'10 Trek

Comments:

This is August 12, 2012 for this review. My background is an avid cyclist and I have owned a trek 5500 road bike for over 8 years now. I have commuted to work on mountain bikes, my Trek and a old (but classic) steel framed Pinarello. My commute to work is 24km each way with some decent hills each way. I bought this bike used and the previous owner had only 150km on it so it was really like new. He had put SKS fenders on it and Ortleib rear panniers too! First thing I did was put my favorite Selle Italia SLR saddle and Look clipless pedals on. I've ridden it about a month now and have put ~1,000kms on it riding only to and from work. This bike is a large (I ride a 57cm Trek road bike) and fits me fine (6 feet tall with a 35in inseam). I learned a difficult lesson from this bike on my second day commuting with it. I CRASHED!! I was going ~20km/h and I went to go up on the sidewalk because traffic ahead was pinching in near a light and I think what happened is that I rode it like my 5500 road bike and when I hit the ramp to go up on the sidewalk I hopped the front wheel up and then bam I was down on the drive side. Some definite road rash and a bruised ego for sure but I learned that I can NOT treat this bike like my 17 pound road bike. No damage at all to the bike other than the end of the bar scraped up. I weighed this bike after that and it was 48lbs without my clothes and lunch in the rear pannier. I think the front wheel washed out as I did not anticipate the extreme rear weight bias this bike has. I've ridden probably 20,000+km in the past 5 years and have only crashed one other time on some black ice. Anyways, I ride this bike with caution when I am not riding in a straight line. I only weigh 160lbs and the steering is super light and the bike feels very twitchy to me. When I get to work, it is a struggle for me to get the bike up the stairs and through the door with the rear weighing so much. The bike is 50+ pounds when I go to work. Just do not ride it like a regular road bike and I am fine. I slow when I hit any bumps and the bike is very twitchy. Now the good part - the e-assist!!!! I wanted to ride to work and not arrive sweaty. Hard to do previously with my 24km (15 mile) eache way commute. No problem now! I use the assist on every hill I encounter. I will use it if it is windy too. My goal is to only use ~50% or a bit more of the battery on the way to work. I will ride slower to acheive this if I have to. I ride to work in 54-55 minutes easy and I ride home in just under 50 mins but I really ride hard going home since I have a shower waiting for me. About 5km from home I ramp whatever assist I have left to use most of the battery up. Only once have I not purposely run the battery down to zero bars on my 48km total commute. Otherwise I still have about 1 bar left. I use level 1 alot on my way TO work with the odd burst of 2 on the steepest hill sections. I find the 32km/h assist cut-off to be a bit of a pain as I really notice it so I try not to ride faster that 32km/h while using the assist. I don't think I have ever used the middle ring, only the middle 6 or 7 gears only of the big (50 tooth?) ring. Have NEVER used the granny ring. My fastest ave time home has been just over 29km/h average! I took the bike up a killer 15% - 1 mile long - hill nearby and I used level 4 to break my alltime record that I had done on my 5500 road bike!! I should add that on my commutes home I can still hammer it and I get my HR up to 160+ no problem. The bike needs you to pedal still and you can put in whatever effort you want. The bike will not pedal for you. I love this bike and I would not be commuting without it as there are no showers at my work. I wish I could up the limiter to 40km/h though for those flat sections. Just pay attention to the extreme rear weight bias and you are fine. I hope that later on I can upgrade the battery so I can use level 2,3 & 4 more on my commute. Recap: for my 48km (30 mile) commute I can use level 1 70% of the time, level 2 10% of the time and no assist 20% of the time and still have 10-15%?? (1 bar) battery left - and that is with hills. charging takes ~3hrs Thanks to Trek for making this bike - I will be upgrading my old 5500 when electronic shifting comes down abit in price with another Trek road bike. Sorry for the long review, hopefully I have covered things that a prospective buyer may be wondering about. I did my research before buying and I wanted a Trek only as there seemed to be no other reputable alternatives.

Comments:

First off, great bike for commuting..battery lasts a long time and the boost is nice. Get the negative out of the way first.. the owners manual I got with it was out of date, for the G1 system while the bike came with the G2 system. Thus was unable to set the clock emailed Treks customer service 2 weeks ago and have yet to get a response except for the automated "got your question" response. However, I went to the Bionx site and downloaded the proper manual. This allowed me to set the clock and cure my second gripe. As delivered from the LBS the - and + buttons were on the closest to stem side, not convenient. The Bionx manual showed how to flip the buttons to the grip side..much better. The system worked much better than I though it would..really great IMO. I commute cross town a few sizable hills..no problem. Have commuted on road bikes, cyclecross bikes and this is the way to go for the assist for less than perfect shape riders and a hedge for big hills and heavy winds.

Comments:

My 60 year old husband with COPD, lung lymphoma, 2 new knees, and a new hip rode his 2011 Trek FX+ halfway across America with me on the TransAm Trail this summer. Oregon coast to Pueblo, Colorado this year, Pueblo to the east coast next year. If you've ever wanted to, buy a new seat and you can do it on this bike. See our blog at:Http://bicyclelife.topicwise.com/doc/yumadons1

Comments:

This bicycle is what I'd been wishing for. I'm middle aged, average physical condition and I've had some knee issues. A regular bike is fine for me when there isn't any headwind and the terrain is flat, but how often does that happen when the scenery is interesting? It's been said before, but this bike really does flatten the hills and help equalize riding into the wind. And sometimes I'm just tired but enjoy riding the bike around the neighborhood which helps my mental attitude. Friends who I've let try this bike want one. Period. It's fun, healthy and has me looking for new opportunities to ride it somewhere.

Comments:

As a young man I loved my bikes for very long rides as well as a way to go without the expence of a car. Now at 50 without having driven a bike at all in many years biking to work didn't seem to be an option. I came across ads for electric bikes and started doing some research. It seemed the more careful reviewers were all in harmaony that the trek/bionx electric bikes were wonderful if a bit pricey. I took a test ride and was impressed. I decided to spend freely on a gift to myself and I am not feeling any buyers remorse. This is perfect if you want to ride to work and not arrive winded and sweaty. I can easily travel moderately hilly terain with ease. I am averaging about 17 miles per hour which given my condition is wonderful. With the assist on its highest setting (there are four settings) I can go about 15 miles at about 20 mph and then need to re-charge. I feel like I am riding a regular old bike until I encounter wind and hills. The assist technology simply makes those impediments non-existant. It's fun. It looks like a normal bike. It's wisper quiet. If you can afford the price and need to arrive at work professionally dressed,and your commute is less than 15 miles I would highly recommend this bike. It is a bit heavy and balances different than a traditional bike. Of course I would have liked a lighter less expencive battery with greater range. I am no expert and these limits may just be the limits of present battery technology. But these concerns pale in contrast with the ability to get in the open air and enjoy my bike like I was 20 again. An added bonus is the quick acceleration. It makes moving through start and stop traffic a breeze. For longer commutes I would recommend a second charger to keep at work. Warning - Do not test drive unless you are ready to drop a few grand. Once you ride it, if you are anything like me, you will have to have it.

Comments:

A delight. Wonderful ride both with and without power. Regeneration is a major plus. Down steep hills here in Derbyshire I can put one blip back in the battery - amazing. The range is extended by riding under own power on the flat and using regeneration with tail winds. Exceeds my greatest expectations. Friends like it because it does not look like an electric bike. It puts a smile on your face every time you ride it. It has allowed me to return to full time cycling after minor injury in the groin had prevented me from regular riding. On the downside the slick tyres are just not grippy enough for the trails around here. The bars were too narrow for my hands to easily operate the gears. The ergo grips were very uncomfortable for me with a little artheritis in my hands. Easily solved by fitting wider bars, bar ends and foam grips. I purchased the bike with my own funds after testing other electric assist bikes - none of the others were as good.

Comments:

Just started commuting on this bike and it's fantastic. My commuting before was hamstrung by the fact that my ride home involved a choice: Either the flat route which is way scary with traffic or the long way which is pretty hilly and often made it unappealing enough that the thought of riding home after a 10 or 11 hr day...not good (boy, does that say a lot about *me*!) This bike makes it a no-brainer. I can put in as much effort as I feel like. Yesterday I took part of our recycling to the drop off and did a grocery trip and never broke a sweat. Don't get me wrong: I love a great workout but there are times when I'd like to use a bike for running errands but don't want to deal with being sweaty and exhausted.

Comments:

The best part of riding this bike is passing up all the serious bikers on the road with the classic look of "How did you pass me up!". Talk about a needed EGO boost, golly geee it is fun. At the end of the day, this bike makes me want to ride more. :)

Comments:

I have had the Trek FX+ for about a month and it is a joy to ride. I have ridden it to work and back every day since I got it. I greatly prefer the bike to my car. The only time the ride was not enjoyable was the day it poured rain on my way home and I had no rain gear. Every friend who has taken the bike for a test ride has been enthusiastic and even amazed at its performance. Acceleration from a stop is rapid. Start to pedal and zoom off. The bike cruises at 20 mph at maximum power, requiring little effort from the rider unless going up a hill. My commute is short, only 4 miles, but I would arrive sweaty at work if I rode my non-electric bike; as a consequence, I seldom rode it. The FX+ is fun!

Comments:

If you're at all interested in the concept, you owe it to yourself to take one for a test ride. I drove 2 hours to the nearest dealer, test rode one & drove home with it. So far this year, I've already commuted more than I did all of last year combined, the FX+ just takes away all of my excuses. The bike does just what the website says. I have a monster hill on the ride in to work. My first ride up it on the FX+ I was at the top before I realized it. The bike still requires you to pedal, so you're not getting off free, but it truly does "flatten the hills". For myself, it's been the difference between riding or not on several days. I find myself grabbing the FX+ for a lot of trips I used to take my car for. The bike has been great so far & has revolutionized my own biking routine. The ride is very comfortable, coming from my last bike (A Marin Mill Valley) and the seat is the most comfortable one I've yet ridden. The bike has some downsides to be sure. For one, it's heavy. The battery & assorted cables add about 16 pounds to the bike. I originally thought that I would ride it without the battery when I wasn't commuting, but I find that I still ride my old bike for those times. Also, the rear hub on mine stopped working. The Trek store was great about it & replaced the wheel & I've been trouble free ever since, but I still figured I should put that in. All in all, this is the perfect commuter bike for those who have commutes with hills on them.