Which of these Treks??

porker33

I started on road bikes, went to mountain bikes for the last 10 years,,,now looking for a road bike, mainly for local riding on a Sunday morning. However I do want it to be special and a bit of a racer, without having to upgrade for a while.

Having done my research, I seem to have narrowed things down to 2 different Trek models.

Ideally i would like a madone 5.2pro, the 2009 appear to be available on special at £1999.

This is an indulgence, as it is quite a lot of money to spend, the pros are that I will have up to date carbon "technology" with a decent groupset, admittedly this may be overkill for my requirements.

Then using my head over heart, I notice the '09 Trek 1.9 is available at 50% of the price, with regular Ultegra (non SL) and slightly heavier wheels. The 1.9 has the alpha black ali frame.

I would be grateful of any input, as i am feeling slightly confused.

Obvioulsy I prefer the Madone 5.2 pro, i am even less keen on the all white paintwork of the 1.9, if i go for the 1.9 will it be enough for me and the money I save, or will I wish i had bought the madone?
starting to think the 1.9 may be a reasonable deal...???

guilliano

The 1.9 (2009 model) is a superb bike. Great spec and a very good alloy frame. If you really want carbon then buy the Madone, but I wouldn't say that frame is worth an extra £1k over what is a very good bike

guilliano

You could always buy a 1.9, then buy a Deda frame and fork from Ribble and transfer the parts for a lot less than the Madone

x8swift9x

I have no experience with the two so can't comment. Your new to road cycling so I'm presuming you don't have any gear...

My choice would be to get the cheaper option. With the 'spare' money buy pedals, shoes, nice cycle clothes (assos), upgrade the tyres/tubes, and a cycle computer. And that would all come it at under the madone 5.2 price tag. Job done.

porker33

Tks for your thoughts guys.

The 1.9 is starting to make more sense, I have budgeted £150-200 for ultegra pedals & shoes, I have mountain bike clothing to see me through the winter.

I don't mind spending the money so much, it is more a case of having done the right thing and being comfortable with the purchase having given it some thought.

having researched previous posts on this forum, with winter coming up an ali frame may make more sense in case I bin it!

On that basis, does anyone know of any bike stores with Trek '09 stock available in a 56cm?

I understand Trek are collect only, so about an hour or so outside the M25 would be suitable.

cheers.

guilliano

My shop has one. Buckingham Bikes in Aylesbury. You can take it out for a quick test ride if you like. How tall are you?

porker33

Guillano, I am 5'11", with 32.5" inside leg.....I sat on a 56" madone 5.2 in store, it felt ok and the chap in the shop seemed to think it would be suitable.?

Squillinossett

Well, I have the 1.5 in Alpha Black, and its fantastic!

mrushton

Experience has taught me that if you really want something ie the Madone then get it as you will change up to it eventually. People faff about dreaming about riding a Pinarello Prince,high end Colnago etc but spend more money buying 'lesser' bikes. If you can afford the one you really want, get it and see if you can get it on 0% or through a Cyclescheme.

Anonymous

mrushton wrote:

Experience has taught me that if you really want something ie the Madone then get it as you will change up to it eventually. People faff about dreaming about riding a Pinarello Prince,high end Colnago etc but spend more money buying 'lesser' bikes. If you can afford the one you really want, get it and see if you can get it on 0% or through a Cyclescheme.

Good advice, you will have an " if only I'd...." moment a few months down the line.

porker33

mrushton, you are not helping matters, we almost had this resolved!

That is the thing, I do realise the initial cost shock of a quality expensive product is long forgotten after the satisfaction derived from owning it. I have a reasonably high end specialised mountain bike which is 12 years old, I still enjoy riding it, with added benefit that I am less precious about it than when I first bought it.

I am going to various London bike shops tomorrow to see if I can work this out, probably 60/40, 1.9 over madone right now, :roll:

guilliano

We have both a 56 and a 58. I'd be tempted to try both out on the road rather than just sit on them. Give the shop a call if you want to arrange it. 01296 482077. We have them reduced to £999 so be quick

thel33ter

In my opinion what Guillano said makes a lot of sense cause they you will end up with a helluva lot of bike for much less money. It may not sound as fancy but you'll save a load of money.

porker33

guillano, tks for the offer. As I mentioned I am looking at bikes in central London tomorrow.

I have found 56cm versions at a a couple of local bike stores up at £999.

I wasn't sure if it was ok to mention price on forums, but you appear comfortable with that?

The Madone is generally 20% off of list, is there a discount structure imposed by Trek?, because I would look for 20% for last years model on the 1.9, what are they going to say....No?

guilliano

You'll be lucky to get 20% off as the replacement is £1400, so shops will sell to someone at £999. If I had the money available I'd buy a 1.9 myself as it is a superb frame, and then I'd do as I said earlier..... buy a Deda frame and fork from Ribble for about £500 and transfer the parts for next summer. That leaves you with £500 or more for the rest of the kit. Hope you get on well tomorrow.

ex-pat scot

I'm 5'10 and ride 56cm (top tube length) Madone and 5500 bikes.
It's not your leg lenth that's important: it's the top tube...

I'd go for the expensive frame every time. My 5500 was a stretch purchase in 1994 and still my "best bike".
Components can be upgraded later, but I'd always start out with a fancy frame first.

Monkeypump

I've got a 2009 1.9 and I'm really chuffed with it.

I was in exactly the same situation as you - years of mtb and only just got back on a road bike. I was looking at more expensive carbon frames, but the 1.9 is more than enough for my current ability on the road, so I definitely made the right choice.

rich_e

I bought a 1.7 a few months ago (5'10/5'11 56cm frame).
It's a nice bike, and I paid the same price that the 1.9 is available for now.

So unless you really want the Madone, I'd get the 1.9 while they are available at that price, as when new ones eventually come out, they are only going to be more expensive.

porker33

I have my new bike!

After a visit to various London bike shops on Monday, I was pretty sure I was going to come home with the madone. After making it clear i was looking for a deal, I hoped to get various bike shops to step up to the plate and help out on shoes and pedals.

I was led to believe we could work shoes and pedals into the deal, subject to branch manager confirmation. I waited for the phone call, to say nothing doing, buy the bike or it goes back to the warehouse. Slightly odd as they have over 10 examples in various London branches.?...I laughed and thanked the guy for his help.

During my quest I found the Trek 1.9 very elusive, in a 56cm it is practically extinct! There was only one potentially available, in the wrong size.

So having wasted an afternoon, this morning I phoned a couple of my local bike stores to find their '09 Treks were long gone. I found one about 7 miles away at an independent bike store, asked them if my deal suited subject to a test ride. Immediately they agreed!

10 mins later I am on the 1.9 using my MTB pedals and shoes, more than happy with the way it rode., so much so that I didn't even bother testing the Madone (yes, I am cheap!)

The guys were really helpful, I got a very good discount on a bike that is very hard to find and a deal on shoes and pedals...more than happy.

It just shows how useful it was to deal with an independent bike store, rather than one of the chains, the best they seemed to come up with, was we will match the deal at the other branch...Great!?

Off out for a ride, in a while when it cools down a little.

Thanks for your help guys, I think it worked out ok?!

Monkeypump

Excellent - hope you enjoy the 1.9 (I certainly am)!