shopping for my first road bike!

I don't know anything about the Pilot, but if you are considering a 1500, this is what I've found out about the bike, having owned one for just under a month. Unlike their other road bikes, the top tube of the 2005 model slopes down slightly, making standover less of a problem for us shorties (I'm 5'2", short legs). I love the bike, but although they advertise the brakes and shifts are designed for smaller hands, they sure weren't designed for my small hands! I added a pair of breaks to the top part of the handlebars (I'm sure there's a term for that part of the bike, but it's late and things are getting foggy) that are easier for me to reach. Shifting for the large ring is real tough. My hand is not long enough to reach all the way across then hold that position while the chain moves, plus I nearly break my fingers just to get the shifter to move in the first place! They obviously used Arnold Schwartzenegger's sister as their model when they worked on that part of the WSD design! Other than that, it's a great bike, feels great on the road, powers up hills really well, and is fun to ride.

I hope this helps in your search.

trekkin,

Thanks for the info about the shifters. I guess the shifters would be the same, both list Shimano 105s. Just curious then, do you just not shift much or are you learning ways to make it work? Thanks again for the input.

hey trekkin: have you talked to your LBS about it?....see if they can get the Trek dealer in or at least talk to him? I know Treks big thing is they "listen". The quick-release for my seat on my Navigator 200 isn't quick and it doesn't want to release. It takes two people to close the release when I adjust the seat. I mentioned it to my LBS and they told me A) I wasn't the first to complain about it and B) they had just seen their Trek dealer and told him about it and were told he (the dealer) would pass the word on up to see about getting a recall and replacment on the part. It could be Trek can do something about those shifters?

I'm happy to hear Trek listens...I'm confident my LBS will listen, too, when I impress upon them that this shifting problem is more than a matter of getting used to a new bike. I nearly veered into traffic today while trying to shift. I will let you know how this problem resolves.

And yes, Brok, I do shift often. There is virtually nowhere you can go in New England that doesn't have hills (and I live in one of the flatter regions!). My biking friends and I laugh when we use Howard Stone's book on our weekend rides, because we have huffed and puffed over a lot of his "gently rolling" terrain!

I want to emphasize however, that, except for the shifting problem, I do love this bike. I'm no athlete, but I feel like Lance Armstrong when I'm "zooming" around town on my Trek!