rms13

Trek is more like casual family restaurant i.e. TGI Fridays. Mid price, accessible, dressed up version of fast food. Mortons would be Cervelo or euro brands.

rms13

The Madone also has old outgoing 4600 Tiagra which will be obsolete in a month or so when 4700 bikes start hitting the street. As someone who has had 10 speed 105 and Ultegra and currently has 11 speed 105 I will say it's night and day difference. Last gen Shimano is serviceable but has a lot of issues. Current gen ergonomics and shifting are much better and make riding a much more enjoyable experience. And on the point of resale, value of a 4600 bike will take a hit when 4700 is out.

dtrain

Morton's is entry-level. So is driving there in an Audi. Self-park? ...never.

rms13

Would never survive in LA that way. need to roll your Bentley to Mastros or Cut. Morton's is for the common man but usually rolling the BMW or Mercedes

Alias530

Alright let's play your game... where's the tangible benefit of a Cervelo/BMC/Colnago/Pinarello over a Trek?

That's one step too far for resale... once you get into bikes of that price tier, good luck selling them used. People who have $5k to spend on a bike don't want a used one.

Edit:

Let's look at the Trek Emonda SL8 and the Colnago CX Zero Evo. Both "Dura Ace" models

Nearly the same except the Colnago has an Ultegra cassette instead of the Dura Ace one on the Trek, a $25 handlebar instead of the $100 one on the Trek. The Colnago has a $700 wheelset vs a $500 one on the Trek. So... $200 less in cassette and handlebar but $200 more in wheels, so about the same.

Yet the Colnago costs about $2500 more. You're paying for the name/frame.

That's just the first example I looked at.

rms13

That's true and people that spend $5-10k on a bike tend to keep them until the disintegrate (the bike or the person). Used bike markets also vary greatly around the country. Not sure where you are but you did good on the bike you bought and sold but you bought it used after it already had taken the brunt of depreciation. From my experience in socal, people buying used carbon bike that retailed for $2-4k want a bargain and those that aren't looking for a bargain are buying new. Carbon especially depreciates fast because most people have fears of hidden issues that may cause assplosions down the road. Not to mention that the real value of a carbon frame is not nearly as much as steel, aluminum or ti based on material cost.

Alias530

Yeah there's very little I'd buy used, but if you post online there's usually someone who will buy what you have.

I'll admit that I may have gotten lucky, but I've had outcomes like that at least a half dozen times. Bought a different $1,300 Trek, replaced a few wear items (chain, brake pads, rotors, rebuilt the rear shock--10 minute job and $13 in parts, etc) and sold it for $2,200.

Another sale, a Specialized mountain bike... 2012 Stumpjumper, sold for $3k, a few weeks ago when the 2016 models were announced. 4 model years old and I sold it for 2/3 it's original RETAIL price (not what I paid, I paid $3750, retail $4,500). In 4 model years, I lost a whopping 20% of what I paid.

rms13

I really feel like a steak for dinner all of the sudden

PepeM

I put a power meter on an $800 bike.

Alias530

Alright now everyone post up your FTP.

PepeM

I'm beasting it at 184 watts.

allen254

I don't get your comment i own a fuji and ridden other brand bikes and honestly fuji seems to be the best price and quality. your are just paying for the name trek

allen254

I don't get where people are getting their information from Fuji . Fuji makes some of the best bike out there its just that people buy into to the other brands bull**** and their bull **** gives them better marketing power making Fuji seem insignificant but in reality fuji is just as good as a specialized or trek or cannondale IF NOT BETTER . Specialized buys the right to use the name "Roubaix" (Specialized Roubaix) from Fuji

DreamRider85

I am going to count out Fuji for now. Most cyclist always say to never get a cheap bike. IT just sounds too much like insecure people that won't admit that it's not an ideal brand and almost sounds like they're trying to sell me by putting the better brand down. Too many contradictions and excuses for this brand. I sense a lot of dishonesty and insecurities. If it was so great, I would have heard of it before.

allen254

from who Fuji or trek

DreamRider85

People on here seem to bash Trek instead of talk about the value of Fuji. Like I said, I'm not looking for a comparable bike, I'm looking for the real deal.

allen254

I bash on all the brands except Fuji . fuji makes awesome bikes.

rms13

I'm almost certain you're a troll

You've never heard of it? They've been around longer than Trek and as someone else mentioned Specialized stole the Roubaix model name from them

jrossbeck

I already clarified my statement earlier. The original question listed three Fuji models and three Trek models which the poster wanted comparisons on. The "best equipped" of the three Fuji models was similar to the "worst equipped" of the three Trek models. It was not N apples to apples line up from the two brands.

My reply was simply that - saying the Fujis listed were a better "bargain bike" because they were much lower in cost and got you on the road at a small budget. The Treks were better bikes because they had nicer specs, but would require more $ up front to get on the road. If you read my post in context I thought the user was trying to decide on a budget to work with.

I'm not one of the folks here for a brand war.

GreenAnvil

The reason I posted my watts was to stress two points:
* It's more about the engine than the bike, especially when you are starting out and at that price point.
* I'm not a lightweight, and the the stress levels related to sprinting very hard could flag lesser frames, but the Fuji handles it well, with good power transfer to the wheels. It's snappy.

In all honesty I'd probably be happy too if I had gotten a Trek first. My Fuji is my first bike; I bought it to train and to discover what I want and don't want in a "better" bike if I ever get to the point of wanting/needing to upgrade.

Ride what suits you and makes you happy.

rms13

What is "the real deal"? Why are you so fixated on the Trek vs Fuji when you've never ridden either one and there are dozens of other brands to consider all with comparable bikes? There is something fishy about you. Either you are a troll or you are going about the search for your first bike completely the wrong way. It seems like you picked one bike out of a hat because its the only brand name youve heard of. Have you heard of Cannondale, Specialized, Giant, Ridley, Focus, Felt? If you visit some shops you may find those and more that have comparable bikes at similar price points. And again,if you are looking at aluminum might as well check out Cannondale since they have mastered and perfected aluminum like no other brand has

Alias530

Serious question--what's a lesser frame than the Fuji? I can't think of too many. Motobecane? Obviously we aren't even considering stuff like Walmart bikes so that goes without saying. Of bikes that someone who wants to get into cycling would actually buy, what is a lesser frame?

rms13

What makes one frame better than another? I know guys racing and winning Cat 1 races on open mold Chinese carbon frames that cost $5-600 and are 950 g. Those guys probably put down more watts than all of us combined and their frames are not falling apart.

There are weight differences, material, geo, tube shape etc. For the record, I have never owned a Fuji but I know a couple of people with newer Roubaix and Sportif and the frames look nice to me for the money. They have nice clean welds that almost look like a carbon bike on part with some of the nicer aluminum frames on the market. I also know people with Bikesdirect bikes. Their aluminum tends to be heavier and have big ugly welds but I don't know anyone who's frame has broken

ColaJacket

Wait, one person on here has said that Fuji is too cheap to buy, because they had a bad experience with their Fuji. There are 4 or 5 people on here that are saying that they have a Fuji, and it is a great bike. If you discounted every bike branc because of one person that had a bad experience with the brand, then you wouldn't be able to buy a bike.

All those of us who have Fuji's are saying is to include it in your road tests, with other brands such as Trek, Specialized, Cannondale, Giant, Raleigh, etc.

It sounds like one of two things: 1. You either made up your mind to buy the Trek based on marketing, since you haven't test ridden any bikes. or 2. You're Alias530 with a different userid, that started this thread just so you could bash Fuji. If you're not, then I don't understand why you're listening to him more than 4 or 5 other people that are saying that an intro Fuji bike is just as good as an intro Trek bike.
GH

Alias530

Where to begin... weight, stiffness, aerodynamic, comfort, durability.

A good frame will be all of those. Bigger companies like Trek can afford more thorough R&D and build up the carbon where it matters to get both a stiff and lightweight frame.