Well, as you can see, I went for the Trek, only I went for the 1200 instead of the 1000. It has a lighter sturdier frame, a carbon fork and seat post, and a better drive train and shifting mechanism. It was also $300 more, but well worth it.
I picked it up tonight after waiting for it for a week (which seemed like an eternity, trust me) and it was so worth the wait. The damn thing flies. I was going so fast so easily that I really thought I was in trouble. I only rode it one mile, but I was in love.
It’s quiet, which is nice. No squeaks, creaks, or rattles. And it just feels so solid on the road. The gears shift almost silently, and the breaks stop on a dime. In fact, they stop so hard that I was worried I was going to endo the bars. Very impressive.
Tomorrow is the big day, though. I take it out for a real ride solo in the morning (gonna try to put in a few miles) and then tomorrow afternoon the goal is 25-30 miles; kind of a dry run for the MS ride on October 17th.
I can hardly wait to wake up.
More details on the Trek 1200 can be found here. It looks like a high price tag, but as of now it seems to have been worth every single penny.