slim4511

Hello,
I am getting back into cycling after a very long absence and need some advice. I have narrowed my search down to the Cannondale Quick 2 and the Trek 7.5 FX. There are numerous differences and since I have not kept up on which of the components are better and it seems that the more I research, the more confused I get. Please help by offering your thoughts on any of the points listed below: BTW - 90% road, 10% trail.

Overall better bike of the two

Crank - Shimano Tiagra triple 50/39/30 on Cannondale, Shimano M431 Octalink 48/36/26 on Trek. Which would be better.

Shifters - Shimano R440 on Cannondale, Shimano Deore on Trek. Which is better.

Front derailleur - Shimano R443 on Cannondale, Shimano Deore on Trek. Which is better.

Rear derailleur - Shimano Tiagra on Cannondale, Shimano Deore LX on Trek. Which is better.

Brakeset - Tektro RX5 mini V brakes on Cannondale, Avid SD-3 with Tektro adjustable reach levers.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

mynameistaken

I guess how much you can get them for is a big consideration. Most of the LBS I went to had them at full MSRP. The Trek felt heavy to me but did ride smooth.

Have you looked at the Fuji Absolute 2.0? It has similar specs at a more modest $650.

The Giant Rapid and Jamis Allegro are also worth a look. Specialized Sirrus is also nice.

monkeydentity

some of the parts you're interested in can be found easily online...I'm just a newbie myself but a quick visit to the Shimano site and I found where the Deore line sit in comparison to the non-series bits you mentioned. Try starting there to whittle down your list. After that, I think the common philosophy on similarly priced bikes is that the fit is more relevant than the itemized parts list. Just my .02 from reading the forums for 2 weeks.

HazeT

The deore is from the MTB branch while the road branch. As you can see at the cannondale quick specs it comes with a road cassette, 12-26. Road Derailleurs usually can only accomodate up to 28 teeth, exception is the SRAM APEX while the MTB branches can handle 34 or even higher "not very familiar with MTB Derailleurs".
difference between the two cassetes?
if you have 9 speed on both one goes from 12 to 34 and the other goes from 12-26 you can imageine that the 12-26 will have smaller increments on each shift making it a smoother transaction and easier to keep the desired cadence.
The 12-34 will have the gear more spread and at some point it will make big jumps, making it more difficult to keep the right ratio, on the other hands, it is a bliss if you have to go uphill since you have a much lower gear compared to 12-26.
Some people say that the road derailleur shifts faster and smoother. I've no clue whatsoever since I've never made an apples to apples comparison

Bunnicula

I can understand your trying to compare components. But have you ridden the two? I think one will feel more "right" to you, and that'll help you decide. I'm a fan of both Trek and Cannondale, so I had a hard time between these two brands as well. They are both good bikes. I liked the Trek 7.5 FX very much. But the Cannondale Quick line fit me better. I went with the Quick 3, since I ride some dirt paths, but the 2 is more road-like and a sweet ride.

slim4511

Unfortunately I have only been able to ride the Trek 7.5 and that particular bike is on hold for another customer. Being the end of the model year, there are very few of the 7.5's and none around me in the 22.5 inch size. There are absolutely no Cannondale Quick 2's around to test ride. The Cannondale Quick 2 is sold out so wouldn't be able to order it in my size (for 2011 anyway). The 7.5 is sold out in 22.5 and in black color (which I prefer). I can get the 7.5 in a different color and I may do that but don't want to jump if the Cannondale Quick 2 is the better option. Bottom line is that it will be 2-3 months before the Quick 2 is available to me and the same for the 7.5 in the 2012 model and I don't know the color scheme of those models for 2012. Color isn't a huge thing for me but certainly is a preference. I would like to better understand the differences in quality of the components. I have been to the Shimano site and am having a difficult time understanding the quality rankings of the components from the site. It seems that the two bikes do a bit of "mix and match," making one component better on this bike, another component better on the other bike, etc. I am a newbie to this game at the moment and appreciate the feedback I have been given to this point. Any more thoughts would be great.

HazeT

Since you narrowed your search to two bikes and one is out of reach for 3 months I guess you only have 2 options left.
1-Buy the Trek, but please test ride first and make sure it's right for you.
2-Go look at some more bikes, are you looking for more roadish or MTB style? How do you plan on using your bike?
The Jamis Coda, specialized sirrus, giant escape, roam, seek, and many other good bikes out there

cranky velocist

I wanted a quick, the quick looked perfect to me on paper, then I road the bike and the way it was balanced didn't suit the way I was comfterbal riding at all. The comparable FX seemed to ride very differently. I think this was mostly the difference in the 'geometry' of the two bikes. Or fork weight. Or something similarly hard to describe through written spec's.

They are both great bike lines - but you should really test them both.