My Road Bike

My 58cm 2005 Trek 1500 SLR

During the summer of 2005 I was laid up by the removal of my wisdom teeth and happened to catch the Tour de France. Previously solely a runner, I quickly became obsessed; oftentimes watching the broadcasted stage twice in one day. I was utterly engaged in the battle between Armstrong, Basso, and Ulrich for the podium.

Recognizing that cycling was more than a passing interest, I began searching for a road bike to purchase. As at this point I had no involvement with the sport, I lacked the depth of knowledge that 4 years of continued recreational bike shopping has instilled within me. I did know, however, to pursue an aluminum frame equipped with a 105 drivetrain.  At a local store, Rainier Cycle Sports of Tacoma, WA (which I recommend extremely highly), I came across Trek's 1500 and knew on my very first ride that this bike was the one. From the patriotic color scheme to the incredible value of a mixed-105/Ultegra drivetrain for just $1000, this was everything I'd wanted.

I still vividly remember my first ride. It was brief, just a few miles, but left an indelible impression. After a short lifetime of casually riding mountain bikes, the new road bike felt like a motorcycle as I flew along my local roadways.

Since that initial ride the bike has received a few upgrades. Embracing cycling incited a natural progression into the pursuit of triathlon, and Profile Design Airstryke aerobars were soon added and later replaced by Profile Design Carbon Strykes. The next upgrade was a necessity, as I found the OEM Bontrager saddle's rounded contour did not suit my personal needs. A Fizik Arione stepped up to the task perfectly, however. From the aesthetic appeal to the adjustability of a longer saddle and concomitantly longer rail to the comfort of a semi-custom perforated shell, I love this saddle. I also purchased a set of Ksyrium Elites from one of my closest friends for use as a race wheelset, and greatly enjoy the Elite's stiffness and bladed-spoke facilitated speed. The most recent upgrade lies in the use of Mavic R-SYS wheels (recently reviewed on this blog) which were very generously given to me as a college graduation present. Though controversial for the possibility of failure, the performance of the R-SYS wheelset is exceptional, and they are still perfectly true after several months of some very hard riding.

If you're in the market for an entry-level road bike capable of racing at introductory and high levels, and you appreciate incredible value, I recommend you give one of the 1500's successors a strong look.