Kamau

^Winning

B. Carfree

Oh good. I was afraid he was going to buy a new one from that horrid local Trek dealer. No one should ever purchase anything from those shops.

MinnMan

all this brand fuss is good fun, but the truth is that the bikes are mostly all great and that shouting brand loyalties means you have drunk the corporate koolaid. Do you guys also wear t shirts and clothes emblazoned with corporate logos? The money kings of the world are laughing their a$$es off when they see that people pay to be walking billboards. Singing the praises of your favorite bike brand on BF isn't much different.

Long Tom

I didn't mean to bash Trek.

I just need to know a safe distance to keep from the damn thing, in case my buddy "dials it up".

Other than the occasional asplosion, I'm sure they are fine bikes.

znomit

Personally I'd be more worried about needle stick injuries than crabon asplosions.

Campag4life

Seven owners are dentists.

Campag4life

The vast majority of high end bike owners can't tell one from another. They don't know BBright from BB30.
Brands ARE different and have signature design differences....from geometry to ride quality to integrated seatposts to particular groupsets or wheel qualities...its a long list. The vast majority can't tell a difference nor are they adept at working on their own bikes. S-haters for example have never worked for a Fortune 500 company or know anything about 'large' corporate America or if they have never worked high enough to understand how law suits are part of the fabric of survival...both suing and getting sued.

What is particularly laughable about all the hating is how badly it is misplaced. If there is or should be hate it is for all the safety critical products that are shipped throughout the world that are prone to fail because companies don't perform their due diligence about quality control and/or ship designs they know are defective aka out of design tolerance. This is common and the public is largely ignorant about it until it strikes a member of their family. Lesser companies will do anything to avert a recall (GM) because it detracts from the bottom line and of course this fits with poorly managed companies that make more mistakes aka ship more product that is defective...many times knowingly defective. This is the place for outrage. Not some lawsuit directed toward a small company trying to steal the marketing advantage of a large company to sell more product.

pdedes

You're all using the wrong units. The correct unit of measure is Lance Armstrongs. Personally I would keep 7LAs away.

rpenmanparker 

If their bikes are so great, how come they get so many seconds that they have to unload under other brand names? Everybody knows that is what is going on. (In case you weren't sure that I am joking.)

Campag4life

Giant is hosed largely because of its name. Giant? Most in the bike biz if taking a poll would prefer Midget
for the simple reason that many want to be associated with racers who like to size down.
Seriously...it starts with the name. Giant is an awful name for a bike. It sounds like a bike branded for a chain discounter like Walmart. Their bikes are very good however in my experience.

Campag4life

I used work in the BMW aftermarket and was around a lot of BMW owners and even though there were exceptions, BMW owners are largely as ignorant as high end bike owners about their products. Since most BMW owners wouldn't go near a wrench of course they had to perpetually take their BMW's to the dealer for repair and maintenance out of warranty. The joke was what these owners paid for their repairs. They were called 'spending units'. 1 spending unit = $1000. So Charlie, how many spending units did you spend this time?

popeye

What about that house brand that is named excrement, but I don't recall any complaints about the bike? Perhaps lowered expectations.

MinnMan

I have a cousin who is a real estate mogul (really). In his palatial NY apartment last year, I noticed two beautiful Seven Eliums - his and hers. I didn't know that they ride. Well, they don't. They thought if they bought bikes, that maybe they would. But then they didn't.

It made me want to cry.

cellery

I prefer using boonens (Bns) for measurement, as it not only is metric but also more euro.

floridamtb

best answer here

Long Tom

Tough crowd. There may be some truth to that. Our dynamic has flipped, him & me, from him being a far stronger rider at the start of last season, to me overtaking him rather convincingly. This is largely due to me getting obsessed with climbing and being blessed by "several" big ones nearby. He, on the other hand, says I'm a masochist (and also a sadist, when I make him ride these routes) and prefers easier rides in the flats.

In his defense, I was overcoming a head injury, and needed something tangible to take out my angst on as well as finding great utility in suffering as it anchored me back into my body. He is in the midst of a difficult entrepreneurial startup and rides to relax.

But getting back to the hills... his bike, a Bridgestone RB2, (!) has terrible gearing for climbing. He's forced to mash hard on hills I am somewhat able to spin up. This Trek will have a compact double and should be much more of a climbing machine. I may indeed find myself playing catchup again, as he is physically a strong climber. Just needs a bike that isn't an impediment to releasing his inner goat.

One of his businesses had a major electrical failure yesterday and couldn't ride it.... He's riding it today. If he likes it, he's buying it. He says.

soma5

If the bike fits, he will like it. It is amazing how much better the newer bikes handle.

Bah Humbug

I seem to be able to keep finding a suitable brand.

eddiepliers 

Scott? Execellent engineering!

eddiepliers 

Is that with or without the needle sticking out of his arm? That needle does add atleast 6 inches or more.

Bradleykd

I work at a car manufacturer and the joke to what you're talking about is the 5/50 rule. If there are 5 defects, you fix it. 50? You ship it... lol

Camilo

Two proximity-related dangers here: physical danger of the carbon fiber and social stigma of being associated with a Trek.

For either, if you're close enough to draft or be drafted, you're too close.

floridamtb

No social stigma here, and I bet I can drop your ass anytime

Camilo

How nice for you.

I'm surprised you're not familiar with the snarky Trek jokes that abound on this and other forums - similar to the ridiculous as the snarky carbon fiber jokes. I was so clever I combined them into one quip.

Sorry I forgot the smiley on an obvious facetious joke and sorry if I offended ... I take that back, I'm not sorry for making a joke in a thread that was all about poking fun.. But maybe your reaction is why it's so fun! Have a good day