First of all don't let your local LBS steer you towards something you don't want. If you don't want racy don't buy something racy. No matter how pushy they are.

I don't ride a Trek, but here are my thoughts after reading the specs and looking at the bikes.



This is the 2100. My back hurts just looking at this. Look at the handlebar position in relationship to the saddle. You can't be upright and have your hands on the handlebars. To raise the stem to where you'd have the option to be more upright you'd need to get a new stem since this one is threadless and has no adjustibility. An adjustable stem will run you $50 - $80.

The gearing is also set pretty high at 52-42-30. You may have no problem since you're a mountain biker. I ride a 46-36-24. Granted I do a lot of hills so I need the lower gearing. But I consider myself a pretty strong rider and I wouldn't want to push a bigger gear. My knees aren't getting any younger.



This is the 1800C. To me it looks like you have more options for riding. With your hands on the top of the bar, you're fairly upright. If you want to get more aerodynamic you can go out to the hoods or down into the drops. This is a much more comfortable looking bike. But it has the same front chain ring ratio of 52-42-30 as the 2100.

Neither Trek comes in a very wide variety of sizes. Bike stores tend to push you to ride a smaller bike. I'm nearly 5'5" and I ride a 54. Make sure you try something at least that big. I suspect that they'll push you towards a 50 or a 52. But try the larger size before you buy.



This is a Rivendell. Notice how her handlebars and saddle are about equal in height. Because the stem is threaded you can adjust the height of the bars. She could raise them even higher if she wanted to. I don't know what gearing she has, but she did climb up Mount Diablo at 3600+ feet without blowing out her knees.

Rivs aren't for everyone. They're steel and they're kind of expensive. Two big turn offs for a lot of folks. But their ideas on comfort are worth noting and trying to duplicate in whatever bike you do get.

Happy Shopping!

Veronica