Advice about Trek Pilot 2.1

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Ralphy
Posts: 198
Joined: Wed Jul 21, 2010 11:41 pm
Location: Iowa

Post by Ralphy »

I'm still pretty new when it comes to understanding the more expensive bikes. Most of my riding has been on the typical Wal-Mart mountain bike. I scored a Marin Muirwoods for free this spring, and I was pretty amazed at what an upgrade that was from a 'normal' bike.
There's a Trek Pilot 2.1 at our local pawn shop for $850. My questions are -
1) is that a good price for that bike?

2) is that a good quality bike?

3) would it be a bad move for an inexperienced rider to spend that much on a bike?
The Marin is my commuter, I'm possibly interested in a nicer bike for recreational rides and some future low-key triathlon races. I have enough money to buy the bike, just curious if it's a decent fit.
Thanks!


jacob
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Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 8:38 pm
Location: USA, Zone 5b, Koppen Dfa, Elev. 620ft, Walkscore 77
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Post by jacob »

1) Yeah, that's not bad. It's not a carbon frame, so no danger of hidden cracks from crashes.

2) The fun starts at 105 components, so I'd say yes. This actually looks like a newer and similar priced version of my racer. It is competitive and speed issues is the rider's fault at this point ;-)

3) Depends ... you'll enjoy this ride a lot more than the Marin... probably a similar step up once more compared to the WMT bike. It's very important that the frame has the right size (this one comes in 61, 58, 55, 53, and 50 cm). That's something which is difficult to know for an inexperienced rider. While the frame size measures the distance from the crank to the top bar, what it actually determines is the distance between the seat and the handlebars. It's the thing that's the hardest to compensate for if you get the wrong one. It depends on your torso length.
Oh, and chain rings come in three forms
double) Fit and strong person. Shifts perfectly.

triple) Double plus granny gear. I must admit that on very rare occasions I would have liked a granny ring, like 15%+ inclines. It complicates the shifting. The chain may jump. Wifey has a Tiagra triple; she complains all the time. Then again, she tends to ride a lot on the middle ring --- not so good.

compact) A compromise. The smaller ring is smaller. Effectively you lose a gear on the top and gain one at the bottom. Increasingly popular. Also, usually not a stock => Extra $$$.


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