buying a road bike

yea im just gonna be using it for training. im planning to go ride the farm roads in ladner and stuff.
i like the look of most of those bikes. so i guess i got to go try some out. im planning to go to some shops this weekend bsp,dizzy probly as i dont really feel like driving to the shore.
so dizzy= specialized,trek
bsp= cannondale, giant?
and the shop in tsawwassen has some of the lower giants in stock
i think that will be a good starting point to try out some different bikes
thanks for all the help

Go to Steed and talk to Kim, Steve, or Scott. Those boys will give you the love ya need.

Fit is important on a road bike, but just so you know you do have some lateral 'play' with your sizing. It doesn't nessicarily have to be perfectly spot on for most people. For me personally, I have owned bikes that have been fitted to me and ones that should be slightly too small, but the ride characteristics and performance were never an issue.

The only thing I have to add is that if you're buying a new bike, you might as well get one that fits. All the big bike companies make models at the lower end, so you have plenty to choose from.

OTOH, if you're going budget used and might flip the bike a few months down the road, then you could certainly live with a too big or too small bike.

yeah, for that range, fit is the most important.
if you have long legs for your height, get a trek
if you have medium to short legs for your height, get a specialized
if you have short to real short legs for your height, get a lemond
if you like harsh riding junk, get a giant

if you have long legs for your height, get a trek
if you have short to real short legs for your height, get a lemond

umm, what?

the geometry between many trek and lemond models is almost identical, with the traditional flat top tube (not sloped like Specialized). compare a trek 1500 or 2100 to the same priced aluminum lemond models with 105 components on them. you'll find the seat tube, top tube, and head tube lengths to be nearly identical, except that lemonds come in odd sizes (55, 57, 59) instead of 54, 56, 58, 60 cm.

they are, after all, made by the same company in the same factories.

if you have long legs for your height, get a trek
if you have short to real short legs for your height, get a lemond

umm, what?

the geometry between many trek and lemond models is almost identical, with the traditional flat top tube (not sloped like Specialized). compare a trek 1500 or 2100 to the same priced aluminum lemond models with 105 components on them. you'll find the seat tube, top tube, and head tube lengths to be nearly identical, except that lemonds come in odd sizes (55, 57, 59) instead of 54, 56, 58, 60 cm.

umm, what?

the geometry between many trek and lemond models is almost identical, with the traditional flat top tube (not sloped like Specialized). compare a trek 1500 or 2100 to the same priced aluminum lemond models with 105 components on them. you'll find the seat tube, top tube, and head tube lengths to be nearly identical, except that lemonds come in odd sizes (55, 57, 59) instead of 54, 56, 58, 60 cm.

Not identical. Close, but "close" fit on a road bike isn't "fit".
Lemonds, at that price, have compact geometry. relative to their incrementally longer effective TT (IE 57 Lemond fits more like a 58 Trek) and slacker (by one degree) Seat-Tube, giving a longer-torsoed rider a better fit. This Same 57 fits in between a Specialized 56 and 58 as far as top-tube lengths go.

This 57 Lemond, also for example, has 23 cm more standover that the shorter Trek 58.

So, that is why. We all know they are made in the same factory, but they are not the same bike. The only real reason to buy a Trek anyways is cause Lance rides one, didnt you know that? Jeez.

you're right, comparing the two most similar mid-range frames used by trek and lemond… some differences not immediately apparent in the photos. comparison using the size I would ride:

2006 lemond alpe d'huez (105/ultegra, aluminum/carbon seatstays) 57cm:
headtube 73.5 degree
effective top tube 57.5cm
standover 78.5cm
head tube length: 17.1cm

2006 trek 2100 (105/ultegra, aluminum/carbon seatstays) 58cm
headtube 73.8 degree
top tube 56.7cm horizontal
standover 81.0cm
head tube length 16.1cm

but enough mass-market Trek/Lance wannabe bikes, how about a Cinelli Proxima, Columbus Zonal tubing:

or a Pinarello