soon. Then i heard about the Trek portland, which had mostly shimano 105 components, slick road wheels and disc breaks. I was SOLD on this bike until i heard of the LeMond poprad which has virtually the same. Im not sure but i heard from other forums that the lemond is made of steel, and the trek portland of aluminum. Im looking at $1550 for the portland, and about $1400 for the lemond. What do you guys think?

dauphin

I've read some reviews on the Portland...which I like the looks of...and there were several complaints about the disc brakes having problems..

Banzai

I run Avid BB7s, and I've had no problem. After you set them up, they're pretty hassle free.

What is, to me, questionable about both bikes is those silly wheels. I don't do cyclo-cross, but I do commute.

And I would do neither on wheels with such silly low spoke counts.

M_S

They wouldn't be any more or less likely to have problems on the Portland than the Poprad, since they both run 105 brake lever/shifters and Avid BB7 brakes.

tsl

I own a 2006 Portland and ride with a guy who has a 2008 Poprad Disc.

The bikes are really first cousins. Many similarities, and a few differences.

Portland: 105 10-speed Triple
Poprad: 105 9-speed Cross double

Portland: Aluminum frame, slightly sloping top tube, geometry based on a touring bike (I love the way this makes it ride on my commute)
Poprad: Steel frame, traditional level top tube, cylocross racing based geometry

Although they look the same, there are subtle differences in the forks and wheels too.

We haven't traded bikes to ride, but my guess is the Poprad rides and handles more like a racing bike. My Portland is nimble in traffic, yet holds a line easily and carves corners like it has a five-foot rudder sunk in the pavement. Yet, the ride can only be described as stately. Even 50+ pounds of groceries on the rack don't upset this bike in the least. It maintains its composure, rides and handles like the load isn't even there and doesn't mind hauling when it's hauling.

I don't recall if Kyle's bike has rack or fender mounts. I swapped-out the Portland's fenderettes for full coverage SKS P-35. Much, much better.

Either bike is a winner, although the Poprad will probably impress your friends a bit more, and the Portland will impress you a bit more.

dauphin

cool, I was waiting to hear from you

tsl

The only issue I've had with the brakes are due to the fact this bike sat on the LBS's showroom floor unsold for two years. Everything dried out. After we recabled it and gave the calipers some loving, and all is well. I love these brakes, BTW.

I certainly had qualms about the wheels before buying the bike. They are 24-spoke wheels, not quite so few to qualify as a true low-spoke-count wheel, but there are still eight fewer than most wheels. The hoops are pretty hefty on them to compensate. I've talked with other Portland owners and have heard no reports of wheel failure or need for truing any more than is expected with machine-built wheels.

With a few hundred miles on mine, which include bunnyhopping a few curbs and a couple of off-road excursions which included chasing MTBs down hills, I'm cautiously optimistic.

M_S

There is a guy who posts in the cyclocross forum who has done multiple mountain bike and a gazillion 'cross races on his stock low spoke count Poprad wheels. Pretty strong (though anecdotal) testimony to their durability.

tsl

Yeah, I can't say which amazes me more--

A) that a bike could actually be this nice, or
B) that I own one.

guitardude7889

I May be wrong, but i thought the poprad came with a 105 front deraileur, while the portland came with an ultegra... can anybody confrim or disconfirm this, and what does that mean performance wise? Also, i LIVE in Portland, and it constantly rains, should i worry about a steel frame rusting in this type of weather? and how do you feel about steel frames in general compared to aluminum. I know that steel ( in general) is heaver than aluminum, but what are the pros and cons of each?

tsl

My Portland has an Ultegra triple FD. I haven't paid attention to what's on the Poprad, but the web site says 105. There's not a huge difference, especially on FDs. There's a bigger difference between triple and double FDs than there is between groups.

My 56cm Portland was 23.1 pounds before I started accessorizing. Much of the excess is in the wheels, which weigh a ton--at least as compared to the handbuilts on my other bike. This is due in part to heavier hoops and in part to the disk brake hubs and rotors.

I don't know what the Poprad weighs, but since it's intended for racers who have to *run and carry* their bikes on part of every lap, it's safe to assume LeMond has wrung out all the excess gravity.

To my mind, the Portland certainly puts to rest the old wives' tale that aluminum is a harsh ride. My other two Alu bikes certainly are harsh. The Portland, not at all. The difference is due to the $1000 between them. As for steel frames rusting, look around at all the old bikes you see. They're all steel. Have they rusted?

Why not just go to your local Trek/LeMond shop and try one of each? I can rave about my Portland until the cows come home, but all my words won't make it the right bike for you. Only you can determine that, and only through some saddle time.

I'm sure there are several Trek/LeMond dealers in Portland. If you can't find one that lets you have a decent test ride of at least an hour or two, find another. Go on test rides at each of the dealers for that matter. If you can find a dealer--like mine--that does a full fitting before letting you test ride the bike, so much the better.

Edit:

If I may, at this point I think you've begun to over-think this. Intellectually, you can narrow it down to a few bikes. After that, you have to let your azz, feet, hands and especially your heart, tell you which one is your bike.

When I was getting fitted on the Portland in the trainer, and everything began to feel good, I was pleased and excited. When I got it on the road and it sang its siren song to me, it no longer mattered which groupset was on it, how much it weighed, what it was made of, how many spokes were in the wheels, or what anyone else thought of the bike. I knew it was *my* bike and nothing else mattered any more.

That feeling was exactly what I was looking for in a bike. You may get that feeling on a completely different bike than me. When you do, *that's* the bike to buy.

KeatonR

I've been impressed with the lower-spoke Bontrager wheels that came with my Poprad. I use that wheelset for offroad riding and have a separate Ritchey wheelset for road rides (beats having to swap tires all the time).

The Poprad would make a fine commuter (and has for me from time to time). I ultimately decided to build up a more dedicated commuter when I realized I wanted rack and fender mounts. My Poprad has rear eyelets for a rack, but not corresponding holes at the top of the rear stays, which seems odd. (In other words, you can attach the rack below, but have to come up with a workaround to attach it at the top.) Nevertheless, it's a great bike.

guitardude7889

Well, guys, i FINALLY bought my trek '08 at my LBS for $1550. Its well worth it. My only complaint is that the handlebars are black, instead of the orange/brown color you see online, as well, the seat is black. Other than that, i am totally in love with it. I put full fenders on it (which are working to perfection) and i am "set to jet". Besides a little rubbing of my front disc break (which i will have the LBS look at) the bike is perfect. Thanks to all of you for helping me find my dream bike! - Thomas

dauphin

damn I wanted to buy that brown seat

guitardude7889

It was something with the brown bartape and the brown of the seat not matching, so it looked like ****. I guess i'd rather have all black then some mix and match bartape...

tsl

I'm glad you like it. I love mine.

The disk brakes take a hundred miles or so to settle in. Expect to have to adjust them.

They're remarkably easy to adjust. Have the LBS show you how.

MIN 

I have a 07 Poprad disk. 22lbs of Platinum OX steel. It's great off road and dampens road vibrations like nobody's business.

I am racing cross this season but I got it as a fall/winter season training bike mostly. No complaint so far.. I've had it 2 weeks and put 230 miles on it.

MIN 

Here's a photo. Fenders look so goofy but it's rainy here.

bbunk

Isn't a picture required in these instances?

guitardude7889

yeah, i'll post one as soon as I find my camera...

tsl

While we're waiting for guitardude, here's my Portland:



Note: Although I bought new it last month, mine's a 2006 model. You could say that it sat around the LBS rejected and unsold, or you could say it waited for me to mature enough as a cyclist that I could appreciative it. Naturally, I prefer the latter explanation.

MIN 

So obviously the Portland takes racks. My frame has no provisions for them.

tsl

Yeah, but you don't really need a rack when you go out and do this:



This is my friend Kyle on his 2008 Poprad Disc at this past Sunday's Rochester Cobbs Hill Cyclocross race. That's the same bike he rides to work.

MIN 

^ HAHA. Yep I would never put racks on my bike but I figured I'd throw that caveat out there since this is the commuter forum.

guitardude7889