Trek 1000 (2007) or Jamis Ventura Sport (2008)??

I wanna buy an entry level road bike for entry level racing and possibly light touring. I've been reading in reviews that a Trek 1000 is an awesome entry level bike. How do it compare to the Jamis Ventura Sport? the Trek used is about the same price as the Jamis new, so there's a price difference. To ppl who know more about bikes, could you please give some advice? :)

The reviews are right. The Trek 1000 is in fact an awesome entry level bike and was probably one of the best selling road bikes in the market. I'm not a big fan of Trek because of the way it conducts business but Trek's bikes are race-proven and well-designed. They're definitely not pieces of parts bolted together. Between the two, the Trek 1000 is better. Hence the price difference. They're both bottom of the barrel in terms of components but the Trek has a carbon fork which people find helpful when descending down bumpy hills because carbon is shock absorbing. It also has a carbon seat post which doesn't make much of a difference (as people have found out) aside from making your bike look more expensive. The Trek has Shimano Sora brakes which are slightly better than the Tektro brakes on the Jamis. Everything else is basically the same or similar. They both use their own house brand parts but Trek's Bontrager is probably the better of the two. Trek is also known for their sweet paint jobs on their road bikes. You can actually custom order your own paint job for thousands more but this one isn't bad.

In terms of geometry, you would find that the Jamis is more comfortable in touring because it gives you a more upright position so your back probably won't hurt as much. The Trek 1000 uses the old aerodynamic racing position which has been pretty much outdated this year. Most new 2008 bikes from many brands don't offer this position anymore because it requires you to bend your back so much.

In the end, you're really down to whether you want slightly better performance + quality vs. comfort + value. Honestly, between these two, you don't have to stress too much about it. They're both going to be very, very similar. You'll end up liking either one you buy.

I have a 2008 Jamis Ventura Sport and this bike is amazing! The Jamis is perfect for touring, racing or any other thing. I also am a beginner at road bikes and I feel that the Jamis Ventura Sport is the bike to get. Hope this Helps!