Hello guys,
I Have about 2 days to decide what bike i want for christmas. I've narrowed it down to 2 bikes.

The Giant TCR Composite 1 and the Madone 5.2SL

Which would you go with, and why. The price difference is almost negligable.

I wouldn't normally say this. But if I was considering those two bikes I would pick the Giant solely because it looks 400% better in my opinion. The components are a wash, the frames are both very nice. I'd be suprised if you were dissapointed with either. So long as one of the Giant sizes fits you, you will look much better riding on that one. The Trek is some sort of silver/black/brown color that is just plain ugly!

I don't know, I think the Trek in Platinum silver/Black pearll looks pretty cool. Not quite as flashy as the Giant paint job though. More subdued. I really prefer the mor etraditional looking geometry of trek Madone frames, compared ot the heavily sloped compact Giants. I have a carbon compact frame I am building up, but it nowhere near as sloped as the Giants. More of a semi-compact.
If you don't lik ehte DA crank on the Trek, you could have an FSA carbon installed to replace it, and they are even a little cheaper. And lighter.

Wow... I'd go with the Giant anyday... it's better looking by far and Giant gives you a DA rear derailleur instead of the Madone's Ultegra rear. The Giant has a better saddle too in my opinion. I also like the FSA crankset better than the Ultegra. Are the prices that similar? The Giant seems to be a better deal if they're basically the same price.

To advise what's given in every other sort of thread like this, have you tried riding each? With the price and components being equal, I only really see the frame and maybe saddle (perhaps you can swap out the saddles to eliminate that "variable") as the determining factor.

Has either frame won the TDF? I'd go with the trek.

buy american. buy the trek.

i'd get the trek, but i would also base my decision on the geometry. compact geo doesn't work for everyone, and since they are pretty comprable, i would buy whichever fits best and is most comfortable. teh brown color is ugly, get the silver pearl thingy whatchacallit scheme.

The Giant looks like a girls bike. But if you have problems getting your foot over a man's style top tube then get the Giant.

a) Whichever bike fits YOU the best.

b) Whichever bike YOU like the best.

b) Both being equal, get the Trek. That Giant geometry has some serious tradeoffs that I couldn't get happy with.

Since the title is Trek Vs. giant, I'm guessing you psychologically favor the Trek more so go get it.

Seriously, fit is more important. after a lot of test rides, get the one the you're drawn to and don't look back.

Given that it fits right, I would go with the Trek. I am ordering one soon, and can't wait until I get it. Enjoy!

I can not ride a giant compact geometrry which makes the decision easier. You need as everyone has siad to ride a trek and a giant and see the difference. You can change components later you can not change the frame (without getting a new bike).

Handmade in USA is good enough for me. Buy the Trek. also look at the Frame warranty. I believe the Trek is lifetime and the Giant is 5 years. I may be wrong on the Giant but the last one I test rode 3 years ago had a 5 year frame warranty.

Trek, 6 time winner of the Tour de France. How many tours has the Chinese bike won? Just curious.

I like Trek. Never a problem with them.

I would also consider the re-sale value of Trek vs. Giant.

bikes don't win squat. if lance armstrong rode a huffy, then the title would be "huffy vs. giant." there are alot of other bikes in this price category that are as good or better than either of them, and most of them probably aren't even ridden by a pro team, let alone a TDF champ.
i wonder how many people think nike shoes are better than DMT...

Trek bikes suck. And people who ride Trek bikes are just brainwashed, corporate *****s. Trek does not innovate, they just copy everybody else, buy up smaller companies putting out better products and turn them into crap.

So "Dog Hair". What is your recommendation?

Between Trek & Giant, I sure wouldn't worry about the name. Get the one that'll make you feel like a little kid opening a big present.

Get the Huffy.

you stole my answer.

The Giant is a Huffy. Probably built in the same Chinese factory.

The DMT's are obviously faster, look at Pettachi.

Well, guys, I actually decided on a slightly different bike: I went with a 10 speed 5.2 in the black pearl carbon color. The 10 speed 5.2 isn’t even on trek's website yet.

Now I can’t wait for it to get here!

I decided on the 5.2 non SL for a couple of reasons. The differences between the two were largely just weight. I usually pack a pair of water bottles, so I figure the weight difference really isn’t THAT big of a deal. If the SL had better wheels.... then it would have been harder. Anywho, I thought both the SL paint jobs were ugly, and the sleek black of the 5.2 really did it for me. Decision made. I won't be coming back to this thread, as there will undoubtedly be a dozen people telling me I made a bad decision. I don't care, I'll be out loving my bike.

Thanks for the help though!