Although I was looking strongly at the Specialized Dolce Comp I concluded that I wanted a carbon frame so went back to the shop that deals with Trek. I decided that I would deal with thr 650c wheels in exchange for the carbon frame. However, Trek came out with the Pilot and it has 700c wheels. My LBS feels this is the "perfect" bike for me. The components are very similar to the 5000.new2bikes said:My LBS guy came back from Costa Rica and put my bike (the 5000) together this past weekend. I went yesterday so he could fine tune the fit and give me some practice using the clipless pedals. Unfortunately, I couldn't take it home because it was pouring. So I'm still waiting to get on it. This weekend had better be sunny!
To answer your questions:
I'm not going to swap out anything until I ride it for a couple of weeks. Then I'll have a better idea of what feels good and what doesn't. I don't know enough yet to make that kind of decision without trying it out first. I have a strong suspician that the saddle will need to go, so I'm also interested in knowing what mweber did about her saddle - or anyone else who has that same saddle.
I'm barely 5 feet tall with a 70 cm inseam. I can stand comfortably over the top tube with about an inch of clearance and with my feet flat on the floor; although with padded shorts, I think it may be less than an inch. I cannot sit on the saddle and put my feet flat on the floor. Tippy toes there, but I don't think that's a concern because I'm used to getting off my other bike, which is way too high for me, when I come to lights. However, I didn't have clipless pedals before, so I expect to be challenged in that respect. I'm trying to decide where I should practice before I go for a real ride.
We set the saddle and handlebars to be pretty much even in height, although my LBS guy thought I could handle the handlebars a little lower - more racy. I decided to keep it even for a few weeks to see how easy, or not, it is for my body to get used to being in road bike position.
I hope this helps. I'd love to know what others have done as well.
I'm probably a tad under 5"2 with a 75.5 cm inseam. The Pilot is a 50cm frame. I tried my friend's 47cm 5200 for size and it was too small. On a road bike, you need the clearance standing over the top tube but you are only supposed to touch the ground with your tippy toes sitting on the seat as I am told.
My bike is ready for me but I left it at the shop due to heavy rain. It's been too cold and rainy to ride it this weekend anyway. I'm crossing my fingers for better weather next weekend! I'm really excited to ride.