Trek bikes

[MadonePro]

Quick question for your MadonePro ...

Can you explain to us all how your comments in this thread that I've quoted here line up with the other post of yours in the "Contador has learned a LOT" thread? In case you've forgotten what you posted there, it's:
I'd say between Johann and Lance, they'd be around 50 million US in the bank, Alberto... How much in your's?

Perhaps a case of taking your own advice is in order?

Not sure what you're trying to get at. Lance and Johann have earnt there wealth, Contador hasn't.

Cycling isn't about how much you earn though, or how big the team is, and i'm sorry it's come across that way perhaps.
Contador has come across as some cocky arrogant spaniard, who's not been feeling the Armstrong love. Forums such as these are quick to jump, but remember that the truth is not what you read in the forums, nor is it the mulch provided by the media, who sell papers...

 

[franciep10]

Not sure what you're trying to get at. Lance and Johann have earnt there wealth, Contador hasn't.

Cycling isn't about how much you earn though, or how big the team is, and i'm sorry it's come across that way perhaps.
Contador has come across as some cocky arrogant spaniard, who's not been feeling the Armstrong love. Forums such as these are quick to jump, but remember that the truth is not what you read in the forums, nor is it the mulch provided by the media, who sell papers...

I really hate to do it in the bikes and gear sub section but how has contador come across as cocky and arrogant or is this because he didn't bow down to lance and gift him tour #8. I don't want to bash trek they are an American company that supports american cycling and at one time put money in my pocket but I just feel more comfortable on my Orbea

 

[buckwheat]

how big your (small) penis is,

Actually, size isn't what it's cracked up to be. I like spinners. Just as in bikes, fit is the most important thing.

golf is for pretenious losers... You hear me!

Do you realize that the marketing for golf clubs is very similiar to the marketing for bikes? You know, that the equipment will make you better than you actually are. Btw, many of the best golfers are working class or at best, middle class. Many are sons of Pros for instance.

 

[biker jk]

I would NEVER buy a Trek bike for several reasons. Firstly, their terrible treatment of Lemond. Secondly, the association with Armstrong. More often than not I find that those riding a Trek have absolutely no idea about doping in the sport and the role played by Armstrong. It's not that I'm anti-American either because I own a Lynskey.

 

[buckwheat]

Not sure what you're trying to get at. Lance and Johann have earnt there wealth, Contador hasn't....

4 Grand Tours @ 27 is worth something though, no?

Contador has come across as some cocky arrogant spaniard, who's not been feeling the Armstrong love..

WTF are you talking about? Armstrong love? You mean taking every opportunity to sabotage his own teamleader's chances?

Forums such as these are quick to jump, but remember that the truth is not what you read in the forums, nor is it the mulch provided by the media, who sell papers...

The truth? The truth which is known by everyone who is in their right mind is that Contador was much stronger than Armstrong or anyone else for that matter in the 2009 TdF and that he fulfilled the expectations that he would win. Armstrong was lucky to get third. That's the truth. It's a bike race and obviously the strongest rider won the race.

 

[Martin318is]

Speaking for myself I am still regularly riding the 1999 US postal service OCLV that I bought two months BEFORE the 99 Tour. In essence it was a total accident that I ended up buying the brand just before it hit the big time.

I bought the frame because it:

1) was a great geometry fit for me
2) Was a departure from the aluminium frames I had been racing on
3) Looked pretty good in that year's livery
4) was hanging in the shop of a friend who let me put it on my account.

That bike has done some serious kms over the last 10 years. I trained and raced on it throughout that time and although I have replaced the groupset and crashed it hard once, it has never even remotely looked like letting me down.

I have also had 2 Trek MTBs and they have both been awesome over the years.

Would I however tell people that current model Trek road bikes are worth the asking price? No. They are still great bikes but they are overpriced in the same way that Ferraris are (or for that matter Pinarellos, etc are). A large portion of the sticker price is actually to purchase the Trek stickers.

I'm certainly not ant-Trek. I just don't see why a Madonne is $3,000 more expensive than say a Felt F1 with the same groupset... In the end, I think they are very good bikes but they could stand to be a bit cheaper.

 

[buckwheat]

Speaking for myself I am still regularly riding the 1999 US postal service OCLV that I bought two months BEFORE the 99 Tour. In essence it was a total accident that I ended up buying the brand just before it hit the big time.

I bought the frame because it:

1) was a great geometry fit for me
2) Was a departure from the aluminium frames I had been racing on
3) Looked pretty good in that year's livery
4) was hanging in the shop of a friend who let me put it on my account.

That bike has done some serious kms over the last 10 years. I trained and raced on it throughout that time and although I have replaced the groupset and crashed it hard once, it has never even remotely looked like letting me down.

I have also had 2 Trek MTBs and they have both been awesome over the years.

Would I however tell people that current model Trek road bikes are worth the asking price? No. They are still great bikes but they are overpriced in the same way that Ferraris are (or for that matter Pinarellos, etc are). A large portion of the sticker price is actually to purchase the Trek stickers.

I'm certainly not ant-Trek. I just don't see why a Madonne is $3,000 more expensive than say a Felt F1 with the same groupset... In the end, I think they are very good bikes but they could stand to be a bit cheaper.

That's the blue one with the white decals with red lettering? Nice bike. I was trying to buy one on ebay. Even though I'm not a Lance fan, I'd say that Trek undeniably makes nice bikes. Unfortunately Armstrong's fee along with the other marketing, is huge.

 

[craig1985]

Speaking for myself I am still regularly riding the 1999 US postal service OCLV that I bought two months BEFORE the 99 Tour. In essence it was a total accident that I ended up buying the brand just before it hit the big time.

I bought the frame because it:

1) was a great geometry fit for me
2) Was a departure from the aluminium frames I had been racing on
3) Looked pretty good in that year's livery
4) was hanging in the shop of a friend who let me put it on my account.

That bike has done some serious kms over the last 10 years. I trained and raced on it throughout that time and although I have replaced the groupset and crashed it hard once, it has never even remotely looked like letting me down.

I have also had 2 Trek MTBs and they have both been awesome over the years.

Would I however tell people that current model Trek road bikes are worth the asking price? No. They are still great bikes but they are overpriced in the same way that Ferraris are (or for that matter Pinarellos, etc are). A large portion of the sticker price is actually to purchase the Trek stickers.

I'm certainly not ant-Trek. I just don't see why a Madonne is $3,000 more expensive than say a Felt F1 with the same groupset... In the end, I think they are very good bikes but they could stand to be a bit cheaper.

Are all the Felts made in Taiwan? I know the Madonne is still made in Wisconsin so maybe that would have something to do with it?

 

[El Oso]

Would I however tell people that current model Trek road bikes are worth the asking price? No. They are still great bikes but they are overpriced in the same way that Ferraris are (or for that matter Pinarellos, etc are). A large portion of the sticker price is actually to purchase the Trek stickers.

I'm certainly not ant-Trek. I just don't see why a Madonne is $3,000 more expensive than say a Felt F1 with the same groupset... In the end, I think they are very good bikes but they could stand to be a bit cheaper.

+1 To add to that it seems like, at least recently, every bike company that gets in with a pro-tour level team is doing this ... once they gain some traction in the peloton the price skyrockets. I feel like I got a great deal on my Specialized $2,500 (in 2003) for a full Dura-Ace bike with decent wheels. It was about the same price as a 5200. Cervelos used to be a (relatively) great deal for the bike you got.

Right now Felts seem to be great bang-for-buck, I test rode an F1 and it was a pretty good ride. Unfortunately I don't see the good deal lasting for too much longer with their sponsorship of Garmin. Fanboys (I admit to being one of them) will demand regardless of the sticker price.

 

[RDV4ROUBAIX]

Ok this maybe somewhat suicidal on my part, and I do know better, but it has been something on my mind since my time on the forum. I know some people here don't like Trek bikes, when I once mentioned that I know somebody who has 7 Trek's (yes you read that correct), Alpe d'Huez expressed his disgust at such a thing.

So it has me asking, do people hate Trek because of:

1) Their connection with Lance Armstrong and to which for their reasons, they are not a fan of Armstrong?

Top US bike Co. getting involved with the top US cyclist was natural progression.

2) Their treatment of Greg Lemond;

That was mostly Lance pulling the strings on that deal, but yeah, oil and water don't mix. Too bad, I really liked the LeMond bikes.

3) They are a rubbish bike to ride, and you have ridden better bikes; and

Seeing as how I live in the state that spawned the Trek/shop model, I've ridden TONS of Treks, most are decent riding but ugly to look at so I've never personally owned one, huge with the touring crowd when I picked up cycling in the mid 80's. They've also had some really bad designs over the years like the Y-foil. All being said they do a pretty good job of supporting bike shops, and that's fine by me, I'd never buy one though, like I said before we're over-saturated with Trek in this part of the country.

 

[**Uru**]

I think that the quality of Treks is on par with other major bike brands such as Cannondale, Specialized, and Giant. If the bike fits and has the build you want then it is certainly worth considering. I do have to say that over the last couple of years I have been turned off by the brand being so Lance-centric (even though they tried to leverage Contador some in the last few years). Also, even with the service where you can customize the bike, I still can't dial in a look on the Madone that I would actually want.

 

[Bustedknuckle]

Get real, dude. This is not the Ku Klux Klan hating on the minority family that moved in down the block. There are Chevy lovers who hate Ford, Ferrari fans who hate McLaren, and Bulls supporters who hate the Lakers.

99% of what is claimed as to why one bike is better than another is pure marketing bullsh!t. The biggest thing of value for a bike company is not its frame design or its manufacturing capability (most of which is outsourced to the same handful of Asian factories anyway) or its dubious advantages over other bike frames. The biggest thing of value is the company's brand.

Any brand will have lovers and haters. By building their brand around Armstrong, Trek attracts Armstrong fanboys. At the same time it creates a negative image with people who dislike Armstrong. Trek has made a business decision to do this. The pluses have been weighed against the negatives, and Trek has voluntarily decided to give up sales to customers who dislike Armstrong and what he stands for in exchange for the sales to people who don't know or don't care.

By expanding to become the dominant bike brand in the U.S. and saturate the market with their bikes, Trek decided to give up the exclusive cachet that goes with being a small, boutique brand in exchange for sales volume. For products like bikes, which at the high end are a luxury good, this ubiquity of their product makes their bikes less attractive. Basically, for luxury goods, it boils down to people do not want to to own what everyone and their dog owns; they want to own something that is seen as exclusive. A product that is too common loses its exclusivity by definition.

Offering a full price range of bikes also decreases the exclusivity of the brand. This is the reason why Toyota created Lexus instead of simply selling ever more expensive Toyotas.

While I would never buy one, Trek makes a good product. So do all the big bike makers. At least Trek still manufactures some of their frames in the U.S., which is something that cannot be said for the other large makers. I figure that if I were to buy from a large maker, I would rather not pay big bucks for a frame that was manufactured for less than $200 in China when I can pay the same amount of money for something that was made in a first world country. I feel that I am being ripped off when I can buy a custom frame made in the U.S. for the same money I am being charged by one of the big outsourced manufacting companies.

Well said..no such thing as a bad bike, just bad bike shops.

 

[Wallace]

Any brand will have lovers and haters. By building their brand around Armstrong, Trek attracts Armstrong fanboys. At the same time it creates a negative image with people who dislike Armstrong. Trek has made a business decision to do this. The pluses have been weighed against the negatives, and Trek has voluntarily decided to give up sales to customers who dislike Armstrong and what he stands for in exchange for the sales to people who don't know or don't care.

By expanding to become the dominant bike brand in the U.S. and saturate the market with their bikes, Trek decided to give up the exclusive cachet that goes with being a small, boutique brand in exchange for sales volume. For products like bikes, which at the high end are a luxury good, this ubiquity of their product makes their bikes less attractive. Basically, for luxury goods, it boils down to people do not want to to own what everyone and their dog owns; they want to own something that is seen as exclusive. A product that is too common loses its exclusivity by definition.

Offering a full price range of bikes also decreases the exclusivity of the brand. This is the reason why Toyota created Lexus instead of simply selling ever more expensive Toyotas.

The only thing I would say to disagree with this otherwise astute post, is that Trek has only recently (in terms of their history) aimed for the upper-end of the bike market. When I worked in bike stores in the mid to late 80's, Trek was very much a mass-market bike producer. The vast bulk of the bikes they sold fell into the hybrid/sport/city bike area--in the $200-$500 range, and aimed at commuters, week-end riders, and middle aged couples returning to bike riding. This is probably the most lucrative market to aim at, because a bike company (and store) makes a lot more money selling a ton of cheap bikes over a few high end bikes--and the profit margin is larger on low end bikes too (the profit margin on really high end bikes is actually surprisingly low--I think that people assume stores make beaucoup de bucks when they sell $8000--$10,000 bikes, but you'd be surprised how little profit is actually made there, especially when you factor in the amount of store hours involved in selling bikes in that range... ). Back in the 80s, Trek was essentially a cooler Schwinn without the Paramount line. They did make race bikes, but nobody took them seriously. It was only when they very shrewdly decided to jump on the Postal wagon, and aim for the upper end of the echelon that anyone even started to think of Trek as a serious maker of real race bikes. It was a dramatic change of marketing for the company. Someone at Trek must have seem the coming popularity of upper end bikes, or else they made a good bet.

The point of this too long and too verbose tirade, is that Trek never was an exclusive brand, and never aimed to be. What they want to do is make the purchasing of upper-end bikes a less exclusive thing. Trek isn't stupid: they know no one who worships the names Colnago or DeRosa will feel the same way about the name Trek, but they do know that the guy new to serious riding who has cash will have heard of Armstrong. The strong feelings felt by the people who post here (myself included) are felt by such a slight minority that you'd have to be an idiot to factor them in to marketing decisions.

 

[flicker]

Dude mine rides straight is relativley light and is stiff. 350 for the frame. I descend and sprint at 55mph i climb 20 percent grades at 20 mph.
I sprint at 45 to 55 mph . whats the prob with trek.

 

[cawright1375]

Ok, Im a massive Trek hater for all the reasons above but mostly because they are prone to failure and their warranty dept are a bunch of a-holes.

Here is my .02.

I've owned two Treks. The first was a Trek 5000 blue/black/silver paint job, a touch of wheels and a 25 year old much heavier bike riding across my seat stays killed that bike. Now this is where my response address the warranty dept issue above. The crash warranty that Trek has is worded very well, so much so that you aren't sure if they will do anything. And as someone who used to work in retail I was impressed with the warranty.

So what happened?

I recieved a Madonne 5.2 replacement frame and had to pay the difference. I can't really complain, sure I could have insisted on a less expensive frame but at the time I wanted a Madonne. Eventually my next road bike, unless I demo something else will be a Specialized Tarmac SL. I demo'd one last year and fell in love with it and just read the review in the most recent Procycling and agreed with it 100%

I've enjoyed my Trek and get many compliments on it. I think we have to remember that everyone is going to have a different opinion and generally those who have had the most issues are going to be the ones who feel the need to express their displeasure. And as I used to tell people that would come in and need something repaired, every piece (bike) is different. You and your neighbor could buy the same car, and you no problems with it, but your neighbor has everything go wrong that can.

 

[Nick777]

I bought a 5200 OCLV in 1996, because it suited me well & was priced right. I upgraded the groupset a few months ago, and it is still serving me well.

 

[unsheath]

Unashamedly a Trek hater.

1) As bro said. Lack of exclusivity. Same for Giant, Scott, Felts - Every man and his dog owns one. I think most of us have an element of bike snobbery in us.
2) As you can tell, Im biased against US brands.
3) Hell will freeze over before any of my hard earned will go to the benefit of StrongARM, directly or indirectly
4) Never ridden one so cant comment on ride quality but historically, the Treks have been aesthetically bland with terrible paint schemes. Compare them to your classic Euro builders who not only have style but heritage.

Nice to see Hincapie's busted steerer make an appearance. EPIC FAIL!

 

[Anonymous]

My Trek is sooo ooold

It was actually made in Wisconsin! (where I now live). When I finally got a "modern" bike a few years ago, I was just sick of looking at "Trek" on my bike, "Trek" to the right of me "Trek" to the left of me, walk into a bike shop,, "Trek" all around me. Got a Basque bike instead. The Trek was OK, so is the Basque bike. As a company Trek supports biking in general and bike events very generously.

As for Trek and LA, its not like a "Mike Tyson" brand of condoms for Godsake, just rich guys suing each other in court.

Next bike? I've been looking at those cheap carbon frames from Hong Kong.... absolutely no text on them at all! I particularly dislike all the "dot.com" rubbish.

... back to you

 

[youcoming]

I will first off say I'm a very happy owner of a 2009 5.5 Project One Madone so I'm biased. I still think the whole Trek hating thing comes down to, well it's the thing to do. I always said I'd never buy a Trek just because everyone said they hated them. When looking to buy a new bike last year I looked at every bike out there spent from January to March going around looking at bikes, trying them out etc. Now the shop I normally deal with carries Trek and even though I was not going to buy one even though I loved the new Madone looks. The owner aske dwhy not a Trek, my reply was everyone has one, to which he sadi how many Madones do you see on your rides? I thought about this and in 4 years of riding in my area I can remember seeing just a few higher end Madones and not one Project One. I then broke down and took one for a ride. That was all it took, ordered one that day. Know if the Wilier, Cervelo or Felt had the same ride and fit I would have bought one of them but the Madone was just right for me.

 

[BroDeal]

The owner aske dwhy not a Trek, my reply was everyone has one, to which he sadi how many Madones do you see on your rides?

It seems to me that nearly every Trek is named a Madone these days. They have to number them to tell them apart.

 

[Condorman]

I will first off say I'm a very happy owner of a 2009 5.5 Project One Madone so I'm biased. I still think the whole Trek hating thing comes down to, well it's the thing to do. I always said I'd never buy a Trek just because everyone said they hated them. When looking to buy a new bike last year I looked at every bike out there spent from January to March going around looking at bikes, trying them out etc. Now the shop I normally deal with carries Trek and even though I was not going to buy one even though I loved the new Madone looks. The owner aske dwhy not a Trek, my reply was everyone has one, to which he sadi how many Madones do you see on your rides? I thought about this and in 4 years of riding in my area I can remember seeing just a few higher end Madones and not one Project One. I then broke down and took one for a ride. That was all it took, ordered one that day. Know if the Wilier, Cervelo or Felt had the same ride and fit I would have bought one of them but the Madone was just right for me.

How much did you pay?

 

[hfer07]

I own a 2009 madone 5.1 which is currently used for commuting & training-at the time it was on sale-the deal was too good to pass on, so i got it & so far I have no complains at all-it's a very good bike-But of course nothing close to my Cervelo RS
aside that, I disagree with some of the posters not liking the brand based on LA's affairs with Lemond & the entire drama around it- the bike itself has nothing to do with all that BS, and I'd like to remind to those guys that as much as I hate Lance, Trek bikes also have been ridden by Alberto Contador, George Hincapie,Tom Boonen, Roberto Heras, Andreas kloden, & many more who can testify the qualities of them, regardless the legal affairs involving the company.

 

[SlantParallelogram]

I have no respect for American companies that outsource production and jobs overseas. The same goes for Specialized, except they never even bothered to build anything here. They started out having almost all their stuff built in Taiwan ever since they opened up.

At least Cannondale still builds their CAAD9 frames here. That of course is only because of the public outrage that occurred when news that they wanted to move production of those frames as well.

I think if Cannondale hadn't made the suicidal decision to get into the off-road motorcycle market, then it never would have changed hands, and most of their stuff would still be built domestically.

Anyway, Trek bikes are decent. I however lost respect for them when they stopped building them in Wisconsin anymore.

 

[coffeebean2]

I bought a 5900 in 2004 and I bought my wife (then fiancee) a Project 1 5200 at the same time as an engagement gift. I really liked the 5900 - it was stiff and light. I recently sold it as I had too many bikes in the stable and I needed the money.

I would buy a Madone in a heart beat if I had the money and the need. A friend recently purchased a Madone 4.7 WSD and absolutely loves it. However, I like to race crits and IMHO C'dale makes the best crit bike. That's why I have a CAAD9 and a System Six.

Out here in Boulder, you see your fair share of Treks, but the you seem to see more riders on Specialized.