About to take the plunge

[Newtoit]

I have started looking for a road bike here of late. I ride a Schwinn mountain bike with road tires on it at this time. I went to our local bike shop and looked at a Trek, 2.3 2010 road bike. It seems to be pefect for me as I am looking for an entry level bike. I feel strongly it will be just what I need. Has anyone purchased one or have one at this time, I would like to get some feedback before making my final decision. Thank you for your time.

Frankie

 

[tonyzackery]

Trek 2.3 Reviews

Good, solid, entry-level bike. Don't have one personally, but there are alot worse choices out there...

 

[Newtoit]

Thanks for the reply. Since this will be my first road bike, I don't see how I could go wrong, price, comfort, ride ability. Thanks again.

 

[swampy1970]

Do a bit of searching around and see if there's a 2009 model 2.3 - you'll probably find a nice discount to be had.

But if you're looking to spend ~$1500 I'd easily go for a Cannondale CAAD9 with a compact chainset over the Trek. I was in mikesbikes yesterday buying a new bike and spotted those on sale for just over $1100. MSRP is ~$1500.

 

[Newtoit]

Not sure what a compact chainset is or what advantage it would be over a say normal one. Sorry to sound so dumb, but I'm not going to try and fake my way through something, I'm 49 years old and not going to start now. hehehe I have looked at Felt, and Trek only. My local dealer dropped Cannondale a year or so ago, he said they started mass producing them over seas and had very few dealerships to sell them in the US now. Sort of scared me a bit with that statement. My friend has an older Cannondale and he swears by it. This is a very, very hard decision to make. I didn't know there was so much in trying to buy a bicycle. My head is still spinning. The 2010 2.3 is $1,549.95 and some other things will need to be bought of course, I figure on having right at two grand in it when all is said and done. That's a LOT of money for me. My main thing is this: I don't want to have to buy another one in a year or so, I don't ride all that much, mostly on a paved trail around town. I thought I would venture out onto the open road with a road bike. Like I say, I'm very flustered over it and just want to make the best choice for me. Sorry to bore you guys so much. Thanks so much for the replys though.

Frankie

 

[swampy1970]

Most bikes are made overseas anyway, so that statement was made out of ignorance on your dealers part. Cannondale are moving production overseas but I believe the CAAD frames are still made in the US.

Where a frame is made has no bearing on how well it rides.

The different between a 'standard' and 'compact' chainset is in the size of the chainrings that it takes. Standard has a bcd (bolt center diameter) of 130mm and a compact 110mm. Typically the smallest chainrings offered with the standard is 39 (in a typical 53/39 combo) while the compact chainsets are typically offered with a 34 small ring (50/34).

A compact will make it easier for you to get up steep hills.

The Cannondale CAAD frames have been used by to win more than a few stages of the Tour of Italy as well as a couple of overall wins and under Cipollini, a few Tour stage wins have been have. It's more than capable of handling whatever the best riders can give it - so for use mere mortals, it's a great frame. The CAAD 7 series and higher - have the revised seatstays (the thin tube that runs diagonally from the backwheel to the top of the seattube) to improve comfort.

At the end of the day it's what you like the feel of the best. The Trek might inspire more confidence or you might dig the extra stiffness of the massive downtube on the Cannondale.

 

[Newtoit]

Thanks for the good information, I still have a lot to learn. I live in East Tennessee so needless to say we do have plenty of hills.

 

[jagonz456]

trek 2.3 is a solid bike. I would look at the specialized Allez Elite Compact $1300 msrp retail 1,200. From my experience don't buy a bike before riding it no matter what they tell you at the bike shop. I would visit a few shops and test ride everything in your price range. I think you should also check out the giant defy 1 $1350 msrp retail $1,250. I think these bikes give you more bang for you buck at a lower price point. trek tends to be more expensive than other manufactures and doesn't give you a lot for your money.