Originally Posted by
Planemaker
At the beginning of 2013 I had three bikes (Target Bikes) hanging on hooks in the garage that had not been ridden in years. In February I was looking for a way to get out of to the YMCA so frequently and spend more time outdoors. Since I can't run due to prior knee surgeries and that I cycled a great deal when I was much younger a bicycle was the obvious conclusion. I visited the two LBS's that were the most popular in the area one, was carried primarily Specialized and the other carried Trek. The Trek dealer spent a great deal of time asking questions about what my goals were and matching bikes to my goals. I ended up buying a Trek Fitness 7.4 for myself and an Electra Townie for my wife.
Three months after starting my new adventure I was up 400 miles a month, loving and looking to move to a road bike. I was looking for a comfortable road bike and all of the reviews suggested either the Specialized Roubaix or the Trek Domane. Once again i went to be LBS's in the area and ended up with a Domane 4.5 mainly because it was on sale. When went in for my fitting the shop spent time with me on the bike and when I got home I went for a 35 mile ride. The next day I went took the bike back to the shop and described my ride and how I felt and the shop lowered the seat ever so slightly and I have a perfect fit.
I know it is and over used cliche but, I really did buy the shop and not the bike when I bought my bikes. I probably would have been just as happy with Specialized, Giant or some other brand but, I ended up with Trek's and I don't regret it. Will n + 1 be a Trek, I really don't know.
There are those on this board that are very vocal about there positions on a lot of issues, bike brands being one of them. I have gotten a lot of great advice on this board and have used the advice to improve my riding skills but, when it comes to the opinionated few I usually take their posts as trying to stir the pot rather than offer meaningful content to a thread.
FYI - For those that have a complex about other hating Trek, get over it and ride your bike.
That's how bought my first road bike two months ago...I bought it from who I think was the most informative and did not up sell me based on what I told them what I was going to use it for. Brand wasn't an issue because I've been told there are tons of good ones out there (ended up buying a Specialized).
As for the original topic of this thread, I don't hate Trek or any other brands for that matter. The only reason why I didn't select Trek is because 1.) it was more expensive than I was willing to spend and 2.) the LBS that sells Trek tried to up sell me to a 1.5 after telling him what I was intended to use it for. The 1.5 has nice components but it was WAY out of my price range. Plus, their store warranty is lacking compared to other LBSs. Overall, I love my Allez. It's nothing fancy nor has great quality components but I'm okay with the entry level set. I bought the bike for ME and only ME.