My 2005 Trek 1000 was stolen; Looking for a new bike

Well, that's a bummer getting your bike stolen.

Hopefully, you'll get enough insurance money to be able to replace them with some good bikes.

Shimano's Ultegra group is really good and sharp looking, however, for more cost savings with no real noticable decrease in performance, you might want to look into Shimano 105 components. I doubt that you will find a bike with all Ultegra that is under $2000.

That plainly sucks. There's a very special hell for bike thieves. Did you have it insured for full value? If insurance needs a cost estimate, go to a friendly LBS.

Kdelong's most likey right about finding an Ultegra equipped bike under $2000. That said, there is a better likelihood of finding such bike that's NOS at an LBS. Since you're looking for an excellent fit, stay away from internet dealers.

I recall reading somewhere that most bicycles are stolen from residential property. Always keep them behind locked doors, and if you're gonna leave them in view of someone else, you gotta lock it up properly.

I currently ride a 2002 Trek 1000 with Sora so I understand your pain, I had to readjust my rear derailleur at least once a week. It actually shifts pretty well if you change the rear derailleur to 105 or higher. Sora is pretty nice in the sense that the chainrings in the front are thick and sturdy, and will last a long time.

Do you race? I think if you aren't racing then 105 should be just fine. I think 105 is 10 speed now and it's probably comparable, if not better than Ultegra was in 2005. Have you thought about getting SRAM Force/Rival? I've never tried those groups and some people don't like them, but right now they're a few hundred bucks cheaper than their Shimano counterparts, and they've received favorable reviews from cyclingnews.com.

Hmmm with $2000 you can get a very good looking bike, maybe even good enough to keep inside the house and ogle at, and not outside the house.......just saying.

With an Al frame (with carbon fork and possibly seat stays) you might be able to find an Ultegra-equipped version for under $2k, or at least partial Ultegra.

With "complete" (or nearly so) 105, an aluminum frame is going to run you $1400 or $1500, depending on brand. So there is room for some upgrading. By "complete", I mean not just brifters and derailleurs, but also brakes and crank.

Some of the usual suspects would include a Trek 2.3, one of the Cannondale CAAD9 equipages, Specialized Allez (one of the versions), Felt 75 (?), Scott Speedster S20, etc.

Rival-equipped bikes seem to slot in at slightly more money than 105, but well under Ultegra.

For $2K, there are also some carbon frame 105-equipped choices out there, although some will be nudging a bit over the $2K boundary. Eg. Trek Madone 4.5 (or the somewhat more-pricey Rival-equipped 4.7), Cannondale Synapse Carbon, Scott CR1 Team, others...