So I guess there are a lot of factors that make rear shifting better or worse. I did compare one-for-one with load and gear-to-gear positioning, at least as well as any human can do. But that wasn't even necessary, since there was a relatively clear difference between the two. Seemed that the Spec was skipping a couple teeth when shifting quite often, and didn't respond at the same time every shift. With the Trek I felt like I didn't have to ease up as much when shifting for it to jump smoothly and quickly into the next gear. I could make it shift worse if I did it on purpose, timing it incorrectly and putting a lot of pressure on it, but it was harder to make it screw up on purpose than the Spec, or at least that's what my impression was. I've ridden then 4x each now, and I'm still left with that impression.

But I think that the point you guys are making is buy for the frame and not the tranny, right? Maybe the Spec can be tuned up to be better, and upgraded eventually. I'm just having a hard time discerning the diff between the frames, and am having a hard time even telling which one I feel more comfortable on. It's hard to tell when I haven't ridden in 10 years, and am just putting around on the sidewalks. I think the Spec might be 1/2" too big in the crotch clearance region, but I'm not sure.

Thanks for your help so far. This time I really think I will make a decision tomorrow. It probably doesn't really matter which one I get, I'm just anal about dropping a sizeable amount of my income like this.



-tslug