Trek 5500

Price Paid:  $0.00 at the trek store, lake

Favorite Ride:
baylake wanderer

Bike Setup:
trek 5500 w/dura ace, bontragerwheels, stem, bar, color pearl red (beautiful)

Summary:
i purchased the trek 5500 from the new trek concept store in lakeland fl in oct of 02. don, the owner does an unbelievable job of bike fitting. i settled on the trek 5500. i now have about 800 miles on the bike and can say so far, its magnificent. handling is crisp, smooth and predictable. acceleration is fabulous, expecially on climbs. i love the feel of the bike. i wouldnt call it a wooden or dead feel as some have said. its just a smooth road feel. the frame feels stiff, so acceleration is great. you have got to ride this bike to believe it.

Strengths:
looks, strength, smoothness and overall feel of the bike

Weaknesses:
only the rider

Similar Products Used:
colonago classic, lemond nevada city, cannondale 1000, and litespeed

Price Paid:  $2999.00 at LBS

Favorite Ride:
Pleasant Valley Rd, Vermont

Bike Setup:
Stock. Came with Bont. Race Lite, GP 3000 tires.

Summary:
This is my first quality road bike, so, I can only compare to a few test rides of various aluminum and titanium bikes. It sure eclipses my old 24.5 lb. steel Miata in every way except character. My posterior and hands/wrists love the ride quality of the carbon frame. I'm a "climber" and enjoy seeing more of my energy converted into forward motion with this bike. The bike corners like a racer - - I'm sure the Conti GP 3000s deserve a lot of that credit for that - - but the frame is clearly well sorted. As some of the other reviewers, I noted some cheesy finish work on the paint, decals, bar taping and wheel trueness. The paint chips if you so much as fart near it. I shopped thoroughly and this was the most bike I could find for $3k. Now I just need for winter to end so I can stop staring at it and ride again! Oh yeah, 1,500 foot mtn. passes still hurt, even with 8 fewer pounds of bike on board! ;-)

Strengths:
Ride quality, handling, Dura-Ace group, Trek

Weaknesses:
Paint, decals

Price Paid:  $0.00

Favorite Ride:
Any climb

Bike Setup:
FSA Team carbon fiber cranks, Mavic Ksyrium SL's, Richey and Thompson goodies.

Summary:
Wow!! An incredible frame. Perfect combination of efficiency and compliance. I'm mostly used to aluminum racing bikes (Klein Quantum Pro, Bianchi XL EV2, Giant TCR0). Acceleration is very important to me since I'm a sprinter and race mostly crits. This bike is on par as far as acceleration is concerned (Perhaps just a tad softer than the Klein). The comfort and compliance however, is where this frame outshines all those listed above. This frame smoothes out the vibrations and the larger bumps, and really improves your long distance endurance and overall speed. I will never go back to aluminum again.

Strengths:
Perfect combination of compliance and acceleration
Weight
Looks
Carbon mystique

Weaknesses:
Kind of expensive (But worth every penny)

Similar Products Used:
2000 Klein Quantum Pro
1999 Bianchi XL EV2
1999 Giant TCR 0

Price Paid:  $2700.00 at Jans

Favorite Ride:
any smooth rural, non busy road

Bike Setup:
stock everything (2002 goodies). This 2002 came with Dura-Ace drive train/STI, Race Lite Bontrager b

Summary:
This bike rides incredibly smooth. It just wants you to keep increasing the speed and hammering. This is a bike that will not limit the performance of very many people for hihg performance road riding and racing. Just ask Lance.
It is very stiff while climbing and sprinting yet very compliant on the rough roads. stability at 60 mph is no problem - it just wants more. Every time I ride it, I come home thinking "I'm not worthy". I demo'd a Moots (Ti) and a Lemond Ti and this bike wieighed much less, rides much smoother (altho the Lemond road pretty nice too), is spot-on in the handling department and costs a WHOLE lot less. If Team Postal can ride this bike and kick butt, how can anyone else go wrong. It is one sweet ride. High end-zoot bikes are great but the 5500 must be the king of the "performance to price ratio".

Strengths:
performance & weight to price ratio - nothing else can touch it
Thats $159/pound! Compare

Weaknesses:
its mass produced, unexciting deep blue color and my ability to ride it 6 hours a day.

Similar Products Used:
Aegis carbon w/ Shimano 600 components

Price Paid:  $0.00 at Northampton Bicycle

Favorite Ride:
Amherst > South Deerfield + Sugarloaf > South Hadley + Skinner > Amherst + Rt. 116 over Bare Mtn.

Bike Setup:
Stock + entry-level Looks, + Dura-Ace seatpost, + Chris King NoThreadSet, + Deda Newton oversize bar

Summary:
It works, basically. When you attempt to shift or brake with Dura-Ace, it does so, exactly as much as you want, every attempt. When you want to accelerate, it accelerates. When you climb, the frame refuses to hold you back. Perhaps not the best bike ever-- it's only as good as its rider.

Strengths:
Comfortable yet light, easy to maintain, and its potential matches yours.

Weaknesses:
Looks a little boring and won't turn a good rider into a great one.

Similar Products Used:
Demo'd various Cannondales, Bianchis, and Treks (aluminum line).