"Gray" wrote in message
oups.com...
I'm in the market for a road bike. Given my limited funds, I'll
probably buy something off ebay. To keep from being overwhelmed with
too many options, I've limited my bargain-hunting so far to Treks,
which has led to the surprising discovery that Trek makes:

1. traditional road bikes (eg. (the 1000, 1500, etc.) marked by a
level/horizontal top tube, among other things, and

2. "comfort" road bikes (eg. Pilot 1.0, 1.2, etc.) with a supposedly
"more natural riding position," marked by a top tube sloped up from
seat post to headset, thus raising the handlebars relative to the seat
position.

Since my budget will limit me to either a Trek 1000 (traditional) or
Trek Pilot 1.0 (comfort), I wonder which way to go. In the last 3
months, I've put about 500 miles on a borrowed vintage (1983) Trek 620
touring bike, which obviously has a very traditional geometry. In all
that time, I've never experienced any discomfort or body pain while or
riding (despite not owning any padded bike shorts and the 620 being
equiped with its original seat).

Q. -- If I'm comfortable on the vintage 620, should I stick to a
traditional road bike (e.g. Trek 100)?

Q. -- Am I being short-sighted passing up a "comfort" road bike?
Especially considering that I don't see myself ever racing or trying to
ride for time.

BONUS Q. -- What brand other than Trek should I seek out to buy a new
or late model road bike? It's not that I am a Trek snob. I just have
found them more plentiful and easier to research.

THANKS IN ADVANCE.

Gray Strickland
Tulsa, OK


The Pilots are pretty much 'fast tourer' geometry. If you like the tourer,
then the pilot is closest. a I've got a 1.2 as a winter training bike.
Well made, takes mudguards (handy in the UK), and sporty enough to let me
keep up with a racing club run. I think you can fit guards to the 1000 and
1200 now, just. If you don't race and you like the colour, go with a Pilot.
If Treks are readily available where you are, that is good. Find a dealer
you get on with and it could be the start of a wonderful relationship. I'm
not a fan of buying a whole bike of eBay or similar. The up-front price
isn't the whole of the story. For instance, at a dealer they're not going
to charge you to swap a stem to fit you better.

If you can stretch to the 1.2 / 1200 the better components are (to me
anyway) worth it.

Not sure about altenatives. If you don't need guards, then there are plenty
now. Specialized Roubaix, Giant SCR being two.

Skippy E&OE