Specialized bikes - need opinions

[ciao_bella]

I've never owned a Specialized, and I'm wondering what other people's feelings and experiences are for the Specialized bikes.

I have a 12 year old Trek 730 Hybrid bike, which has been a great dependable bike, but I'm getting ready to purchase a new one. I want a flat bar "fitness" style bike as opposed to a road bike. I'm in my 50's and don't feel comfortable with the lower handlebars and the more agressive stance of a road bike. But I do want something that will go faster than my old Trek 730, that's lighter weight, and will be suitable for long rides on paved surfaces. (I never go off-road.)

Anyway, I've been looking for quite awhile and have narrowed my choices down to the 2010 Trek 7.6 FX WSD versus the 2010 Specialized Vita Comp.

Here's the specs on the Vita Comp:
http://tinyurl.com/yh397xf

The specs on the 2010 Trek 7.6 are not available online yet, but I do know from my LBS that it has a carbon fork, Shimano Deore front Deraileur, Shimano Tiagra rear Deraileur, Shimano Alivio trigger 9 speed shifter, it does NOT have a carbon seat stay but has the "IsoZone" in the seatstay to absorb vibration.

The Trek is $100 MORE than the Vita Comp. But I think the components on the Specialized Vita Comp are a bit better than the Trek 7.6 FX (?).

I have test ridden both of these bikes and they are both awesome. I'm leaning a bit more toward the Specialized Vita Comp because it has a carbon seat stay, it's $100 less, and I like the color and look of it more than the Trek 7.6 (Ink is the color for 2010 WSD).

Any opinions?

Ciao

[Kalidurga]

The only Specialized I've ever owned is the Tri-Cross I'm currently riding and it's been a great, sturdy, fun bike. The only thing that really bugs me about riding the brand is their lack of subtlety in logo application.

But none of the mainstream manufacturers seem to know the meaning of "discreet".

[sundial]

Kalidurga, lol. :)

I think the Trek will offer more bang for the buck with slightly better components compared to the Vita. That being said, choose the bike that feels more comfortable to you. Can you rent one of each and test ride it for an afternoon?

[aicabsolut]

Uh, it looks to me that the components are the Vita are better.

If you like the bike and think it's a good value (it is, compared to the Trek from what you've said), then go for it.

[HillSlugger]

I've had a Specialized Sequoia and currently own a Allez. I had thought about a Sirrus as a commuter bike. How does it compare to the Vita?

[SheFly]

I ride a Tri-Cross, and Epic Marathon (MTB), and next year, will be on a Tarmac Pro road bike. Apparently, I like Specialized ;). All are comfortable, and have served me well. The other great thing is the lifetime guarantee on the frames.

Go for the better components.

SheFly

[ciao_bella]

The guy at the LBS which sells the Vita told me the Vita is the WSD version of the Sirrus.

The other thing to consider is that the LBS that sells TREK is not that good at customer service. The LBS that sells Specialized is great with customer service. In fact, even though years ago I bought my old Trek 730 at the same LBS that currently has the Trek 7.6 FX I test drove, I have ALWAYS taken my old Trek to the LBS that sells the Specialized for service. They are just awesome people to deal with, and I buy all my accessories from there too.

I'm just not that familiar with the Specialized brand, and I know TREK's are good.

[HillSlugger]

Specialized bike are just as good as Trek and Giant, etc but not quite as big and well known. I love Specialized bikes!

[Kalidurga]

Nicole, are you Speshal-ized? ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vrTVB5yPYw

[HillSlugger]

Nicole, are you Speshal-ized? ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vrTVB5yPYw

I guess so! I'd love a Tarmac as my next race bike.

[Nightowl]

I have a 47 y/o friend with a Vita and she loves it. Hasn't had a day of buyer's remorse. It is zippidy.

[Kano]

I'm 52, I ride a Specialized Roubaix. I also have and ride a Trek 730 -- older than yours, but I love it too!

Karen in Boise

[Crankin]

A good friend of mine, who wanted to upgrade much in the way you do bought a Vita about a year ago. She loves it. I have been on quite a few rides with her and she has never had any issues with the components, etc.
And, she made it up Oak Hill on her Vita, despite the fact she was cursing me the whole way...

[Sadie]

I have a Specialized Sirrus and I love it!

[kimikaw]

Gotta jump in with another vote in support of Specialized. This fall as I looked at bikes I was looking between Trek and Specialized. Decided on a Specialized Dolce (compact sport) road bike (once I narrowed the brand/LBS, it was between Vita and Dolce and in my case decided on the traditional road styling). Decision was a combination of things - knowledgeable bike friends also seemed to think the component set was a bit better on the Specialized. But it really came down to the LBS. The three Trek dealers I visited turned me off, and I felt right at home at the LBS with Specialized.

In fact we like them so much, that my hubby just also bought his first road bike from them - a new but former year model of a Specialized Sequoia, on which they gave him a great deal.

[Selkie]

I have two older Specialized Dolces (an Elite and a Comp). Both have many, many miles on them. After I purchased a couple steel bikes and a ti bike, the Dolces became my permanently-attached-to-the-trainer bike and my 'beater-bad weather' bike. Both are running strong despite a couple years of less-than-perfect riding conditions.

I'll probably never buy another Specialized because I went custom and once you go custom.... well enough said. If I add a new bike (not likely in the near future), it'll probably be another Luna or another Seven.

That aside, I consider the Specialized bikes I own as quality, durable, hard workers.

[Kris]

I have a Specialized Crossroads, a hybrid bike that's 5 or 6 years old. It's bottom of the line, I think, but I've been very happy with it. I broke a pedal early on, and wore the seat out, both probably due to my being pretty heavy, but I've had no other problems. (And I'm not so heavy any more.) I'm looking to upgrade, because I'm starting to think it's fun to go fast, and this bike is pretty heavy, but I'll keep it for running the dogs, grocery shopping and commuting.

[featuretile]

I have a 2008 Vita sport which is equivalent to the 2009 Vita Elite. I can't compare it to the Trek because I have not ridden one. I really like it. I am 57 years old and also did not want the drop handlebars, but wanted a lighter bike that could keep up.

I looked up the 2010 models that you are looking at and have some suggestions. Do you live in an area with hills? The Comp model has a 12-25 cassette and the smallest chain ring is 30. The Elite and the Sport have smaller chain rings and the cassette goes up to 32. My bike has a 48-38-28 ring and the cassette was 12-25. It was too hard to get up the major hills, so I changed the cassette to 11-28. That works great. It seems like the Comp could use a cassette change before you buy it (if you have big hills). On the other hand, the lower models with the 32 cassette seem like granny gears that you would never use.

I also changed out the 700x28 tires to 700x25 tires. That really increased the speed of the bike.

The reason I am telling you this is that you could potentially get these things changed before you bought the bike and perhaps you would not have to pay as much (or anything) since the components would not be used. I would talk to the LBS about making changes before you bought the bike.

[ciao_bella]

The Comp model has a 12-25 cassette and the smallest chain ring is 30. The Elite and the Sport have smaller chain rings and the cassette goes up to 32. My bike has a 48-38-28 ring and the cassette was 12-25. It was too hard to get up the major hills, so I changed the cassette to 11-28.


Featuretile, I live in Michigan, and there are no major hills in my area, in fact Michigan is fairly flat most places, which is good news for me :). I have to admit that I'm not that sophisticated when it comes to bicycle components, so I'm a little stumped about what you mean about the cassette/ring numbers. Is the VITA Comp I'm looking at not good for hills? Is one of the other VITA models better for hills? :confused:

Thanks for all the great input ladies!

Ciao

[featuretile]

If you don't have any hills, the Vita Comp gearing would be great for you and you would not need to change it. I live in the Santa Cruz mountains, and no ride is flat and some are really steep. I learned about the gearing ratios from people on this forum because I did not understand them either. The cassette is on the back with 7-10 gears. The crank is on the front with either 2 or 3 gears. The smallest one on the front and the largest one on the back give you the low gear ratio. In my bike they are both now 28 giving a 1:1 ratio. If the one on the back is 30 and the one on the front is 25, it is harder to pedal uphill. If the one on the back is 26 and the one on the front is 32, it is so easy to peddle (granny gear) that it will feel like there is no tension and you probably won't use it much. You find this info in the technical specs on the website for each model. I still would ask for the skinnier tires, though. It makes it act more like a road bike with the easier to ride position. It's a really comfortable bike and goes quite fast.

[Lemongrass]

My first post!

I have a Vita Comp 2009 model - bought it six months ago - and I love it. I chose a flat bar as I have arthritis in my neck and need to keep my head in neutral position. The Vita fitted me just fine (I tried a Giant CRX and a couple of other bikes first).

I've found it very reliable, had no problems with it except for a few wonky gear changes which can probably be traced to the rider herself! The gears are fine for rolling hills which is all I have around here.

I ride about 150kms a week (sorry, ladies, I can't convert to Imperial measurements off the top of my head). My longest ride was 100kms. It does get a bit tiring with your hands in the one position all the time, so I try and vary that a bit on my longer rides.

And one more thing - the swirly patterns on my model are lovely to look at!

[Jo-n-NY]

We are a Specialized family in my house. Son has the S-works; dh Roubaix Pro and I a Ruby Pro. For me before getting the Ruby, I had the Sirrus because at the time I wanted something like a road bike, but I was not ready for the drop handle bars. A couple years later I got the Dolce Comp then a couple years after that dh suprised me with the Ruby. He works in a bike shop and has been in the industry for over 30 yrs and feels Specialized gives more for the buck.

~ JoAnn

[tprevost]

I've got a roubaix comp and I love it! I have another road bike as well but this one is my security blanket :p

[Julie13.1]

I love my Ruby Comp!!!

But...(there is always a but)...I would really like to ride a Trek Madone and see what the difference is..........:cool:

[tzvia]

I just added a second Specialized to my really small stable. I have a Ruby Expert that just flies (or rather, I make the attempt). And I just picked up a Safire MTB. Good bikes. Not that Trek is bad, really. You have to be comfortable on the bike; it has to fit. Try both and pick whichever feels best.

[sgf726]

I have a Ruby Expert and I love it! I raved so much about my Ruby when my husband went to buy a new bike this year he purchased the Roubaix.