opinions? - Trek 1000

Hi,

I am looking for an entry level road bike to start in the sport. I looked
at a Trek 1000 and was thinking of buying it. I read some reviews on the
web but was wondering if people on this group have some opinions on it. I
would appreciate it if anyone has other bike suggestions in place of Trek
1000 [$569 at local bike shop] or suggestions on a better place to buy it
from rather than the bike shop.

Thanks,
D

In article . edu,
says...

Hi,

I am looking for an entry level road bike to start in the sport. I looked
at a Trek 1000 and was thinking of buying it. I read some reviews on the
web but was wondering if people on this group have some opinions on it. I
would appreciate it if anyone has other bike suggestions in place of Trek
1000 [$569 at local bike shop] or suggestions on a better place to buy it
from rather than the bike shop.

Fuji also has a nice entry-level road bike with Sora, STI shifters,
dropbars, etc. About $459 IIRC. They also have a $360 model, but it
has downtube shifters, which practically nobody wants.


--
Dave Kerber
Fight spam: remove the ns_ from the return address before replying!

REAL programmers write self-modifying code.

When you buy a new bicycle you are buying a relationship with the bicycle
shop. Check them out in terms of how they treat you and others and who is
doing repair work--a kid with a couple weeks training or an experience
mechanic.

Bikes within a price range are roughly comparable, bicycles vary widely.

Alan Acock
"Dhananjay Adhikari" wrote in message
due.edu...

Hi,

I am looking for an entry level road bike to start in the sport. I looked
at a Trek 1000 and was thinking of buying it. I read some reviews on the
web but was wondering if people on this group have some opinions on it. I
would appreciate it if anyone has other bike suggestions in place of Trek
1000 [$569 at local bike shop] or suggestions on a better place to buy it
from rather than the bike shop.

Thanks,
D

I bought Trek 1000, 2004 model, early in January 2004..... i.e. about 5
weeks ago....

Too early to tell as I have only managed to ride about 250 km on it since I
bought it but early signs are pretty good for the money.

I upgraded the tyres to the Michelin Kevlar-lined puncture resistant tyres
but otherwise it is standard Trek 1000. I even managed to fall off (my
fault) and the bike ended up in a better shape than its owner, nothing broke
on either one of us, but I was badly bruised.

But I do hate the standard Trek 1000 pedals (with toe clip straps) so I took
those straps off last week and been riding "bare pedals" instead - and with
better average speed too. I am most likely I will get clip-less pedals for
it soon. I suggest you stay "bare" or better go clip-less. This means buying
shoes and special pedals. On more expensive bikes you might get those
included, I guess..

So do realise you are buying a pretty decent road bike but it is only an
entry level bike. You get what you pay for, in general.

"Dhananjay Adhikari" wrote in message
due.edu...

Hi,

I am looking for an entry level road bike to start in the sport. I looked
at a Trek 1000 and was thinking of buying it. I read some reviews on the
web but was wondering if people on this group have some opinions on it. I
would appreciate it if anyone has other bike suggestions in place of Trek
1000 [$569 at local bike shop] or suggestions on a better place to buy it
from rather than the bike shop.

Thanks,
D

Attention Dhanjay and Dale, which I thought knew better, no binaries
in this ng. It wastes bandwidth when a simple URL would do, and it
really just isn't done. Thank you very much for your cooperation.

--

_______________________ALL AMIGA IN MY MIND_______________________
------------------"Buddy Holly, the Texas Elvis"------------------
in.edu__________

Dhananjay Adhikari wrote:

I am looking for an entry level road bike to start in the sport. I
looked at a Trek 1000 and was thinking of buying it. I read some
reviews on the web but was wondering if people on this group have
some opinions on it. I would appreciate it if anyone has other bike
suggestions in place of Trek 1000 [$569 at local bike shop] or
suggestions on a better place to buy it from rather than the bike
shop.

The place you buy it is more important than the bike itself, especially if
you're new to the sport. There are dozens (at least) of bikes virtually
identical to the Trek 1000 -- drop-bar bikes with Shimano Sora -- and they're
all within a few dollars of each other. So find a dealer that will give you the
best fit and post-sale service, a dealer you'll have the best long term
relationship with.

If you've been riding for years, and you know all about bikes, then, and only
then, can you afford to be ruthless about price.

Other than that, Trek has a reputation for the best warranty service in the
industry, so you can't go wrong with a Trek, Lemond, Fisher, or Klein. (They're
all made by Trek).

Matt O.

In article ,
says...
I bought Trek 1000, 2004 model, early in January 2004..... i.e. about 5
weeks ago....

Too early to tell as I have only managed to ride about 250 km on it since I
bought it but early signs are pretty good for the money.

I upgraded the tyres to the Michelin Kevlar-lined puncture resistant tyres
but otherwise it is standard Trek 1000. I even managed to fall off (my
fault) and the bike ended up in a better shape than its owner, nothing broke
on either one of us, but I was badly bruised.

But I do hate the standard Trek 1000 pedals (with toe clip straps) so I took
those straps off last week and been riding "bare pedals" instead - and with
better average speed too. I am most likely I will get clip-less pedals for
it soon. I suggest you stay "bare" or better go clip-less. This means buying

I would disagree with this; for me, toe clips are better than nothing,
though not as good as clipless. Everybody's different, though.

.....

--
Dave Kerber
Fight spam: remove the ns_ from the return address before replying!

REAL programmers write self-modifying code.

"David Kerber" wrote in message
...
In article . edu,
says...

Hi,

I am looking for an entry level road bike to start in the sport. I
looked
at a Trek 1000 and was thinking of buying it. I read some reviews on the
web but was wondering if people on this group have some opinions on it.
I
would appreciate it if anyone has other bike suggestions in place of
Trek
1000 [$569 at local bike shop] or suggestions on a better place to buy
it
from rather than the bike shop.

Fuji also has a nice entry-level road bike with Sora, STI shifters,
dropbars, etc. About $459 IIRC. They also have a $360 model, but it
has downtube shifters, which practically nobody wants.

The Fuji Finest is a *great* bike for the money. Sora works very well, and
24 speeds is more than enough. I had the beautiful blue/white 2002 model
with 4130 butted CrMo frame/fork and mostly Cyclone/CRP components. I
recommend the bike highly. The Finest AL has an aluminum frame, and is more
than a pound lighter; but honestly, I don't think it's going to make a huge
difference in speed. The CrMo frame even has rack and fender eyelets, so
you can use it as a commuter bike. How many road bikes have that kind of
versatility these days? Almost none.

For entry-level bikes, the Fuji Finest is my pick. Can't beat the
price/performance.

Rocketman

In article YyrWb.278463$xy6.1420149@attbi_s02,
says...

....

For entry-level bikes, the Fuji Finest is my pick. Can't beat the
price/performance.

I finally got around to looking them up, and the two models I was
referring to are the ones just below the Finest: the Ace has Sora
STI's for about $450 on my LBS's floor, and the League has D/T
shifters for about $360.


--
Dave Kerber
Fight spam: remove the ns_ from the return address before replying!

REAL programmers write self-modifying code.

[Dhananjay Adhikari asked about buying a Trek 1000.]

Dhananjay, I have a Trek 1000 (my commuter) and an older steel frame
with a mix of 105 and Ultegra components, and I've rode bikes with
Tiagra. The Sora group on the 1000 is fine, but you may want to spend
the extra cash to get a bike with a Tiagra group (the next level up
from Sora) if you can.

Shifting on Tiagra is noticably better. Shifting up on the front
chainring especially is extremely clunky with the Sora. The thumb
shifters aren't a problem for me, but some people find them to be
cumbersome.

If you want to upgrade in the future, the 9-speed Tiagra is more
upgradable than the 8-speed Sora. With Sora, you can't do it piecemeal
-- the 8-speed components are not at all compatible with the 9-speed
world.

There's a world of difference in reliability between my (mostly) 105
bike and my Sora-equipped Trek. I don't know how Tiagra would compare
in this department.

These are engineering compromises to keep the cost low rather than
real pitfalls. If the shortcomings aren't that important to you then
Sora will work just fine. Be sure to go for more than a spin in the
parking lot -- work the levers and get the feel for the bike. Keep in
mind that if something is just mildly annoying in your short test
ride, that mild annoyance will be magnified manyfold during a
three-hour ride.

When I test rode my Trek 1000, for example, I noticed the
front-chainring clunkiness but I thought it'll just be a commuter, I
won't be using the front derailer much, and I can compensate. (I have
3 rings, and the small ring helps on steep hills on my commute). I
bike commute about 200 miles/month, and because of that stupid clunky
front derailer I now wish I had gotten a Tiagra equipped bike instead.

RFM