I recently bought a Madone 6.9 and never realised that there was such a stigma attached to buying a Trek lol. Perhaps it is where I live but I've seen zero Treks in my area. I've seen quite a few Giants, Specialized, Cannondale, and Cervelo, but no Treks.

Personally, I buy what fits/rides well and what makes me happy. I could care less about image or having a boutique bike. With that said, I did originally want a custom paint scheme on my Madone because I wasn't sold on the default Onyx Carbon and all the decals, but when they told me it would be 3+ months before I'd get my bike, I said screw it and went with the default paint scheme. I'd rather be riding than waiting. I don't care too much about how the bike looks but I do like technology and well manufactured products.

Interestingly enough, my Madone arrived with a small dent-like blemish in the seat tube which I didn't notice until I got it home and started waxing it. The fork is also questionably finished as there is a very ugly seam which actually looks like a horrible crack. If I'm completely honest, I was expecting better care and craftsmanship out of a "custom" bike purchase especially with it being touted as hand-built in the USA. I tried to look past these small issues as the bike rides exceptionally well, but at this price range I expect perfection.

We'll see how Trek handles this but so far I'm not overly impressed. I've asked my LBS to look into a frame replacement but keep getting what I feel is a bit of a runaround about their rep not being available in August. I even sent a letter to Mr. J. Burke, whose email is in the welcome brochure, about two weeks ago and haven't even received an acknowledgement or standard "contact customer service" response.

I do love how the bike rides though.