So I am buying a couple of bikes...

[desmopr]

^^drooling over that IF.  Very nice setup.

I own a 2009 1.2; good bike, but I wouldn't recommend it.  It has some very low end components compared to other bikes in that price range imo.  The front derailleur (sora) is a piece of crap and that FSA crankset suffers from creaking noises and feels like noodles.  Maybe is my 180 lbs weight because my wife has the same bike and she has not complained.  I upgraded the derailleurs to 105; huge improvement.  Take note that the aluminum construction of the bike makes it very stiff.  This is good, but your butt will feel it.  Upgrade to nicer tires makes a huge improvement as well.  I plan on upgrading the crankset and wheelset soon.  I really like the geometry of the bike and Trek warranty is excellent.  Very nice looking bike, but I really want a Salsa or a Soma. (steel is reel)

[ZLTFUL]

Well I ordered my MTB. It will be in sometime this week. But I discovered ALOT more options for a road bike and even test rode a few.

Ended up going with my first choice for a MTB. Got the Bianchi Doss 5100. It helped that for the MSRP he included a second set of rims and slicks. I did have to pay for the sprocket set to make it a true quick change. I can now swap both wheels in around 2 minutes and go from full on off-road goodness to a set of slicks.

That along with the 1 year free maintenace made it a no brainer. None of the other local dealers could come close.

He had a few other brands I hadn't considered (GT, Giant, Raleigh). But the GTs he had in stock felt "Walmartish".

With things thawing out and most of the local trails looking ceared and the off road trails reopening, I am really looking forward to getting out and riding.

[Pip]

word

I carry both Kona and Felt at my shop. Felt Q520 is a comparable bike as is the Kona Fire Mountain Deluxe. The Q620 and Kona Blast or Blast Deluxe have great up grades if you've got a couple hundred extra bucks.

Is the Q620 a girls bike? 

[triangleforge]

Well I ordered my MTB.

Congrats!!! Since you've got one base covered, I'll just keep to myself the suggestion that you buy a cyclocross bike and call it a day. 

[ZLTFUL]

While he was checking inventory on the bike I was checking out his stock of kayaks...I love whitewater canoing and there are a few great places in NE Iowa to do that...got me thinking about the possibility of one of those as well...stupid outdoor sports. I think they are the reason I have such a hard time getting motivated to go to the gym!!!

[stateprez]

I did have to pay for the sprocket set to make it a true quick change. I can now swap both wheels in around 2 minutes and go from full on off-road goodness to a set of slicks.

Cassettes will wear with chains.  IE if you put a new cassette on a bike with an older chain, it will skip and not shift well.  If you end up riding one set of wheels more than the other you may want to swap them out so they wear more evenly.  That or replace your chain every few hundred miles (depending on how much you ride in the mud, shift under load, etc).  FYI.

Bianchi's are nice.  I've had FHE with dealings with most of the big brands- Kona and Specialized are good to work with, Giant would be second (due to some crap QC I've seen), and Cannondale third (I haven't had any experience since Pacific bought them) .  You couldn't pay me to ride a Trek.

[ZLTFUL]

Just got a call from the dealer..."White is not available in my frame size, however they will send me a black one in my frame size with a scratched seat tube at a STEEP discount."

Only ordered white because I didn't know black was available!

[Autostrada Pilot]

Just got a call from the dealer..."White is not available in my frame size, however they will send me a black one in my frame size with a scratched seat tube at a STEEP discount."

Only ordered white because I didn't know black was available!

Sounds like a double win to me.....it's going to get scratches soon, might as well save some coin up front.

[triangleforge]

While he was checking inventory on the bike I was checking out his stock of kayaks...I love whitewater canoing and there are a few great places in NE Iowa to do that...got me thinking about the possibility of one of those as well...stupid outdoor sports. I think they are the reason I have such a hard time getting motivated to go to the gym!!!

I'm happy to encourage that kind of thinking; I did a fair bit of fishing & roaming around NE Iowa/SE Minnesota/SW Wisconsin a few years back, and can imagine that it'd be a beautiful spot for canoeing and rec kayaking. If you want to find some steeper whitewater, you don't have to go that far East to find lots of fun in West Virginia & Western PA.

[Kopfjäger]

Ok. I tried once, but there is already a bicycle thread you can post your new toys. 


http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=1537.0

[ZLTFUL]

Not to pick nits (ok I am atually) but *this* thread was seeking advice on what to purchase not on showing off what I already have. If that was the case, this thread would be blank as I have spent the last year riding my roommate's Schwinn...

Just sayin'...

[triangleforge]

Ok. I tried once, but there is already a bicycle thread you can post your new toys. 


http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=1537.0

And then you posted pix of your beauteous Indy Fab 1x1 -- somehow you're expecting us to read the words, too?   

[Kopfjäger]

And then you posted pix of your beauteous Indy Fab 1x1 -- somehow you're expecting us to read the words, too?