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The bike will literally flatten the hills and make the headwinds disappear. The silent drive system is just that - silent - no whining. Did I mention how smooth the ride is? The bike wheel base and 700 X 32c tires provide handling to match the ride. My bike is a 17.5" frame and the only con I have is how low the water bottle mount is on the frame. It is a bit of a reach when you put the bottle back in the cage. It shortened my commute time by ten minutes. I can take it easy on the days I feel tired and get a workout when I am feeling strong. I have owned four other electric assist bikes (since 1996) - the TREK FX+ is truly state of the art.

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I just got this bike for commuting in Fairbanks, Alaska. I ride 12 miles each way with big hills between home and work and it makes all the difference! I was a little nervous (big price tag for my income) but now that I have it I am so glad I took the risk. Really fun, and now I have no excuse for not riding to work.

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This is a fantastic bike. I only live 10 miles from work, but 2 of them are straight up a pretty steep hill. Riding up it really killed me and I would get to work sweaty and beat. The Trek website says that the Ride+ system 'flattens' hills. That is the truth. I was able to ride straight up the hill with no real problems on my first ride into the office. Best of all, when I got there, I still had gotten a workout, but I wasn't drenched in sweat. The assist works just like they describe it. I was able to cut 10 minutes off my ride into work and put a lot more enjoyment into my ride. It also helps after work. Some days I have stuff to do at night & have to get home fast. I used to drive on those days because by the time I got home from work on the bike, it was cutting it too close to risk missing my appointment. With this bike and the extra charger at work, I can put it on assist level 4 & hammer all the way home. It cuts a good 10 minutes off my commute if I do that. I'm sure some people would argue that I'm not getting the full benefit of the exercise, but if I am able to ride the bike instead of take the car, I could it as a win. At the end of the day, I ride because I enjoy it & anything that helps me to ride in situations where I would normally take the car is a winner in my book. The positives I've experienced with this bike are: 1. Comfortable ride. This could just be the fact that the bike is newer, but I find it to be a much more comfortable ride than my previous ride (Marin Mill Valley). The Marin is definitely faster, but this one rides much more comfortably. 2. It allows me to ride at times/places when I would have driven in the past. 3. It's a nice crutch. I've found it very nice to have the assist 'just in case'. It's a nice feeling to be able to outrun the incoming storm, or for those days when you just don't have it. I can pop on the assist and cruise. I find that I use this bike mainly for commuting and for errands around town. For my serious riding, I still prefer my other bikes, but this bike is almost a perfect replacement for my car. The only downsides I've seen are 1. The battery life is not that great. This may have to do with the steep hill I climb every day, but the battery seems to have just enough juice for a round trip to work & back. I haven't run out of battery yet, but I am usually on one or no bars when I get home from work. I bought an extra charger to keep at the office to help with this issue. 2. The bike is heavy. I originally thought I would use the bike without the battery to replace my current bike, but this bike is a good 10 pounds heavier than the same bike (Trek 7.5) without the assist (even without the battery), so I find myself riding my older bike (Marin Mill Valley) when I am not using the battery 3. Reliability. The rear hub stopped working on my third ride on the bike. The shop was great about getting it fixed, and so far I have not had any other trouble with the bike aside from that. I know this is a newer concept for Trek, so I give them some slack in the reliability department. I'm sure things will get better as the line matures. This review would have been 5 stars had I not experienced the problem with the hub.

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I purchased the FX+ yesterday from Bicycle Habitat in New York City and had my first 14 mile commute each way this morning. The temperature was around 20 degrees, with 20 mph winds and wind chills down to 4 degrees. The good news is I made it in. Now about the bike: The ride on the bike is Amazing! My old bike, which is a mountain bike, was quite bumpy through the NYC potholes. However, the FX+ just seems to smooth them right out and really gives an amazing ride. The weight of the bike with the motor is less than the weight of my old mountain bike, without a motor. The grips on the handlebars are a little unconventional, but really comfortable when riding. The battery was also great. I used a little more than a half, using levels 2, 3, and 4. This is a great bike for someone who is really serious about riding. It is a very fast bike and a light one as well. Do not be fooled by the motor and thinking that it will do all the work for you. The bike will get you in shape and help you on days that you "just don't have it". As an aside, I also changed out the seat. When they say Trek dealers are amazing, it is true. I would like to thank Matt, from Bicycle Habitat for spending an amazing amount of time on helping me decide between the FX+ and the Valencia+. He also did a great job in helping me pick a new saddle and outfitting my bike with the things I needed. In the pursuit of happiness, owning the Trek FX+, I have achieved happiness. Below is a little history of my riding experience, before buying the Trek FX+. If you have no interest, please skip. I started biking about 7 months ago from Brooklyn to Manhattan, which was approximately 5 miles. My bike is a Montague folding bike so I would drive my car for the first 9 miles and then bike to work the remaining 5 miles. The only issue I had with biking was that the Williamsburg Bridge was a killer for me due to the incline. I would have to rest about 10 minutes after making it up the bridge. After about a month, I increased to 9 miles but found that I could only do it two days a week and I had to give myself rest days in between. I wound up installing the Currie 450W electric motor kit. I was then able to do 9 miles each way three days a week and 14 miles each way two days a week. I am hoping by the summertime to be doing 14 miles each way every day, with the Trek FX+. What got me really motivated was: 1) Health – I was having problems with my feet. 2) Monthly cost of commuting – Lease = $350; Insurance = $150; Gas = $175; Parking = $425; Tolls = $200. My total monthly commuting cost was a whopping $1,300!! Cost for cycling in to work is: – Lease = $0 Insurance = $0; Gas = $0; Parking = $0; Tolls = $0; Charging battery = $1.75. My total monthly commuting cost is now $1.75!! Note: The lease down payment is a wash for the cost of the bike. I do know, for the cycling "purists" out there, that using an electric bike is frowned upon. However, when you are doing a 14 mile commute each way, it really becomes difficult and time consuming to do it without any help at all, besides having to give yourself rest days in between. Normally, 2-3 days a week I bike very hard, only using about 5% of the battery and the days in between I normally use around 30%-40% of the battery. The electric to me is a tool to help me become a better biker. Please note that I am in my late 40's, so if I can do it – anyone can! I do cycle into work in the winter also and always wonder where all the cycling purists are?