Winter road bike; Trek 1.2?

[jay clock]

I "need" another bike. SInce moving, all my bikes live in sheds in the garden, and have to be lugged through the house. I do keep one bike indoors ready for action. That is currently my road bike. I also have a Carerra Subway which is great as an all rounder, but have decided that the one bike I should keep indoors is a winter road bike. ie, road bike with mudguards, and possibly a light rack for small panniers.

After a bit of research I am going for a Trek 1.2. My LBS has the 08 model for £399 plus £25 for the mudguards. This sounds like a deal and means trips to the swimming pool, errands etc can be done, as well as club rides. I can then put my better road bike away for the winter.

Any views before I commit myself?

 

[Angelfishsolo]

Found this review.

The Trek 1.2 gets high marks for safety. The balanced geometry (nearly matching 73.5 and 73.6 head and seat angles on our 56cm test model), squarish cockpit (55.7cm effective top tube on our 56), and a generous wheelbase and fork offset combine to create a ride feel our most race-oriented tester termed "slightly sluggish." (Read our review of Trek's high-end Madone 5.2 OCLV Black). For the bike's intended customer, that's a positive: A near-rookie tester said, "I never had any problems going where I needed to. I felt more stable on this bike than on any of the others I've ridden recently." All testers agreed that the enjoyment of the secure, stable ride was lessened by the weak-feeling, no-name brakes. "It's the only part of the bike that stops you from discovering the joy of the sport," says one tester.

How about them hills? Given the proven performance of compact double chainrings, we thought the 1.2's 50/39/30 triple chainring would be a demerit (triples add weight and, in general, can be more finicky to shift). But for this bike's ideal rider, the extra gearing proved to be a boon. This bike, like all others at this price, is never going to float up hills. But gear down and settle in, and the 1.2 will get you to the top with minimal pain.
In fact, the bike seems designed to reward the modest: It's difficult, for instance, to activate the thumb button of the Shimano shifters with your hands in the drops, which tells you this isn't a setup for aggressive riders. Instead, sit up and enjoy the scenery. Maybe the underpowered brakes are part of that vibe, but they still should be strong enough to get you out of trouble when your focus wanders.

- Ray Ignosh and Bill Strickland

HITS: Well-balanced design feels super stable even to beginners; triple chainring helps you climb
MISS: Brakes feel underpowered
PRICE: $770
SPEC:
WEIGHT: 20.54 lb. (56cm) SIZES: 43, 50, 52, 54, 56 (tested), 58, 60, 62cm FRAME: Alpha White aluminum FORK: Bontrager Approved carbon COMPONENT HIGHLIGHTS: Shimano 2203 brake/shift levers, front derailleur, Sora rear derailleur; Bontrager Sport crank, Race Basic saddle, carbon seatpost; Alex alloy rims

 

[John Ponting]

*I'm in a different market to you (possibly) but I bought a Trek 1.2T earlier this year.

So far it has done just what I wanted - mainly a return to riding after a 30 year break. Compared to a Scott Sub that I use for real utility, it is a delight to ride. Light enough for me, stiff enough, runs on rails, reasonable wheels and tyres. I agree that the brakes are a bit weak. I have a light rack with pack on mine. Adequate clearance for narrow guards.

At the momemnt it is my "good" bike but leaves me with a whole market to look forward to. May convince SWMBO that a 1.9 is 'just what I need'.

I don't think you will regret a 1.2. D or T is up to your legs.

 

[jay clock]

Thanks. the reviews I found all sounded pretty good -ie decent entry level road bike that will take mudguards. The other bike is a Scott Speedster S10 which was rrp of a well past £1000 but I got for less. I have never fallen in love with it, but it does fine as a "best " bike and I have aero bars on it for triathlons which is a big thing for me.

If I still lived in a garage I would manage with what I have, as getting the bikes out would be easier, so I am hoping this proves to be a good move.

 

[Crackle]

Have test ridden a 1.0. Nice bike. You do get toe overlap, it's a stiff ride and the compact position doesn't suit everyone - try it.

 

[jay clock]

Well I picked it up today and as it was raining, went for a spin! Really great ride, runs smoothly and water kept well at bay. Brakes not perfect but I often find new bikes have hard pads, and need to bed in as well.

I need to find a lightweight minimalist rack now (black). Any suggestions?

 

[HLaB]

Congratulations, I think I'm needing a new winter bike also and I like it to take guards and a rack also but one I could take on the club run/ commute; it just finding the room. My options as I see it are a trek or giant or perhaps a cyclocross with thinner tires for club runs or fit drops to my sirrus

I'm no expert but I believe tubus are supposed to make the best light rack but could be rear. When I copared a few in the lbs for weight/ price/ strength I opted for a Bor Yeuh rack.

 

[jay clock]

Hi HLab

My LBS had a few of these Trek 1.2's still in stock. It seems ideal for mudguards and rack and the total extra weight will be under 1kg, so still capable of club rides etc. My plan is to use my 2 small front Ortliebs on the back of it for trips to swimming. I have also ordered these lights http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Electron_5W_10W_Double_Lighting_System/5360025995/ to allow winter evening jaunts - my previous Smart twin lights were excellent but the battery rather heavy.

I have Tubus on my proper touring bike and have found that the black finish scratches through to the metal and minor rust forms. The best cheap and light rack I can find online is this http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/TorTec_Ultralite_Rear_Rack/5360018945/ but is out of stock in many of the usual online places. Will call around tomorrow. The bike and mudguards are black, so the rack needs to be too!

 

[John Ponting]

evanscycles site says they have stock.

 

[jay clock]

Just a quick update. The Trek 1.2 has been a delight. Perfect for what I wanted it to do

• commuting style rides (44km round trip to the swimming pool with small panniers)
• nip into town to the shops (M324 pedals help here so I can use normal shoes
• club ride (rare for me but did one on Sunday of 45 miles and it was perfect)

As I thought the pads were rubbish - combination of new alloy and poor pads resulted in glazed pads with alloy embedded. New pads from Decathlon have solved that. Having the mudguards has ben a real luxury in the damp autumn lanes.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

Your swimming pool has small panniers????

J

• commuting style rides (44km round trip to the swimming pool with small panniers)