Rich G

I've got around $1800-$2200 to spend.
I was thinking Cannondale R1000 or a Klein Q-Pro V or maybe aTrek 2300 or for a little more$ the 5000.
I'm open to other sugestions too...
what are the pros and cons of the 'dale vs. the Klein?
I've been riding a '92 trek 1200 since '94 time to move up to a better ride...
TIA

formulaben

I was exactly where you were, and after a lot of research, I settled on the new Felt F55. It has 10 speed Dura-Ace Shifters and Deraileurs, carbon seat stays, carbon fork, and carbon seat post. It is really a good buy at the retail of $1999. And right now, if you pre-order (BEFORE Interbike is over?) my LBS is offering $200 discount on that price. I've already seen prices listed at $1929, so you might do better.

boze

that felt sounds like a sweeter deal unless you can get the budget up for a full carbon frame.

**** a Cdale unless you're gonna race with it. an alum frame like that isn't comfy enough for me and you have plenty of room budgetwise to get something like a trek 5000 or the felt and end up with both responsiveness and comfort.

ppl are so into dale's and i just have no idea why. not that they don't have their place - like crits and stuff i'd guess - but i can't see why somebody would plunk down $2k on an alum bike when you could do so many other things and be kinder to your body. it's cycling after all, so distance is always in the equation pretty much, ya know?

Rich G

thanks for the feed back!
That Felt looks sweet!
So Boze, you don't like alum bikes? I've heard that the 'dale was pretty comfy..
What do you think of the Trek 2100 for around $1500?

Thanks,

sailor

From what Ive heard (granted, Ive never ridden one), Cannondales are pretty stiff bikes, to the point of twitchiness. Some people like it, some dont.

formulaben

I rode the Trek 5000 and was VERY impressed with the comfy ride. It was responsive, but yet somehow compliant and it really soaked up the road harshness. If the carbon stays, seatpost and fork on the Felt come even close, I'll be a very happy rider. The only reason I didn't go the Trek route was because of the Shimano 105/Ultegra hardware and the fact that the local dealer wanted to upcharge for handlebars to fit me and for the general bike fitting. The Felt dealer here does both as part of buying a bike. I figured I saved over $535 by going with the Felt, and I get better components (Dura Ace) too!

Rich G

Thanks Guys! Please keep it comming!

boze

i just got a steel bike - the Viner Competition from GVHbikes.com. while i was shopping i took an extended test ride of a Cdale R600. granted this is a lower end bike - the cheapest Dale you can get really - but the stiffness of those all alum frames is going to place responsiveness over comfort rather than finding a harmony between the two.

i think it's a pretty clear cut situation - not to oversimplify too much - but if you're not racing then you don't have any reason to sacrifice ride comfort. this is not to say that we should grow beards and ride recumbents, but the casual rider would really appreciate the comfort of a steel frame, carbon frame, or at least a mixed-material frame with carbon stays.

i look at dale's like the R1000 as being sensible entry-level race bikes. very light, very stiff, nice stuff on them. but ride 50 or 60 miles on one as a middle-aged guy and you'll feel pretty beat up afterwards. then do that same ride the following weekend on a nice steel frame or carbon frame like the trek 5000. your neck and shoulders and back will thank you.

does that make sense?

i like the Trek 2100 for $1500 just fine, but i'd like more testimonials for just how comfortable a mixed-material bike is for riding distance. at ~$1500, the bianchi vigorelli is another nice choice.

in your price range i think you can comfortably avoid the all alum frames (the two you mentioned in your orig post). there's lots to choose from after that but try and ride some different bikes - see if you can take them out for 10 miles or more. try steel, try carbon, try mixed - then you'll know more. find a nice climb and try to get out of the saddle and see how ready the bike is to climb.

an '04 specialized roubaix comp would be a nice choice in your budget also - around $1800 for full carbon and ultegra if you can find the best price in your size.

Rich G

Thanks Boze!

Thats just the kind of info I was looking for!
I guess at 43 I'm a middle aged guy...
I'd like more comfort testimonials on the mixed-material bikes too.
My old Trek does leave me feelling pretty beat up after longer rides.
Have you ridden a Trek 5000? is it realy that comfy?
I'll take a look at the roubaix...

Thanks

Rich G

BTW - I'm in S.W. Florida. Not too many hills to test on ; )

late

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/habanero.html
Has a ride like floating on a cloud, but it's not slow.

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/gunnar-roadie.html
I have ridden the Gunnar Sport. Too lazy to link to the Gunnar site for a pic of it. Great bike, I almost bought one. Sweet ride, lighter than you'd think, in one word- fun. Kind of bike that puts a smile on your face.

There's a bunch of other bikes, and more coming. The industry just discovered us. The Trek Pilot looks to be an an awesome bike, I really, really want to test ride one. This months Bicycling has an article about them.

rj987652003

How did the bike come from GVH. Did he do a good job of assembling. I was seriously thinking of GVH for my next new bike.

Phatman

I test rode a cannondale R600, and later a friend's saeco team replica. I didn't think that either rode that terribly. It was definitly different from my steel bike, it made different sounds over bumps, but i thought that both of the bikes were pretty comfortable to ride. neither of them felt jarring at all.

then again...I am a racer. I like a bike that moves when you stomp on the pedals. and boy, did they move.

53-11 alltheway

Responsiveness!! Stiffness!! Since when were these bad words in the worls of performance cycling.

CycleFreakLS

I would get the Trek 5000 over the any 2000 series. The 5000 shares the same frame/fork as the 5200 and 5500. DA is nice, but it won't "make" the ride as much as the best frame/fork you can afford.

Cannondale's alum frame are stiff, but I would prefer to be on carbon or Ti for a century anyday. Felts are showing up a lot here (southern CA) and the riders all have good things to say about them.

Have you looked at Ti at all?

Best.

Rich G

Are there any good Ti bikes at $2200 or less?

boze

Habañero makes the most affordable Ti complete bike I think. their website is poop but folks speak well of their bikes i think: https://www.habcycles.com/road.html

Phatman, i'm not trying to say a saeco team replica is going to "ride terribly", but how long was your test ride? tons of folks will testify about how comfortable their carbon, ti, or steel bike is but it's not like there's a big throng of ppl who say "i bought this alum frame because it's so gentle on my body to ride it for 70 miles at a stretch".

i would recommend to anybody that if they're not interested in racing they eliminate Cdale from their shopping entirely. it's not that the saeco isn't a great bike - heck i think the R1000 is a nice frame/build for $1800 but if ppl are going to be so strenuous about making sure ppl look for "fit" in a bike then i think comfort shouldn't follow too far behind and the Cdale's are harsher than any of the other frames for sure. even folks who race who i've talked to don't contest that.

RJ - i was really happy with my gvhbikes order, although i see that the Viner is not on their special deals anymore. maybe he'd build you one anyway. that pegoretti in yellow for $2100 looks sweet though.

Rich G

Apples to oranges, I know, but here goes (I'm ducking) Can anyone compare the ride of my Trek 1200 to the 'dale R1000 or the Trek 5000?

On another note, how about the 'dale R1000 vs. the Trek 5000?

Thanks for the help!

Phatman

boze, I was out for about a half and hour on both bikes, which i beleive is plenty of time to check out the ride quality.

Rich, as for the Ti bike under 2200, I think the Litespeed Firenze is right around that mark.

Cyclefreak, I think that the Trek 5000 is the same frame as the 5200, but with a different fork (and components)

CycleFreakLS

Yes, I've seen the Firenze for less than $1800.

Then I'd definitely get the 5000 over the 2300. You will eventually wear out the drivetrain. Same with wheels. I know someone who got an Easton EC90 SLX (I think; it weights 300g) for $180 from Performance (criminey! what a steal!). So ... you could eventually make the 5000 a 5900 if you so inclined a few years down the road ... but the frame, you'd already have a great frame.

Enjoy your ride.
Best.

feltdude

You can get a Felt F55 in that price range.. a great bike. 17.5lbs full DA. Towards the upper end you can get the F35. 17.4lbs full DA 10. Much more bang for the buck.

Rich G

I need to see a Felt in person,
There is a dealer about 50mi. from me that will have stock after interbike...

r800rider

Wow.......... I hope all you guys bashing cannondales for the "harsh ride" have ridden one before. Comment on what you know not what people say. You are getting some crappy advise here.
Since everyone is different the only way your going to be able to decide on the right bike for you is by test riding them. Period.
Now that said.....I personaly have been the proud owner of a cannondale r800 for about six months. The frame is stiff but not what to the point where you (I) notice it. I tested a lemond steel bike with carbon top and seat tubes. It was a comfortable ride but felt more like a touring bike, where as the cannondale felt like a race bike. These are the kind of things you need to consider, what type of riding are you going to do. What do you want from your bike.
Please whatever you do, don't listen to these guys when they say not to by a bike. Make that decision for yourself.

feltdude

I've ridden cannondales and hate the HARSH RIDE. But maybe you're just being defensive because that's what you ride?

To each his own.. testing is the best way. I'm just recommending the best value, and right now Felts are it.

boze

i'm all about value too and unless you're racing i don't see why you want to bust your ass on a dale for any kind of distance.

it's true that i'm a hater when it comes to dale's but it's also true that i've never owned one - just did a 15 mile test ride while i was upgrading from my cheap old alum GT to my new steel bike.

it's a good thing to overstate to a noob though because cdale is _huge in the US and an ignorant shopper could end up stuck on one just because they have a lot of name recognition and not because they want an entry-level race frame rather than something a bit more forgiving.

you should know that i'm going to continue to advice ppl to look away from all alum frames especially folks shopping with <$1500 unless they are specifically interested in racing or they just want the lightest fastest bike possible and they're young enough that they can take the punishment a Cdale dishes out. and don't tell me it's not a harsh ride. i noticed on my extended test ride and the folks at my LBS concede that point and then start talking about how that's the price you pay for responsiveness.

no offense, but i think i'm doing the right thing. folks just don't know the score and my hope is to give them a heads up so they can know that what feels light and quick for five minute in the LBS parking lot might feel like an ass-whoopin' after a 50+ mile sunday like the one i had today. i used to do that same loop on my alum frame and i thought the nasty aches and pains were just part of being a cyclist in my 30s. steel frame under me now and all that's changed.

TESTIFY!!

TELL THE TRUTH!!

AAAAAMEN!!!