Strengths: None. It's an entry level road bike with entry level components.
Weaknesses: Extremely uncomfortable. The bike beats the heck out of your body. The frame is so stiff and you feel every bit of road vibration. The triple ring bottom of the line Shimano Sora has done nothing but give me problems. I've fine tuned it over and over to get it to go through all three rings. The seat is horrible and I was often numb after a ride as short as 12 miles.
Bottom Line:
This bike is nice to for a secondary bike or to see if your going to stay with riding. I got this bike to see if I would like riding and it got the job done but it's nothing to write home about. Although I did manage to rack up close to 2000 miles on it before getting a new bike. Of course I'm comparing it to my new bike. A Specialized Roubaix Comp. Which cost about 5 times as much. For value it's alright because it did hold up but I got the triple ring and had a lot of issues so I gotta mark it down on that and also for comfort I gotta mark it down too.
Weaknesses: Entry level components but they're so superior to my 1974 Raleigh who cares
Bottom Line:
I have been MTBing for 12 years now and was looking for a better way to get out biking more. I had pulled out my 1974 Raleigh Grand Prix and realized that it just wouldn't cut it. Didn't want to spend alot of money and found this bike highly rated. I love it. I just added an Easton carbon fork and titanium railed seat and can't believe how much smoother the ride is now! (It came with an aluminium fork) It's all the bike I need.
Strengths: Excellent starter bike! $500 ain't bad to get your feet wet in cyling. Also it is a TREK, a big name bike company, so if your new to this hobby, you won't go wrong. Also is great to learn on, if I ever do get serious, I know what exactly that I like and dislike; so I know what to look for next time.
Weaknesses: It is an entry level bike, so you can't really complain about wheels, weight, or componet group. I was considering adding a 9 cassette cog, but couldn't since it is Shimano Sora... I was warned about this, so I just replace the granny gear.
Also the Shimano Sora derailler system is a bit touchy (again, I was informed of this so it wasn't a surprise). I need to avoid the cross chain racking, this tends to make a rattling sound when the chain rubs agains the derailer... then again I ride 90% of the time in the middle chainring so it really isn't a big deal.
Bottom Line:
This is my second bike, my first bike was a Scwhinn Sprint that I bought in ~1988, back in High School.
The 1000 is definetely a huge improvement!
I am not a serious rider (I have a wife and 2 young kids that I love being around :).
During the summer months I ride about 10-15 miles a day, every other weekend I ride 30+ miles.
OK, now about the bike, like I said I am not a serious rider, so I didn't want to spend ~$1000+ (at least for now).
The store I bought it at was great, no pressure, spent plenty of time with me, explained things to me.
For a person like me (not a serious rider), it rides great, never had any problems with it.
I am 6' tall and got a 62 cm frame.
I purchased this 2002 bike in June of 2003 for $500. In Sept, the 2003s were going for $500 because the 2004s were coming out... but I rather the 2002 so that I could ride it in the summer.
Favorite Ride: Scenic areas in North Seattle, hills for excercise
Price Paid:
$500.00
Purchased At: Bicycle Center in Bo
Bike Setup: Stock except for : Shorter Stem, 30t Granny Gear, lever brakes in the handle bars.
I added lever brakes to the bike, so that I could sit up strait on occasions ( to enjoy to view, or coming ot an intersection) and still have access to the breaks.
The stem was too long (130mm) and was giving me back pains, so I replaced it with a 90 mm. Now the back pain is gone!
The granny gear, originally was a 32t, I replaced it with a 30t... if I could I'd go lower. I live north of Seattle and there are some really steep hills in the area! 90% of the time I am in the middle chain ring, but it is nice to have the extra low gear on steep hills. I decided to change it out after about 300 miles of riding. Also, like I said, I am not a serious rider, if I fall out of shape, I want to enjoy the ride a hill.
(When I am training, I do make the attempt to ride extra hills.)
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Robert Guerin
a Recreational Rider
from
Date Reviewed: September 24, 2003
Strengths: Great frame, and reliable. My girlfriend has a OCR3 and my Trek is so much better.
Weaknesses: Hey, it is an entry level bike, so you can't really complain about wheels, weight, or componet group.
Bottom Line:
This is my first bike, and being a college student limits my purchasing power, so this bike was a deal. It has been well worth the money.
Bike Setup: CatEye Comp. Speed Play Pedals. New wider handle bars.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Redstorm
a Road Racer
from Hamilton,Ontario,Canada
Date Reviewed: September 23, 2003
Strengths: Colour{Orange) Comfort and solid handling.
Weaknesses: Wheels (Vuelta Typhoons) They really sucked.The spokes broke like twigs.My shop rebuilt the wheels but I started to pull the spoke through the rim!Trek replaced the wheels with Bontrager select wheels at no cost!Now this bike is a real performer!TREK customer service is unbelievable!!!
Bottom Line:
Update:This bike is extremely comfortable and has proven reliable with over 3600 km on it.I have ride in all types of weather and this bike is great!
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