Trek Pilot advice

[surgtech1956]

Does anyone ride a Trek Pilot? If so, are you happy with it? Thanks, Nancy

[Zen]

I have a Pilot 1.2 WSD.
Now I'm happy with it but had to buy a new saddle, pedals and I just did not have the reach/strength to shift the front chain ring so I had to have a bar end friction shifter installed.

I simply did not try enough bikes. OK, I admit it, I didn't try any bikes, I just somehow got it in my head that the Pilot was what I wanted.

Don't get me wrong though. It's a good bike for the money, it fits great,it shifts well and it's reasonably light. Just make sure you ride it first

[Aquila]

I love mine! I have a WSD, too, and I love that the brakes are small enough that they're easy for me to reach, and such (I have short fingers, and could never reach regular brakes comfortably). Mine fits me well and seems to work nicely, though I just got it and only have 300 or so miles on it.

I tried out tons of bikes for short rides, of a mile or two. Things are different at 25 miles, though; I'd ride longer if I knew what I know now. (I had to adjusts the handlebars a bit for wrist comfort, but things are going well now.)

[surgtech1956]

Is the Pilot considered a cyclocross bike?

[Zen]

nooooo.
Check down in the Cyclocross section for those.

[kjay]

Yes, I have a Trek Pilot (WSD) that I got last year (black) and it's perfect for me. I didn't change out anything. It was the first bike I tested and the one I bought.

[Zen]

If you want to ride clipless you have to change the pedals.
Anything over ten miles put the hurtin' on my bum with that low end Bontrager.

[mlove]

I have a Pilot wsd and I love it, even though I am still messing around with saddles and saddle adjustment. It is very light (I have the 5.2) and handles well.

[amelia05]

I have an '05 Pilot 2.1 (not WSD)...test rode lots of bikes before I bought this one, and have been mostly happy with it for nearly 2 years/5000 miles. The ride was much smoother than the all-aluminum frames I tried, and the more upright riding position felt right to me, coming from a hybrid. I think it was the right choice for my riding level and price range.

I did change out the saddle almost immediately, and also have put on clipless pedals, Mavic wheels, and narrower handlebars over the life of the bike (come to think of it, I guess the only things that are still the stock Pilot are the frame and drive train. ) I'm upgrading to an Orbea Orca this fall, and likely converting the Pilot back to its stock parts to use as a knock-around/commuter bike. I can't bear to sell her--she got me through my first metric century, my first full century, my first adventure race, my first MS150...

[maryellen]

I have a 2006 Pilot 2.1 (non-wsd). I switched the saddle out to a Terry. I tend not to be too saddle-picky though.

[Somerville]

Hi all -

I'm a new poster to the discussion forum, but in the last few months, you all have been really helpful to me in getting into cycling and in taking the plunge and buying a bike finally. I love the tone and the information sharing in this discussion forum! THANKS!

I just bought my first real bike after tooling around on my sister's old hybrid for a while. I rode the MS 150 in Massachusetts on that old thing ... ouch! Now I'm the proud owner of a very pretty, and - by my standards - incredibly light and fast Trek Pilot 1.2 WSD. After ... mmm ... about three hours, I'm still in love and don't have any post purchase anxiety.

For me the clincher was the smaller brake grips. I can actually reach these without hurting my thumbs from hanging on so hard to the handlebars. I feel really comfortable in the quasi-upright position and I can't explain the geometry of it, but it was just more comfortable than the pilot 1.0 I rode last weekend. Short torso, long arms ... I dunno ... it just feels good.

And I didn't want to be one of those people who cares about the color, but I did. I love the light blue! It's pretty without being obnoxiously girly.

I'll update again after I take her for some long rides this summer!

[Livin the Dream]

I just bought my first road bike last weekend and it was a Trek Pilot 1.0. I road a couple of Giants, a Raleigh, a Trek 1000 and the Pilot and the Pilot won. And, after a few rides, I'm still happy with the purchase. The jury is still out on the saddle, but everything else seems to be a great fit for me. The LBS owner said he'd sold a lot of the Pilots this season.

Good luck and happy shopping!

[FH Cyclist]

I have had my Trek Pilot 2.1 WSD for about 5 weeks and am really enjoying it. I used to ride and am now just getting back into it after having been away for 25 years. I didn't want to spend a lot in case I couldn't ride or didn't like it. I did want the buzz kill handle bars (I went cross country during my sophomore and junior years in college and have had trouble with my hands, on long rides, since then) and that pushed me to the 2.1. I really like the way it handles, the fit and the way I can climb.

I also have a Trek mountain bike (that's what got me back into cycling) but it is too hot here in Arizona to mountain bike in the desert summer. A colleague encouraged me to try a road bike and I am really glad I did.

In both cases, I did try the men's Trek bike but found it just didn't fit me properly. I consider myself to be a prototypical size for the WSD. I am 5'4" with a 30 inch in seam. I found the WSD was much better for me in the handle bars. I could really feel the difference.

I haven't done anything special to the bike - I'm just using the stock components. I did get a fit from the bike store, on my bike. The owner changed the position of my cleats and it was like WOW!!!! I felt like the pedals were an extension of me. He also changed the position of my brake levers and it has worked well. I may move the saddle a bit forward but other than that, I'm not feeling the need for additional changes.

I do like the more upright position as well. It's seems to be easier on my back.

Hopefully this is helpful.

[surgtech1956]

Thanks - Sorry for the dumb question, but what's 'buzz kill handlebars'? I'm 5'5" and have a 30" inseam. Thanks again for the feedback.

[pll]

Thanks - Sorry for the dumb question, but what's 'buzz kill handlebars'? I'm 5'5" and have a 30" inseam. Thanks again for the feedback.

They are regular handlebars with special plugs, "Bzzzkill Harmonic Dampers" from Bontrager:

I installed a pair of brass ones on my (100&#37 aluminum bike a week ago and it has helped a little bit with road vibration. This was not a clean experiment, because I also inflated my front tire to about 95psi rather than 120psi (the maximum).