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I have the Trek Pilot 2.1 and I LOVE it. I am a relative beginner to cycling and being a bit more upright is more comfortable for me. The bike absorbs a lot of the road vibrations and so the ride is smoother. I did have to switch out the handlbars, though. The ones that came with the bike had a reach a couple of centimeters to far and my hands hurt. Overall, I have loved this bike.
[Quote=Hammer]
The Bianchi bikes seem alright, I like the idea of steel. But, I'd like better components than the Brava offers. And other people online suggested that it's too much of an entry level bike, in their humble opinions. [Quote]
In my stable, I have 5 bikes, my first road bike was Bianchi Brava, I finished a 78 miles cross country ride comfortably, it's smoth, it's stable because of the steel. I think it's a very good entry level bike, a good touring bike, and right now I use it for commuting. I never have any neck pain or back pain with Brava, I'm 5'3'', and Brava is 52cm. (fitting adjustment is important).
One year after I learn everything about road cycling on my Brava, I wanted something can feed my need of speed, so I got a TREK 2200 (which is a truly entry level Tri bike), because of better components and much lighter than Brava.
And if you are taller than me, don't get the WSD.
It's only my opinion.
The LBS is going to bring in a Giant OCR1 for me to check out. Woohoo! The blue one even. I really really really hope that I like how it fits. It seems like a great all around package for a newbie like me... it's not *cheap*... but it seems to have some bang for $1000.
My mother, on the other hand, doesn't get why I should get another bike. I could do the MS150 and other multi-day events with my hybrid, it's true... But, I WANNA NEW BIKE! ;) Hopefully Uncle Sam is actually nice to me this year.
If my opinion is of any use to anyone - I was riding my old Specialized Hardrock around town and decided I'd like to ride with my husband and the local bike group eventually. My husband had been hinting at getting me a new bike, but he knows enough about bikes not to just go out and get one. I was really interested in a Specialized Sequioa Elite because of the upright position. One day, however, hubby was away on a business trip and I was missing him - so I went to the bike shop! :p Just for fun I tried out an OCR C3 and it fit so nicely I was struck. Well, by the time hubby got back, they had sold their one OCR C3 in my size (s). I was bummed - but then I found a 2005 OCR C2 at a different shop for 1499.00 - just in time for my birthday! I love it. I feel like I don't even have to pedal - it just moves and it's so smooth. Only problem is I'm really resentful of my body now for not being able to keep up with my bike...yet. It just wants to go and go and go!
I'm short armed, too and this bike is so comfortable and I feel like it will serve me for years!
Cari
I put $150 toward my very own Giant OCR1 today, woohoo!! I took it for a ride today. I'll have to work on getting the rest of the cash together. But, yay! We're still tweaking the fit too.
I've had my OCR1 for almost a year now and still love it. :D Hope yours will serve you as well as mine has. BikerHen
I'm on a trek 2100 WSD. I like it but don't love it. I am really leaning toward the giants. I test rode the TCR and OCR. I just can't decide which feels better. I am definitely going to get composite because I want all the road dampening possible. I will also listen to veronica and look into upgrading the wheels too. Veronica, any wheels you have in mind? As for components, ultegra all the way!
I put money on the bike mid January (Giant OCR1). It's from the LBS in my town. There's a shop in a town 60 miles away offering the bike for like $799 instead of $1000. My boyfriend says that I should ask the shop about the price difference and kind of fish for a reduction. I had already put money down about 2 weeks before shop number 2 started their sale.
I explain to my boyfriend, if I had known about the sale before I put money down, I may have patronized the other store or at least negotiated the price tag. But, I think that the shop in town here does decent business, there's people that really respect his repair work. He had to order the bicycle for me from a different store. I don't know how much of a mark up he was able to make.
Convienence is handy, I can ride less than a mile away to get my bike fixed. It wouldn't take long for me make up that difference with gas money driving the bike to the shop 60 miles away. My mom lives in that town, I get there often... But my boyfriend thinks I'm getting screwed.
I don't like confrontation, and I really don't want to burn bridges. I just figure that it's wrong timing and there isn't much that I can do about it. I don't want to be naive either.
I Froogled it (Biker Hen, Froogle is the price comparison section of Google. Very handy for finding the cheapest place to buy anything!) and found it for $1000-$1100, so you aren't getting screwed. The other place just wants to get rid of their bike more. Does your LBS offer lifetime free tune-ups on purchases? That would make up for it.
Nanci
Thanks for explaining that Nanci! I still think Google should be spelled with two "G". Froogle just seems way to complex for me.:DQuote:
Originally Posted by Nanci
Anyway, there is much to be said for nearby LBS help. I would stick with where you're at. Yes it's hard when you find a better price . . . but having a good relationship with the shop next door is priceless! BikerHen
We are a family of giants. I like them cause tey offer so much more then the other bikes! My opinion. I had a friend who had a friend who had a an all carbon bike. She was riding down the street that had raod work being done on it. She hit a lug nut from one of the backhoes and her bike just fell apart! The frame that is. Unfortunatly when a carbon bike fails it really fails! At least with an alumanum frame that won't happen.
I have an xtc frame that my dh built up for me. my bike is pure xt components. My husband believes that sales people don't get the mark ups with giant as they do with other bikes and that's why they don't push the giants. But I think you get more for your money with giant too.
So I went to put more money down on my bike. I mentioned the other price out of curiousity. The LBS guy explained that shop 2 probably was able to get it at lower cost, was it last year's model? He also said that that's something to consider, if I wanted he'd return my money... though if I wasn't able to get my bike to Sioux Falls for a repair, I'd have to pay him a few bucks to fix it. :D However, he also said that they're good bikes and the kinks generally settle down after a couple hundred miles.
Well, what am I supposed to do when someone is giving me the nod to take my money elsewhere. In my head, I wasn't really committed to taking my business elsewhere.
I said that they had the blue bike, when I had asked him about bikes I preferred the blue to silver, but wherever he ordered the bike from it was going to cost a bit extra than the silver. It was the same 2005 model, a medium OCR1. And that I had considered the extra cost associated with taking my bike to a different town (even though I get there often enough to see my mom).
Well then he got to checking the numbers and was like, "If I had waited an extra week or two, I possibly could've gotten the cheaper price too..." Then he said that he would knock an extra $100 to split the difference. And really that's all I was hoping for. He seems to be a reasonable fellow and I really wasn't looking to screw him over either. I just politely asked and he came to the conclusion himself.
Now, just to come up with the remaining $600... almost halfway to owning the OCR1.