Help please

mpark0406 said:

What's the difference between an aluminum wheel hub and an alloy wheel hub? Also whats the difference between an 8 speed and 9 speed rear cogs? I'm basically wondering if there is a big difference between the 2008 trek 1.2 and the 2009 trek 1.2.

The difference between aluminum & alloy for a chemist is significant ... however, for a bicycle wheel, the difference is the spelling.

Are those both MTBs or ROAD bikes?

If your dealer has BOTH, then the one that you should select the 9-speed if it is a ROAD bike & probably consider (but, not necessarily choose) the 8-speed if it is a MTB & if you plan to ride in muddy conditions.

What components are on the two bikes?

What is the difference in the price?

Do you also know what the retail price of the two bikes was?

alfeng said:

The difference between aluminum & alloy for a chemist is significant ... however, for a bicycle wheel, the difference is the spelling.

Are those both MTBs or ROAD bikes?

If your dealer has BOTH, then the one that you should select the 9-speed if it is a ROAD bike & probably consider (but, not necessarily choose) the 8-speed if it is a MTB & if you plan to ride in muddy conditions.

What components are on the two bikes?

What is the difference in the price?

Do you also know what the retail price of the two bikes was?

they're both road bikes. the dealer didnt tell me the year but i looked it up myself and found out he was trying to rip me off $100 bucks. The 2009 model usually goes for 860 and the 2008 usually goes for 760. I can probably bargain down the older model since they would wanna get it off the floor but i was wondering if it was worth it.

BikePedia - 2008 Trek 1.2 Complete Bicycle
thats the 2008 specs

BikePedia - 2009 Trek 1.2 Complete Bicycle
this is the 2009 specs

the differences i found were the ones i listed like the hubs and the rear cogs

actually there are alot of differences but i'm not sure how much they matter

mpark0406 said:

they're both road bikes. the dealer didnt tell me the year but i looked it up myself and found out he was trying to rip me off $100 bucks. The 2009 model usually goes for 860 and the 2008 usually goes for 760. I can probably bargain down the older model since they would wanna get it off the floor but i was wondering if it was worth it.

BikePedia - 2008 Trek 1.2 Complete Bicycle
thats the 2008 specs

BikePedia - 2009 Trek 1.2 Complete Bicycle
this is the 2009 specs

the differences i found were the ones i listed like the hubs and the rear cogs

actually there are alot of differences but i'm not sure how much they matter

Of the two, you definitely want the 9-speed bike ...

I don't know where you live, but unless you live in Alaska, Hawaii, or somewhere else outside the Lower-48 (based on the retail price of $880) MANY shops would have been selling the 2009 Trek 1.2 for about $700 since back in February (~80% of retail) ... at this point in time (August 2009), a 2009 bike model is actually OLD INVENTORY, and the out-the-door price should probably be closer to $650 (before sales tax), or less ... that is, about 75% of retail by my reckoning.

The 2008 ($770 list) could sell for as low as 60% of retail, so that would be in the $500 range.

The particular TREK (heck, even the high-zoot Madone models) is a commodity bike ... and, other than the decals on the frame it really doesn't matter that much whether you buy a Trek with SORA components or a different bike with the "same" components.

If there is a PERFORMANCE BICYCLE shop near you, go there and look for a bike ... the real difference in road frames of the same price range is small, so just look for the component group which suits your fancy/budget/whatever.

If there isn't a PERFORMANCE BICYCLE shop near you, then go on-line to their site and see what they have which has SHIMANO SORA components OR buy something with better components for the same money your LBS was trying to sell you a bike for.

And/Or, check eBay -- there are several "dealers" who sell exclusively online.

Use the online sizing charts to determine YOUR so-called "correct" (more-or-less) frame size.

How tall are you? Which frame size did/(is) the shop try(ing) to sell you? THIS INFORMATION will tell me whether I think you should look elsewhere to spend your money OR if there is anything redeemable about the particular LBS.

alfeng said:

Of the two, you definitely want the 9-speed bike ...

I don't know where you live, but unless you live in Alaska, Hawaii, or somewhere else outside the Lower-48 (based on the retail price of $880) MANY shops would have been selling the 2009 Trek 1.2 for about $700 since back in February (~80% of retail) ... at this point in time (August 2009), a 2009 bike model is actually OLD INVENTORY, and the out-the-door price should probably be closer to $650 (before sales tax), or less ... that is, about 75% of retail by my reckoning.

The 2008 ($770 list) could sell for as low as 60% of retail, so that would be in the $500 range.

The particular TREK (heck, even the high-zoot Madone models) is a commodity bike ... and, other than the decals on the frame it really doesn't matter that much whether you buy a Trek with SORA components or a different bike with the "same" components.

If there is a PERFORMANCE BICYCLE shop near you, go there and look for a bike ... the real difference in road frames of the same price range is small, so just look for the component group which suits your fancy/budget/whatever.

If there isn't a PERFORMANCE BICYCLE shop near you, then go on-line to their site and see what they have which has SHIMANO SORA components OR buy something with better components for the same money your LBS was trying to sell you a bike for.

And/Or, check eBay -- there are several "dealers" who sell exclusively online.

Use the online sizing charts to determine YOUR so-called "correct" (more-or-less) frame size.

How tall are you? Which frame size did/(is) the shop try(ing) to sell you? THIS INFORMATION will tell me whether I think you should look elsewhere to spend your money OR if there is anything redeemable about the particular LBS.

I'm 6 foot exactly but the LBS said they would fit me and all that stuff but is that really important? this is my first road bike im buying myself and they told me that the fitting usually costs like $100-$200 and they would do yearly adjustments for me which usually cots $70. The guy i was talking to did seem a bit unsure about the prize so if the fitting deal is worth it and with the new information you told me i could most likely haggle the price down to the low $700 range. And to answer your other question, he showed me a 56cm bike and said that should be about right for my size.

I'm not sure about the internet thing because i've never bought a road bike myself and i dont know how important it is to get fitted and assemble the bike or whatever i have to do when i buy it online.

Btw thanks for the great responses.

mpark0406 said:

I'm 6 foot exactly but the LBS said they would fit me and all that stuff but is that really important? this is my first road bike im buying myself and they told me that the fitting usually costs like $100-$200 and they would do yearly adjustments for me which usually cots $70. The guy i was talking to did seem a bit unsure about the prize so if the fitting deal is worth it and with the new information you told me i could most likely haggle the price down to the low $700 range. And to answer your other question, he showed me a 56cm bike and said that should be about right for my size.

I'm not sure about the internet thing because i've never bought a road bike myself and i dont know how important it is to get fitted and assemble the bike or whatever i have to do when i buy it online.

Btw thanks for the great responses.

You may have read several people recommend a so-called professional fitting ... the difference between what one so-called professional fitter suggests and another could be light years apart ... OR, at least, feel like it ...

Because PROPER frame fitting is as much an art as it is a science ... AND, what is vogue one year may not be in another ...

Further, an 'okay' fit today may be considered to be a terrible fit tomorrow if your riding style changes.

In my opinion, UNLESS the fitter is going have you sit on a sizing gizmo (or, an actual) bike for 3+ hours, the fitting may be meaningless because it often takes more than a few minutes to determine whether something is going to be comfortable, or not.

Of course, if you are only riding 10-or-less miles at a time, then the fit is less important.

Fitting is more than just the frame size ...

AND, while a 56cm frame that is measured CENTER-TO-CENTER might be suitable (perhaps, perfect!?!) for someone who is your height IF said person were a young-and-aggressive rider, my recollection is that TREK frames are measured CENTER-TO-TOP ... and, "top" is a moving target depending on the frame maker being either the top of the top tube OR the top of the seat tube 'extension' that is above the top tube! All of THAT means that a 56cm TREK is actually a 54cm frame, or smaller; and, that would be too small for most people who are 6' tall, regardless of your proportions UNLESS you are a former CAT-somethingorother racer.

So, right off the bat, I'm going to say that the guy doesn't know what he is talking about ... and, THAT particular size frame is wrong for you.

You probably (but, not necessarily) want a frame whose top tube (real OR virtual) is 57cm (22.5"😉 to 58cm (22.75"😉, depending on how young and/or flexible you are ... and probably, about a 120mm stem.

If the 56cm TREK has a 56cm top tube, then someone your height would probably need a 140mm stem to get a "proper" fit ... and, I think that using a 140mm stem is a last resort as far as tweaking the "fit" goes.

FWIW. Three people I know who bought their then-new bikes from a shop which has a "Serotta" frame fitting gizmo are still putzing with the fit! One of those people is a guy who is between 5'10 & 5'11" was sold a 58cm Kestrel because the shop owner seems to prefer to size the frame as if it were 1975 when only a handful of seatpost was exposed (nothing wrong with that philosophy, mind you) ... IMO, the 58cm Kestrel looks a tad too large (for him) & he is still trying to dial in the fit!

Professional fitting? While endorsed by many, in my opinion it is way over-rated UNLESS the guy actually understands a lot about physiology and you are looking for that last quantum-of-whatever which you can't ascertain from time in the saddle. Presuming the frame size is close-to-right, for $200 you can buy a lot of stems/etc. of varying sizes.

[CENTER]---[/CENTER]

A bazillion years ago when I got my first "bike shop" bike, they sold me a 23.5" GITANE (i.e., a 60cm seat tube with a 57cm top tube & 90mm stem) ...

I'm 5'9" and was probably almost an inch shorter at the time! Nice job sizing the frame, eh?

Fortunately (by accident, I think!), the top tube & stem length were right (close enough) & the "reach" on my current bikes is somehow, basically the same (!?!) where the combined top tube + stem == ~66cm +/- ... variation does exist based on the varying further forward reach & width of different handlebars on different bikes that I have but the total distance from an arbitrary point on the saddle to the back edge of the horn of the hoods is within a half-inch from bike-to-bike.

Of course, in the instance of acquiring my Gitane, the only "reach" which the shop clerk/owner was probably concerned with was whether or not I could extend my hand far enough toward him with the money in it so that he could [censored] it from my hand before I put the money back in my wallet.

alfeng said:

The difference between aluminum & alloy for a chemist is significant ... however, for a bicycle wheel, the difference is the spelling.

that cracked me up. would you mind alfeng if i were to use that as my sig on another site?

roadhouse said:

that cracked me up. would you mind alfeng if i were to use that as my sig on another site?

Permission granted.

thank you sir.

i don't see where as a first time buyer that paying even $1 would be appropriate for a bike fit in any way. i would walk away on that note alone.

Thanks alot alfeng and roadhouse. I'm gonna go check out a different bike shop.