DreamRider85

Just really confused. Looking to get my first road bike. I've been researching Trek 1.5, 1.2, and the 2.1 Madone. Now prices range from about 800 to 1200. But on the other hand I'm looking at Performance Bike Store in my area and all these Fuji Sport bikes seem to be cheaper. Fuji Sport 2.1 is $749. Fuji Sport LE 3 is only $599. Fuji 2.5 C is 499. I'm just wondering why there is a big price desparity. Which is the better brand for someone that is serious about getting into this sport and wants to ride for a long time?

Juan Foote

Mostly brand price, you have to pay for that R & D and advertising that Trek does.

Ride both and go with the one that FEELS better.

/endthread

DreamRider85

Well it can't be as simple as that. They say you can't get a good road bike under 800, yet this brand has tons of cheaper bikes

dvdslw

This is strictly my opinion of the two brands mentioned, Trek makes a great product across the board from base models to their top end that may cost a bit more than other brands out there but the quality and designs are top notch. Fuji makes some great looking bikes and are a good value for someone looking to get in to the sport without paying a premium if looking at their bottom end offerings but usually come in weighing much more than a similarly spec'd Trek, Cannondale, Specialized, etc... the difference is about 2lbs and in a sport where bike frames and components are weighed in grams that's a big difference. Best thing to do is know exactly how much you can spend, you listed bikes from $499-$1,200 and there's a pretty big difference between the top and bottom bike there. As a beginner you might not be able to appreciate the difference between a bottom end Fuji with a clunky 8spd groupset, aluminum fork, heavy wheels, and weighing 23lbs for $499 and an entry level Madone that shares the same geometry as their high end offerings with 105 11 speed, carbon fork, lighter wheels, and weighing 20/21lbs for $1,200 but I can assure you the difference is huge once you log some miles and really start getting into the sport. If you know the commitment is there and you plan to stick with it I would get the best bike you can afford and be sure to test ride every bike you're considering a few times and not just around the parking lot, take them out for a ride.

jrossbeck

The Fuji's are a better deal/bargain. The Treks are a better bike. There is no shame in the purchase of either, get the best bike that you can afford that also fits you.

DreamRider85

Thanks so much for the honesty. I am indeed serious long term and looking to get the best bike I can afford. I'm not looking to just go on an excursion, so this is very good info.

Juan Foote

Certainly it's not.

But I ask you this. What high profile pro is sponsored by Fuji? without looking...
I can come off my head with at least three HIGH profile, and one disgraced cyclist whom have been sponsored by Trek. Don't think that doesn't mean anything on the bottom line.

For the average cyclist any name brand bike that fits well will more than suit their needs and be of decent quality in regards to price.

Shuffleman

Neither brand is better than the other. They are both good quality bikes and good companies. There are reasons why some bikes cost more and some less. It is really a matter of preference, which is extremely subjective. Brand loyalty in bikes is quite high. It is kind of like piss on Ford and piss on Chevy. Ask one and you know the answer. Ask another and you know their answer.
You can get a good road bike for under $800. Trek has the 101 and Fuji has the 1.3. The Trek is equipped with Claris while the Fuji is equipped with a 10speed Tiagra. The Fuji comes with a better set of components in this case. If you go up to the Trek 1.5 for $1099 you will step into Tiagra. By the same token, the Fuji Sportiff 1.1 goes for the same price but is equipped with a 105 drivetrain, which is a step better than Tiagra.

In this case the Fuji is a better bargain. I do not buy that Trek is a better bike though. It is a more prestigious brand but not necessarily a better quality bike. I do not buy that for a second.

Who cares what the pros ride? They are paid to ride those bikes. Some companies do not sponsor race teams. That is not significant in the quality of a bike. I have never watched a race and probably never will. I do not know the name of a single racer outside of Lance. A quick google shows that in the 2015 Tour de France, there are 22 teams and 17 sponsors. I did not see names like DeRosa, Moots, Seven, Lynsky, Cube, GT, Masi, Wilier, Boardman, Merck, Litespeed, BH, Felt and etc. Are those bikes not as good? One could argue that some brands can sell for less because they do not have to cover the costs of sponsoring pro teams and etc.
You do not buy a bike because somebody else rides it. You buy it because it fits you well and you like it. Most bikes come with Shimano, Sramm or Campagnolo. The higher you go up the models in those, the more expensive the rest of the bike typically goes. Performance is a chain and they sell a lot of Fuji bikes. They keep their prices down because of volume and because they mix mash some of the components. Of course Trek and the other do as well on the entry level side. The 2 aforementioned Treks are both 10 speed and contain FSA and Sunrace parts. The Fujis do as well. Another poster claimed that the Fuji are 8 speed and the Treks 10 speed. This is simply not true in this case. They are all 10 speed.
To the OP, I know that this is all confusing. You typically pay for weight in road bikes. I am not going to pretend to know which bike weighs more between the ones listed. I would assume that they are very similar. In fact, I would bet that the Fuji with Tiagra weighs less than the Trek with Claris. I may be wrong but in the end, it really does not matter that much for non racers and entry level bikes.
For the record, I do not ride Trek or Fuji. I state that before I give this advise. If this is your first bike, buy from Performance. You will get a fitting and a good bike. You will also get more bike for the money and get their points back to buy some other equipment like pedals, helmets and etc. It really is a good deal. Ride the bike for 2 years. After that, you will know more about the sport and what type of rider you are and what you like in a bike. You will probably get another bike at that point. You may also find that you do not like biking and you can minimize your loss. I never advocate spending your max on your first bike because it is rare that the first bike will be your last one. Spend less on your first bike and go from there.
I wish that Performance was in my town when I first started road biking. I still bought an entry level Felt at the time but Performance would have been a better deal for that entry level. I buy clothes from them now and they have no bikes that interest me so I would not buy one from them. I ride Campy and boutique bikes so I have no plan on changing. Either way, I think that Performance is a great place for a first time buyer and entry level bike. Their bikes are not prestigous name brands but they are excellent bikes just the same.

rms13

Fuji is every bit as good as Trek except you can buy an equivalent bike with 11 speed 105 and disc for the price of Trek with Tiagra and rim brakes. If you want to spend more for marketing and to support Treks pro teams than go ahead. Ride them all and get what you like.

bikemig 

Comparing a $500 bike to a $1200 one is not exactly an apples to apples comparison.

Also there is nothing that clunky about 8 speed claris stuff. It actually works pretty well. I'm running it on one of my bikes and I have no complaints. Shimano stuff tends to work pretty well across their product range.

The OP is looking for a sub $1200 bike. I'm skeptical that at the same dollar value the Fuji will be 2 pounds heavier than the Trek (assuming we are looking at bikes $1200 and below) . . . .

Fuji has long made pretty nice bikes that are very reasonably priced.

Juan Foote

I think you misunderstand my point. It doesn't matter to me (either) who is riding whose bike, but who do YOU think is paying for that privilege?

Shuffleman

I did misunderstand your point. My apologies and your point is/was well made. I read it too fast.

Giant Fuji

I bought a Fuji Roubaix 1.1 from Performance. Shimano 105 brakes, front derailleur and rear cassette, Oval BB86 Crank with a Praxis chainring, all the rest is Ultegra. Weighs 18 lbs (aluminum with carbon fork, tapered head tube). The wheels are Oval, which is Fuji's house brand. All in all it is a splendid bike. I have no input on Trek offerings, never rode one.

ColaJacket

When I was looking for an entry level bike, I road tested many brands (Trek, Specialized, Cannondale, Giant, Fuji). When I finished road testing there was a top tier of bikes that felt about the same to me as far as fit wend (Trek, Specialized, Fuji). Fuji offered the best quality for the price. So I ordered a Fuji Sportif 1.3 C - 2014 for $800. Peformance treated me well, as I ordered and paid for the bike on a regular 10% points weekend, but since I picked it up on a 20% points weekend, they gave me the extra points. I joined their mailing list, and I got a coupon for 20% off up to $200 of accessories.

The key is to find a bike that fits you. Once you know which brand and frame fit you, then you can check pricing on the different group sets that each brand has for that frame, and compare pricing. So, if you find a bike that fits, but it doesn't have the component that you want, then ask the LBS if they can order that frame with the level of components that you want. That's what I did to get my bike.

Also, don't forget that Trek and Fuji make endurance and racing bike geometries at the entry level, and they'll feel a little different. So make sure to try both geometries with both brands to see which your really like best.

GH

DreamRider85

I understand Fuji is a better bargain that Trek. One guy just said that Trek is 2 pounds lighter. So which brand is better, with all things equal, not considering cost?

rms13

I know its hard to comprehend when new to the sport but every major brand is equivalent, there is no better. They will all give you frames made of similar materials, similar geometry and weight with the same components at similar price points. You need to decide if you want endurance or race fit, aluminum, carbon or even steel, what component level you want to pay for and after that it's pretty much who makes a frame in a color scheme that appeals to you

bikemig 

That statement (that a trek is 2 pounds lighter) simply isn't true as long as you are comparing apples to apples. See my post no. 10. The poster was comparing a $500 Fuji to a $1200 Trek and failed to even list the weights for the respective bikes.

Bottom line is that you get "more" bike for Fuji than you do a Trek. The Trek is a premium brand. What you should do is figure out your budget, ride the bikes in your budget, and then pick the one you like best based on the recommendation from the LBS and your own experience riding the bike.

TheRef

Anybody can say anything they want.
My Fuji Gran Fondo is 2 pounds lighter than the equivalent Trek that costs hundreds more.

Alasdair

Components and aesthetics (both look and feel) determine which is the best bike. I have a 2006 Fuji Team Pro and love it. If I had a Trek Madone, I'd love it too. The BESTest bike is the one that you ride.

cicatrize

The "no good road bikes under $800" statement is really generalized, but I might actually agree with it, although I'd change it to say no GREAT road bikes under $800.

As far as the price discrepancy between brands, look at the components. There are a lot of things that go into pricing of a bicycle, and R&D is only a small piece of that. I personally prefer Trek over other brands because they have the ride that I like, the geometry that I like, and to me, they're a bargain for what you get. Sometimes you need to look deep into the components to see why a bike is priced as it is. Two bikes may have Tiagra components, but one is priced at $700, the other is $1200. The $700 bike might have no-name brakes, a cheap crank, aluminum fork, and bargain bin wheels, whereas the $1200 bike might have a full Tiagra gruppo with a carbon fork and nice wheels, and weigh 3 pounds less than the $700 bike.

I definitely won't tell you to go outside your budget, because that's really important, but I would suggest doing some serious research before committing to your first road bike considering how serious you seem to be about it. I would suggest riding the options you listed and feeling how nice they are. If you don't love it, don't buy it. If you don't love anything in that price range, ride something a little more expensive, and if you like it, save some more cash to get it. I made a big mistake with my first road bike (about $600) and the components were an absolute hassle. It just didn't feel good to ride. My newest bike feels 10x nicer, but isn't 10x the price.

jrossbeck

Sorry for any confusion on my end. I was not trying to start a Trek vs Fuji brand war. The OP listed three Fujis, the top of which was about equal to the bottom of the three Treks listed. Thus my statement, the Fujis were better bargain, the Treks were better bike. Not brand comparison, just a model comparison. Almost all major brands have equal offerings at similar prices. We can all quibble over a couple hundred bucks but in the total cost of cycling (bike, gear, clothes, etc) it's not a statistical difference.

as far as anyone who says buyers waste money on R&D at major brands - not true. Research and Development is a worthwhile investment, it gets you better technology and quality. Not the same as marketing/advertising, that is where money is often wasted.

stlcowboyfan

I had a 14 Trek 1.2....aluminum with carbon fork and 9sp Sora. Paid 929 new. I've seen that model year for $749 at Trek stores. It was a very good bike for me. The Sora stuff shifted fine. I rode it on daily solo rides and several charity rides...a couple 75 milers. I now ride a Fuji SST. Night and day in terms of the type of bike, but I would not hesitate to recommend the Trek to anyone looking for a nice, entry level road bike.

DreamRider85

So the Trek Madone 2.1 looks like a good bike. If I spent the same amount of money on a Fuji Bike, would it be better? Just want straight answers. I know I'll have to test and do bike fits and all that. But I'm not necessarily just looking for a ''bargain'' because I don't want to end up paying for it later on by getting a cheap bike.

rms13

This would be equivalent Fuji to the Madone 2.1

Fuji Sportif 1.0 LE Road Bike - 2015 Performance Exclusive

It's cheaper, it's a couple of pounds heavier but it has disc brakes. The discs and wheels probably account for the weight difference. Neither bike would be considered particularly light but you are not going to get a 15 pound bike at that price. I'd be happy with either one

PepeM

Problem is, there is no such thing as 'better.' It all depends on what you're looking for. If it makes you feel better, if you get the Madone, or a similarly priced Fuji, you will be getting a quality bike that will serve you well. You really can't go wrong.