If you had £1,500 for a new bike, what would you get?

[Chris Edwards]

Come on then gang, what's good to go? I've got a Marin, but my head keeps being turned by Trek & Specialized. The astute amongst you will say "Go check 'em out!" But is that realistic? Can you honestly compare a Trek you rode 2 weeks ago to a Giant next Saturday? I'm not sure, so help me out here.

 

[trboden]

Done.

I bought a Trek Madone 4.5

 

[Chris Edwards]

Ah, the red, white & black jobby - very nice. Which one, the tripple or the compact?

 

[alfeng]

Come on then gang, what's good to go? I've got a Marin, but my head keeps being turned by Trek & Specialized. The astute amongst you will say "Go check 'em out!" But is that realistic? Can you honestly compare a Trek you rode 2 weeks ago to a Giant next Saturday? I'm not sure, so help me out here.

If the geometry of the frames is the same AND (especially) if the components are the same, then you won't notice a difference ...

If the geometry is different (and, on some Trek Madones, it apparently is ... where the head tube is steeper on the larger frames), then you will notice a difference.

Unless you hate the way your Marin rides, then if you want to improve your cycling experience with the next £1,500 which you have to spend on your cycling "stuff" then I recommend that you buy a Campagnolo ATHENA-or-CHORUS group + some new wheels.

 

[Chris Edwards]

Thanks for what sounds like informed advice. What really sticks in my craw about my Marin is that it is a frame size too small for me. Sure, I've adjusted it accordingly to fit and it is a pocket rocket (I managed 31.8 mph top speed on my way to work today). So with it being small, I always wonder about other geometries (whilst stressing that the maths of it may as well be in Cantonese or Mandarin) and if I'd be better suited... Grass always greener.

Nothing wrong with the Marin though, I have to keep reminding myself of that. I have a confession to make - I know little or nothing about Campagnolo, but would like to. I checked out Cube the other day - very nice (I didn't get as far as finding out if it's their own frames, or if they get them from the Far East though). Cube's brochure leaves you drooling - typical German marketing (aka Porsche, Mercedes, BMW etc). Would I be correct in assuming you own a Campagnolo?

 

[Scotttri]

Thanks for what sounds like informed advice. What really sticks in my craw about my Marin is that it is a frame size too small for me. Sure, I've adjusted it accordingly to fit and it is a pocket rocket (I managed 31.8 mph top speed on my way to work today). So with it being small, I always wonder about other geometries (whilst stressing that the maths of it may as well be in Cantonese or Mandarin) and if I'd be better suited... Grass always greener.

Nothing wrong with the Marin though, I have to keep reminding myself of that. I have a confession to make - I know little or nothing about Campagnolo, but would like to. I checked out Cube the other day - very nice (I didn't get as far as finding out if it's their own frames, or if they get them from the Far East though). Cube's brochure leaves you drooling - typical German marketing (aka Porsche, Mercedes, BMW etc). Would I be correct in assuming you own a Campagnolo?

I think the referall is to the campy group set not a campy bike. Campagnolo rival shimano and sram in group sets. It's a personal preference thing

 

[alfeng]

Thanks for what sounds like informed advice. What really sticks in my craw about my Marin is that it is a frame size too small for me. Sure, I've adjusted it accordingly to fit and it is a pocket rocket (I managed 31.8 mph top speed on my way to work today). So with it being small, I always wonder about other geometries (whilst stressing that the maths of it may as well be in Cantonese or Mandarin) and if I'd be better suited... Grass always greener.

Nothing wrong with the Marin though, I have to keep reminding myself of that. I have a confession to make - I know little or nothing about Campagnolo, but would like to. I checked out Cube the other day - very nice (I didn't get as far as finding out if it's their own frames, or if they get them from the Far East though). Cube's brochure leaves you drooling - typical German marketing (aka Porsche, Mercedes, BMW etc). Would I be correct in assuming you own a Campagnolo?

Yes, I have Campagnolo shifters (mine are all pre-2009) ...

However, I 'love' Shimano ... and, I have been using BOTH Shimano & Campagnolo components for decades ...

And, I currently use Shimano derailleurs with my Campagnolo shifters (mated to 9-speed Shimano cassettes) because, IMO, the Shimano derailleurs shift infinitesimally better than the pre-2009 Campagnolo derailleurs (I finally sold my last set of "indexed" Campagnolo derailleurs about a year ago) -- obviously, Campagnolo derailleurs work well with Campagnolo shifters, but why pay more?

Although some people will declare that there isn't a functional difference between Campagnolo, Shimano, and SRAM shifters, my experience is that Campagnolo shifters can shift to a larger cog effortlessly when under ANY load (i.e., when going uphill -- I ride on mountain roads) whereas Shimano shifters are problematic unless the rider accelerates & then unweights (i.e., NOT under load) the drivetrain before shifting ...

I don't care how well-or-poorly SRAM's shifters work because my prior experience with their customer service (in NA) was so poor that I don't see any reason to give them any more of my money.

Shimano has great customer service (in NA), and I've never had to contact Campagnolo (but, I understand contact may be problematic).

BTW. I do have a set of 6603 shifters & 6603 derailleurs that are NOT on a bike a the moment ... but, I finally set aside a frame to test the shifters with a Rapid Rise XT rear derailleur (which 'I' believe will facilitate downshifting) ... but, that's another story.

 

[Chris Edwards]

Scotttri thanks, I kinda realised when I went off after searching for Campy stuff. At least I got in I knew little or nothing about it beforehand! Colnago you idiot!