So after a year and a half of working from home; spending 3 weeks in GA and 1 week in CA, I decided I'm sick of the hotel exercise bike. I needed to have one bike at my office in CA, and one bike here at home in GA. What a great opportunity to upgrade! I looked at a few bikes, but decided on a Trek for a few reasons:
- I have a Trek 1000 which fits like a glove, the geometry is the same all the way up the line
- My Trek 1000 saved my life, I feel a lot of loyalty (see my bio for link)
- I have a friend who owns a Trek shop
So I called my friend to ask about the Trek 5000. We played the "for just a little more" game until I ordered the 2007 Madone 5.5. That was May 29th. I think it was the next day they announced the 2008s. He called to say they couldn't tell us at the time, but I was getting a 2008 all along. However, I really didn't like the new 5.5 yellow color scheme. I downgraded to 5.2. Same frame, just now I'm getting Ultraga SL.
It took them FOREVER to build the thing, but finally it's in my hands. The difference between my 1000 and this bike is just mind blowing. I can feel the weight difference leaving every red light. The stiffness while climbing and standing is awesome.
The upgrade from Sora / Tiagra to Ultegra SL is nice. I didn't mind Tiagra, it's not bad if you do your own maintenance, and the thumb shifters were kinda cool. I showed up a crit once and got a lot of attention - no one had ever seen it. But the Ultegra is very crisp. The brakes seem stronger, but that could be the "new bike" making me feel things that aren't there. In the rain the brakes are much worse, I plan on putting Koolstops on.
The front derailleur broke after 2 days (about 20 miles). The hex bolt to keep the wire tight just kinda stripped / snapped. They changed the type of bolt for the new Ultegra SL. Shimano sent out a replacement without even seeing the old one, I think this may be a common problem. I had to buy a new derailleur in the meantime, unfortunately the LBS didn't have Dura Ace in stock.
Here's a pic:
To get a few things out of the way:
- yes, it's more bike then I need. I would have been more then happy with the 1000 for the rest of my life. But I needed a 2nd road bike so why not?
- The saddle bag isn't as big as it looks in the picture, although it is a bit big. I have to carry meds.