Trek 1000 vs. Lemond Etape

You can probably flip a coin here. These two entry level bikes should serve you well until you get serious. When you start riding hard you may need to upgrade your wheels. Also keep an eye on the bottom bracket. I would also invest in pedals and shoes. They make a big difference.

How much of a difference will clipless pedals and shoes really make? I'm fairly experienced at riding at higher speeds (been riding bmx for a few years now) and never had a problem with slipping off pedals before.

ToffoIsMe said:

How much of a difference will clipless pedals and shoes really make? I'm fairly experienced at riding at higher speeds (been riding bmx for a few years now) and never had a problem with slipping off pedals before.

I also recommend the clipless pedals and shoes. On long rides you don't want your foot accidentally slipping off. Your feet are positioned in the correct position on the pedals to deliver the most power. Clipless pedals are very helpful to me when mountain biking; I can "pull" my self up the hills or over obstacles. And flying downhill is absolutely the worst time to have a foot slip off a pedal.

Since it is so much cheaper to buy a bike with good components rather than trying to add them later, try to save up for that next level bike over the entry one. Many times, for a 100-200 more, you can get a bike with components worth 5-600 dollars if you tried to add them later to the entry bike.

Be sure to ride both bikes for as long as the LBS will let you to get the one that fits you and your style of riding best.

You may want to check out the Felt 90.
feltracing.com2005 f90.htmlOpen ↗

bbattle said:

Be sure to ride both bikes for as long as the LBS will let you to get the one that fits you and your style of riding best.

Length of the test rides shouldn't be too much of a problem for me since I work at a bike shop.

ToffoIsMe said:

Out of the two, which would you guys recommend the most? I would like to start riding road bikes but I'm not sure which of these would be better. Feel free to suggest any other bikes in this price range ($500-$700 msrp).

Hello. I actually test rode both of these bikes, as well as many others. There wasn't much difference in the ride quality and the shifting was very similar due to the similarity of the components. I did, however, like the feel of the Etape over the Trek, the frame just seemed to fit me better (57cm). Now, having said that, did I buy an Etape?...no. The only reason I did not get the Etape was that I was offered a Tourmalet for a ridiculous deal (it was a closeout) and got that instead. Had that not been an option I would be an Etape rider today.

Cheers,

brian

I was checking out the Etape and 1000 at work today and I think I'm going to go with a 1000. The bars on the Etape are a bit too wide for my liking. Only down side is I have to wait for the 2006 1000 since Trek is out of stock on pretty much everything from 2005.