megustamibici

The 2001 LeMond Zurich with Reynolds 853 Pro Team tubing was the first bike I ever fell in love with, at first from afar and then as my first nice bike. I saw it in my local bike shop when new, but as a penniless teen, could only afford to take home the brochure. While in college I scrounged enough money to buy one off of craigslist in 2005, in original kit. It was quick, comfortable, sprinted and climbed really well. I rode it for tens of thousands of miles, and really loved the ride. So much so that I convinced myself it fit, though it was clearly 3-4cm too small. Even so, after the Ultegra shifters started breaking down I upgraded just about everything, and got the weight down to 17lbs even. I rode it for another two years in that configuration and finally sold it after buying a proper C&V ride that fit me. I definitely have a soft spot for LeMond bikes, but as my tastes have gone farther and farther towards classic steel, I don't think I'd buy one of that same period today, even at a steal of a price. In short, great bikes and still very capable, but I don't think the Trek produced ones will ever attain classic status. They were, however, a great attempt to make US made, high performance steel bikes into credible competition for the growing wave of carbon fiber everything.