I just bought My Trek 5000 (7/31/04), This bike is awesome !! It handles like a Ferrari and corners very well !! I was opting for a 5200 or 5900, I figured the $$ that I saved I could go buy a very nice pair of "Lance" cycling shoes made by Nike (of course). eventually I will upgrade parts (Dura ace, XXX Lite forks etc) Right Now I have just started to make the transistion from mountain to road and I still have a ways to go b4 I do upgrade.

Pros: Very light. Responsive but comfortable. High head-turning factor.

Cons: replaced stock stem right away. Seat is adequate but will be replaced soon.

Trek has hit a home run with the Trek 5000. It is the first sub $2000 full carbon fiber frame bike from the major manufacturers (Cannondale, Specialized, etc). They have taken the Trek 5200 and made the wheels slightly lower end, replaced the Ultragra brake calipers with 105 and kept a full Ultegra drive train. The frame soaks up road shock and vibration while being super rigid. What a great accomplishment!! Great road feel -- lively without beating you up like aluminum.

I was able to ride most of the local bike trail in a 53x19, quite an accomplishment for this over-the-hill 40-something weekend warrior. On other bikes, I was wasting too much energy bending the frame and was usually in a 52x21 or 22. Instant speed!