Trek 2300 vs Cannondale R1000 - Page 2

04's are coming with some new colors.

I have both steel and Aluminium frames, but have to say that given the choice I would always buy a Cannondale.

I have two Cannondale Mountain Bikes, one 10 years old and a Cannondal road bike.

They are stiff, light, comfortable, responsive and durable. What more can you ask.

I'm not convinced about CODA parts though, which were on my original MTB and did not work as well as Shimano. My road bike is 105 and Ultegra which is fine for me. The MTB's are all Shimano.

Interesting topic. Trek and Cannondale are both good bikes but around Sacramento California and at this time of year it seems Giant bikes have the best bang for the buck.

The "Best bang for buck" issue is an interesting one.

Most of us have to go through this phase of our lives until we have enough money to do the right thin g and follow our hearts.

Some people are lucky enough (either financially or emotionally) to always have that attitude.

It took me a long time, and I still succumb occasionally to it, but I am gradually learning to ignore my head and listen to my heart.

Then I buy another Cannondale (Saab/Leica, whatever).

Once done you never regret it.

A few years ago I would have bought the TREK hands down. For once, I actually considered my options and really shopped around in the same price range. IMO, the Cannondale is a better value although it wasn't completely spec'ed w/ full Ultegra, the frame was much better. Upgrading the front der, brakes and B/B would be easy, fairly cheap and you could do it at your own pace. The 2300 is a nice bike and very appealing to the eye, but this time, I let my seat of the pants make my decision for me. Too me, the Cannondale just rode better.

Scuba Steve

exactly. i was like, "you can't size me here on the bike but you want me to fork over 20% for a delivery of a bike i've never been on." i have a triathlon friend who recently purchased a cyclocross in reston, va and he was in the same situation. he's 6'3" and they (another bike shop) didn't have a cycle in his size and he went ahead and took the plunge on a bike he'd never ridden. i know nova's out of wack economically (hell, they just put in a ferrari dealership two miles from my job) and they have people who will just show up and drop mad loot without a second thought, but i can't commit 20% on something i've never ridden. i'm going back to the shop in my town and ask them if they'll just bring a giro in for me to test ride, no questions asked -- i'll let you know what pans out. i'm going to buy a bike, so they should give me some room to work with. at least that's my hope.

I came to the same conclusion. The Cannondale is a great frame for the money, $1450 at SuperGo. After pricing out upgrades, however, the R2000 for $1750 was looking like a good deal:
wheels - Mavic Ksyrium SSC SL, full Ultegra except for Rear Derailleur: Shimano Dura-Ace. Full Dura-Ace on the R3000 at $3000 was more than I wanted to pay.

The shop recommend the double since it shifted much nicer. (?) I didn't notice much of a difference at the time. So far, the shop has been good about sizing the bike properly and swapping out components. This is as important to me as choosing the bike itself.