Trek 1.2 Advice for a road newbie

mikeyj28

Hi

I have been mountain bike racing on a carbon hard tail(XC racing) for the past 6 years and have had to bite the bullet and am thinking of getting a road bike to help with training (clocking up the miles). I have been looking around and found the Trek 1.2.
Is this a good bike for a novice roadie? Are the components ok and will it do a good job for me with road work?
Also what size would be better- a 56cm or 58cm as i am 6ft1 but don't want the frame to be too chunky for me).

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/tre ... e-ec040342

the link above is for the bike although i'm considering the 2012 version (which i guess is pretty similar)
Your thoughts/advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

essjaydee

Personally, I would avoid sora shifters, as they have a thumb operation which can be a bit of a pain. Do you want or need a triple?
Trek are a big company and make good bikes, so nothing wrong with the brand, but best to go to LBS (local bike shop) and see what they can offer and you can try for size too.

BelgianBeerGeek

Can't comment on Trek sizing. Some bike manufacturers measure this in different ways, so you are better off trying one for size before taking the plunge.
The Sora shifters also divide people. I have used them for years and have had no issues with them. Sora itself is dependable and the cassettes/chains etc inexpensive to replace. If you want to avoid the thumb shifters then see if they do a Tiagra version. This will cost more, though.
I have to say the Trek looks like an excellent bike to me. I think it also comes with mudguard fittings which is great if you are considering commuting and is a definite plus if you want to ride throughout the winter.

Pross

Perfectly good bike to start off but as others have said you might well want to upgrade the shifters as soon as you can (although you may find you get on fine with them). I almost bought one when I got back into riding as I was initially looking for something that could take a bike rack for commutting but eventually changed my mind and saved up a bit longer. Sizing wise you are probably right on the cusp for a 56cm or 58cm, I'm 6' 2" and opted for a 58cm (albeit a Scott) as I'm slightly longer in the body and wanted the longer top tube. The best thing to do is try both sizes and see which is best although in reality I suspect both can be made to fit well enough. The bigger frame may make you stretch out a bit more but a smaller frame may mean you have to have a few extra spacers / flipped stem at first to minimise the saddle to handlebar drop as it can take a while to adapt to a road bike position.