Trek vs. Giant???

Even though Trek owns Giant, I have a bias.... hehee.
Sorry I can't help ya

Personally, I'm a huge Trek fan. I've been riding Treks for over 10 years now. Last month I bought the 5200 - my second Trek carbon fiber bike. I wouldn't ride anything else. I've ridden a lot of bikes over the years, and have found Trek's OCLV carbon fiber to be the best ride for me. I love the frames on these bikes. They are exceptional. The 5200 absorbs road bumps with ease too.

Trek owns a lot of bike brands, but Giant isn't one of them. Some of their lower end frames may end up being made in Giant's factories by contract though. That being said, an OCLV 5200 would definitely be handmade in one of their U.S. factories.

Both bikes you mention (Trek 5200 and TCR Composite 1) are awesome and it'd probably come down to fit, and whether or not you are one of those people who "fall in-between" Giant's compact frame sizings.

I haven't had a good ride on either (but have had a failed attempt at being properly sized on a Giant -- I fall between medium and large), but from reports I have read, the 5200 has a very comfortable ride, whereas the TCR would be the more energetic and 'alive'-feeling of the two. But your best bet is to ride them both for yourself and see what you think of the two in terms of fit and comfort.

Thanks so much for the information.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by rek
Trek owns a lot of bike brands, but Giant isn't one of them. Some of their lower end frames may end up being made in Giant's factories by contract though. That being said, an OCLV 5200 would definitely be handmade in one of their U.S. factories.

Both bikes you mention (Trek 5200 and TCR Composite 1) are awesome and it'd probably come down to fit, and whether or not you are one of those people who "fall in-between" Giant's compact frame sizings.

I haven't had a good ride on either (but have had a failed attempt at being properly sized on a Giant -- I fall between medium and large), but from reports I have read, the 5200 has a very comfortable ride, whereas the TCR would be the more energetic and 'alive'-feeling of the two. But your best bet is to ride them both for yourself and see what you think of the two in terms of fit and comfort.

Thanks so much for the information

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by skillit
Personally, I'm a huge Trek fan. I've been riding Treks for over 10 years now. Last month I bought the 5200 - my second Trek carbon fiber bike. I wouldn't ride anything else. I've ridden a lot of bikes over the years, and have found Trek's OCLV carbon fiber to be the best ride for me. I love the frames on these bikes. They are exceptional. The 5200 absorbs road bumps with ease too.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by rek
Trek owns a lot of bike brands, but Giant isn't one of them. Some of their lower end frames may end up being made in Giant's factories by contract though. .

Sorry, I should have made that more clear. My bad

I own both, sorta. I have a 2001 Trek 5200, and I have a 2001 Giant TCR that I built up on my own. They both have their own different qualities about them. The 5200 is by far a more comfortable bike. But my TCR is aluminum, so its hard to compare them. The Giant is a much quicker bike. The compact geometry accelerates much better and thus climbs better. Either bike is a good choice really. I'm not sure how much the price is on the 5200, but Iknow the price on a TCR 1 is pretty good. With both your going to get full ultegra. The TCR comes with Shimano wheels, which may (or may not) be a better value than Bontrager. I really have no respect for Bontrager in the road bike industry. That being said, Lance does choose to ride it now. Anyway, good luck, and keep us posted

Thanks. Great input.
Both bikes are approximately $2,500.00. The only negative I am hearing about the Giant is that with the compact geometry, sometimes proper fitting is an issue.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Rompinrhino
I own both, sorta. I have a 2001 Trek 5200, and I have a 2001 Giant TCR that I built up on my own. They both have their own different qualities about them. The 5200 is by far a more comfortable bike. But my TCR is aluminum, so its hard to compare them. The Giant is a much quicker bike. The compact geometry accelerates much better and thus climbs better. Either bike is a good choice really. I'm not sure how much the price is on the 5200, but Iknow the price on a TCR 1 is pretty good. With both your going to get full ultegra. The TCR comes with Shimano wheels, which may (or may not) be a better value than Bontrager. I really have no respect for Bontrager in the road bike industry. That being said, Lance does choose to ride it now. Anyway, good luck, and keep us posted

I was in the same situation around 10 years ago, comparing my current frameset (Trek OCLV) to a Kestrel. I ended up riding them back-to-back, literally. I went to the Trek store and had a 5500 set up for me (saddle height, pedals, etc), then went to a Kestrel store and hopped on a bike. Rode it around for 10-ish miles, then rode over to the Trek store. Hopped off the Kestrel and straight onto the Trek, and rode the same 10 mile ride.

Since you're comparing different bikes than I was, I'll leave the details out, but the important thing is that I couldn't decide, even after riding them both. What made my mind up was riding them back-to-back like that. The differences were MUCH more obvious.

Good luck! Can't go wrong with either of those bikes.

Thanks for the feedback.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by cydewaze
I was in the same situation around 10 years ago, comparing my current frameset (Trek OCLV) to a Kestrel. I ended up riding them back-to-back, literally. I went to the Trek store and had a 5500 set up for me (saddle height, pedals, etc), then went to a Kestrel store and hopped on a bike. Rode it around for 10-ish miles, then rode over to the Trek store. Hopped off the Kestrel and straight onto the Trek, and rode the same 10 mile ride.

Since you're comparing different bikes than I was, I'll leave the details out, but the important thing is that I couldn't decide, even after riding them both. What made my mind up was riding them back-to-back like that. The differences were MUCH more obvious.

Good luck! Can't go wrong with either of those bikes.

can't go wrong with either! I am a Giant TCR Composite rider...and it is sweeeeeeet!

The 5200 has been around a while and is proven itself to be a great bike.

Flip a coin...you cannot lose!

...oh yea! Ullrich will ride a Giant TCR Composite in this years Tour...while Lance will ride Trek's carbon composite frame. Why don't you just let the Tour decide which bike to buy(te he!).

Again..you cannot lose with either one.

one thing I love about my Giant is that it is absolutely silent on the rides. No creaks or cracks or knocks or anything. The only sound I hears is the purr of the wheels spinning over the tarmac. It does a good job of absorbing the road and it feels really responsive. It's very light..so it climbs like a dream too. My Giant TCR composite is just over 16lbs complete...but that's with Dura Ace. Add a pound more for Ultegra...although Ultegra is an excellent groupset. Like I said though...you are not going to lose no matter which bike you select. I expect that you are going to get many years of hard training out of either. I think the decision would come down to which bike comes with the best components or wheels...and which bike has the better price with all else being equal. I have the Ksyrium SL wheelset and I can tell you that I love those wheels. The best all-purpose wheelset I've ever ridden. I now have Dura Ace..but my old road bike was Ultegra equipped. That was a great groupset...and I thing that the Dura Ace is just a small step up. The Ultegra gives a better bang for the buck...but of course Dura Ace will save you a pound or more in weight.

The TCR Composite 1 that I am looking at has the following:
Brakes: Shimano Ultegra
Wheels: Mavic Ksyrium Elite
Drivetrain: Shimano Ultegra, 9-speed with Dura Ace rear derailler and FSA Carbon Pro Crankset

Thanks for the feedback.

That's a very very solid package. Boy what a step up from what you are used to. See you at Master's Nationals in a few years. I'm going for the Time Trial next year or the following year. Time to train like hell!

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by ejk
The TCR Composite 1 that I am looking at has the following:
Brakes: Shimano Ultegra
Wheels: Mavic Ksyrium Elite
Drivetrain: Shimano Ultegra, 9-speed with Dura Ace rear derailler and FSA Carbon Pro Crankset

A friend of mine recently bought that exact bike. I think it's blue, white, and black. Boy is that sucker LIGHT! I couldn't believe it when I picked it up, and I'm used to a carbon bike.

This is a carbon bike.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by cydewaze
A friend of mine recently bought that exact bike. I think it's blue, white, and black. Boy is that sucker LIGHT! I couldn't believe it when I picked it up, and I'm used to a carbon bike.

Dude Trek is the King of cycling. Fondrest is a close second (msp.?) Of all the bikes I have ever ridden(and that means ALOT!!!0 and raced on, Trek has been the most dependable and given me the best performance. Comfort touring raccing or kickin around town.

I gotta question, where do I find a thread for Job info, for like Biike messenger? Any sugggestions?

Thanks for the feedback.

In regard to jobs, try monster.com

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by PBM
Dude Trek is the King of cycling. Fondrest is a close second (msp.?) Of all the bikes I have ever ridden(and that means ALOT!!!0 and raced on, Trek has been the most dependable and given me the best performance. Comfort touring raccing or kickin around town.

I gotta question, where do I find a thread for Job info, for like Biike messenger? Any sugggestions?