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Submitted by
tgdineen
a Triathlete
from Date Reviewed: October 6, 2010
Strengths: Can be configured for either triathlon or road use; takes good share of abuse on lousy urban roads yet remains solid and reliable.Weaknesses: May be a half-baked solution to tri v. road compromise for some; mediocre components (don't bother me, however).Bottom Line: I bought a 2008 model in white, having found it on sale for $800 at a local Trek dealer. With no tri experience at the time--but having signed up for an Olympic the next spring--I really had no idea what I was doing. I knew that Trek was a decent brand and the bike was heavily discounted, so I jumped. Even if I didn't continue doing tris, the drop-down handlebars would allow it to function as a road bike. I've done three tris on it this year, and have been very satisfied...even now that I know a lot more about bikes. The drop-downs make it an appropriate transitional bike for those new to the sport; they can also come in handy on very hilly courses. I adapted it to my body type (short legs, long torso) with no problem. Months later, I even took it to a Trek tri expert for a formal fitting, but he didn't charge me the $175 fee because he thought I'd gotten the adjustments almost exactly right just by fiddling with it myself. Honest guy! This is a relatively forgiving yet respectably fast bike; it can, of course, be jittery on bad surfaces like any other aluminum bike. Its components are nothing to write home about, but fine for a beginner or intermediate triathlete. I think the 650 wheels make sense on its smaller frame sizes (I have them on my 52cm, and they're also on its 50cm frame). I believe Trek no longer makes the Equinox 5; I heard from a reliable source that almost all new tri bikes are coming with full aero bars rather than drop bars with clip-ons. For a good starter bike that bridges the gap between road and hard-core tri bike fairly well, however, the E5 may be worth finding on the secondary market. And please note that the geometry of the E5 is legitimately tri, despite its road bike outlines (78 degree seat tube, etc.).
Favorite Ride: Trek Equinox 5
Price Paid:
$800.00
Purchased At: Bicycle Connection,
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Submitted by
Leeman
a Road Racer
from Date Reviewed: June 10, 2009
Strengths: Nice looking bike, light weightWeaknesses: Mediocre shifting and uncomfortable seat.Bottom Line: Just bought mine from Caps Bikes in Richmond for $999 (Cdn). It took me nearly two years to find a decent ride that fits a price I am willing to fork out as a beginner road rider. The E5-2007 I got is size 52.
My main ride for the last six years had been a trail-ready hard-tail with front suspension, so switching to a full road/tri bike is rather new to me. One thing I really need to get used to is the way the bike is shaped, where all the parts are located and how I'm positioned to it.
I took it out for a ride through some cobblestone, tar road, sandy road and over a few overpasses. The first thing I noticed is the stock seat is rather uncomfortable. Mind you, this could very well be the transition between my mountain bike cushion seat to the road bike seat.
The next thing I noticed is the shifting. It's not consistently smooth. Though it shifts all the way, at the lowest speed on the first gear or the highest speed on the second gear, the chain rubs up against the derailler. This could probably be fixed with some tuning.
Other than that, the bike is a lot lighter than my trail bike. Which is a relief since using my 32+ pound trail-ready bike on the road with 1.5in treads was really killing my stride.
I am too much of a road bike beginner to tell you whether this bike would be optimal for triathlons or just pure road racing, but so far, it's a pretty good ride for the price I got.
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