I've been shopping a lot lately for a new bike.
I started in smaller bike shops, who mostly had Minelli and Raleigh bikes. You know, the 250-350$(canadian) range.

I ended up in larger bike shops, who carry everything, Minelli to Specialized and Trek, 250-3000$ range - probably even more, I just didn't bother to look at "competition" bikes.

I came across the Trek 7100 and 7300FX bike, respectively 599$ and 899$. It's much more lightweight than the Minelli I had seen, but the Minelli had good gear (the V-brakes and good derailleur and stuff) and was cheaper (465$ tax in.). The Trek 7100 came with a leather saddle, which is a very good thing, but the 7300 (more expensive) had that gel saddle (WTF?).

I'm wondering if it's worth forking the extra money for a "lower"-end bike. Obviously, Trek makes really good high-end phones, but since I'm looking for an inexpensive bike, is there really going to be such a big difference between a Trek or a Minelli?
I did like the fact the Trek 7100 came with the leather saddle, but it didn't have the V-brake system.

I think the Minelli will always be cheaper for me, since they are built in Canada, while the Trek is built in USA and I have to take the exchange rate into consideration.

I hope some of the guys who found themselves in such a "dilemna" before can help me shed some light on this issue.

Thanks :cool:

Brodie, Norco and Rocky Mountain are Can too. I guess more W.Coast?
There is a major Can road manu..can't remember, I mtb.

>jef.

I don't like the handlebar of the 7100. You'll be sitting up too high for commuting purposes unless the distance is less than 5 miles.

I also prefer the the black color because a commuter gets dirty real fast.