I feel like some kind of a social media-enabled product wiki should be able to help with this, but until then, I’ll do this here.
About a year and a half ago, I bought a used Trek 1000 for like $250. I would say that it was about two or three years old at the time. I used it in my triathlon and 4-5 days a week as my commuter bike. Basically, I’ve beat the hell out of it. If there’s a hole in the street, I’ll find it. I’ve smashed two front wheels, bending them beyond repair, and the back one has an ever so slight wobble to it. It works just fine as my daily bike, but if I’m going to up my time in the tri this year, or ever keep up with Tad Martin on weekend trips to Nyack, I need to get some real wheels. I’m not thrilled at the idea of becoming a two bike guy, but I have garage space.
The big question is what to get, and I’m looking for some crowdsourced wisdom here. Here’s the criteria:
--56 cm.
--Built for speed—fast and light.
--New or slightly used
--Less than $2000 all in, including pedals and other gear
--Probably not a full-on tri bike—but something I can take on 60mi trips and climb easily with.
--Will try not to take it on very many city streets—mostly path riding
Thoughts? Suggestions?
I found a good article here that is a few years old, but don’t really have the background on each of these bikes to have an opinion on. The suggested models, assuming the new versions of these are still around, were:
Scott team bike
Giant TCR Composite bike
Kestrel Talon Bike
Bianchi 928 Veloce
2005 Schwinn Fastback Pro Road Bike
Tommaso Trascinare Carbon Road Bike w/ Shimano 105 2007
K2 T:Nine Tempest Road Bike
Specialized Dolce Comp
Lemond Buenos Aires Double 06
Cannondale CAAD9 Optimo 3 Compact
Pinarello Galileo Aluminum / Carbon 105 Road Bike