I have waited a year now to buy the perfect bike. For a while I was tempted to go with the 5.2, but why be responsible when you can spend an insane amount of money to shave a pound off your bike? This morning I went to Thanksgiving Point to an Apple Educator Conference. We were just a few miles from the Trek store, but I didn’t feel right using a University car to engage in my hobbies so we didn’t go. When I got home my wife mentioned that she needed to run some errands in Ogden and when should we go? I knew there was a shop in that area that had a couple of Madones so I figure I can endure fabric stores for a visit to the bike shop.
It was totally worth the effort. I walk in the door of the shop and start chatting with guys. They tell me that Trek just so happens to be in town doing test rides. I get my butt up to the Weber State Stadium (location of said test rides) as fast as I can. Sure enough they had several Madones and I was able to spend time figuring out the right size. They swapped stems and frames. I wish I would have know they would be there. I would have taken my bike clothes and shoes. At any rate, we figured out that the 58” is a better fit. I used a 90mm stem with a 17 degree rise. I wonder if a 12 degree wouldn’t be better, but I might not find a Bontrager stem with those specs. That is fine.
I was pretty sure I was going to do a Project One so that I could get a SRAM Red groupset. The guys around here lean that way. The guys at the shop down there and the Trek rep both said that for the money they would go with the stock bike. The price works out such that I can do a stock Trek 6.9 and get Race XXX Lite wheels or do a Project One with Race X Lite but get the Red Group. It is a hard call. Maybe it shouldn’t be. I still don’t know what to do. I don’t want 2008 to be over before I get a new bike. I really wish I could get the new Dura Ace 7900 but we won’t see that until September which means it won’t ship until next spring.