Who do you believe when buying a bike?

Who do you believe when buying a bike? A visit to one specialist store dismisses the award-winning Boardman range, and steers me clearly towards an Italian range of bikes. Now I love the look of De Rosa, Bianchi and Wilier bikes and adore the finish of their welding and the lustrous paint jobs. My heart even skips a beat at the mention of Campagnolo groupsets. But in the back of my mind when I hear Italian, I hear Alfa Romeo. Gorgeous to look at, but never a car to coin the phrase, "If only everything in life was as reliable as a..." When it comes to cars I'm in the German / Japanese camps, and in my bike life Shimano has never let me down, so it's definitely the frontrunner for my new road bike.

And as the Italian bike vendor will only let me pootle round the car park for a trial (crazy when the prize tags touch four figures), I slice my shortlist to two bikes, the Trek 2.1 and the Specialized Secteur Elite, both a smidgin under £1K. Time for a test ride...

The Specialized is first out of the blocks, and immediately disappoints. Yes, it's exceptionally comfortable, from a great saddle to a relaxed riding position, but it's just got no snap or go. The wheelbase feels very long, the wheels are wider than I'm used to at 700x25, and while the Shimano 105 gears click smoothly, the three chain ring has too many 'easy' gears. I can't escape the conclusion that this is the cycling equivalent of Driving Miss Daisy. Brilliant for a long haul tour to the South of France, but definitely closer to a tourer than a racing bike. And I don't want to be making excuses for being late every day at work.

This places undue pressure on the Trek to perform. Happily it does. The comparison isn't quite fair, as the bike shop has given me a 2.3 to try (£1,175 and head-to-toe Shimano 105 components) rather than the sub-£1,000 2.1, but it's the frame and riding position that make the difference. Even with clips not SPDs there's a sense of urgency in the bike, a nimbleness on its 700x23 wheels that means business. The riding position is still comfortable - I'm not horizontal like a time-triallist - although I reckon I'd change the saddle pretty swiftly. But all in all it feels like a genuine step-up from my old Trek 1000.

Interestingly (well, not really, but I'll tell you anyway) I've downsized to a 56cm frame. I'm accustomed to a 58cm frame with a short stem, but the shorter reach seems much more natural and improves my feeling of control, even if I'm unlikely to ever find myself in a Cavendish-style finish.

Time now to check whether my wallet can stretch the extra £200 to the 2.3 or whether I should play safe with the 2.1 and upgrade it piece-by-piece.