Trek District - Your opinion on my bike needs!

tomfairhead

Hi,

I'm hoping to get in to cycling at a little more serious level than the odd canal towpath adventure for fun.

I have been looking around for bikes in general and due to the cycle scheme programme I am able to get a bike which is way above my usual budget.

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/ur ... t/district

I have become semi-obsessed with the idea of purchasing a Trek Distrtict and this is generally down to it's great looks over anything else, the issue is there are many mixed reviews on this bike and I cannot work out whether it'd suit me.

I have a few questions regarding this bike, which I will break down in to separate blocks for you to (hopefully) answer and help me with.

* I am generally going to use my bike for local rides around town, I live in London so there is a great mix of parks and potholes. I would also like to use my bike for long canal rides, this will involve tarmac, grass, grit, hard dirt, mud, cracks through out and tree roots galore. Is the District going to be able to cope?

* The District is a single speed bike, I'd like to add an 8 speed Alfine Shimano Hub gear to it, would this be possible and how much do these modifications usually cost (in the UK).

* Are there any alternatives that you could recommend should you feel that I really shouldn't buy this bike for the above reasons.

Many thanks for any help!!

Tom

Nerrep

If you want a geared bike, the district would be completely inappropriate. You *could* add gears to it, but it'd end up costing you several hundreds of pounds (replace entire chainset, probably the back wheel, add shifters, cables and the necessary routing) extra that you could have spent on a more suitable bike.

You might be better looking at either a hardtail mountain bike, or a hybrid (e.g. Trek FX), depending on how rough the off-road stuff you're planning on doing will be.

thel33ter

Double post :evil:

thel33ter

You would be much better off getting something already with a hub gear, the District frame also won't have cable runs for the hub gear.

Get something like this, and it has a super cool lefty fork. Then add some bright orange grips, tyres and a custom Fizik saddle with an orange stripe and it would look as cool as the Trek District.

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/can ... gn=froogle

jackthelad

I have a trek district and it is a fantastic bike.Most hills I have coped with but you do need a run at them.Putting on cyclecross tyre will cope with any canal path 700x30c,I have looked into fitting an alfine hub comes in about £280 and you can keep the belt drive with the hub.However this creates its own problem when removing the rear wheel for punctures.If you are looking at the district then you are interested in the simplicities of this bike.low maintenance,no derailler to constantly adjust,no cables or chain to stretch or to be bothered with cleaning and maintenance of a chain.The bike is perfect as it is you do not need a hub fitted-- it will cope with most small hills easily and hills over a mile long will take a little effort or you get off and walk.I have taken it over a bridge which is 6 tenths of a mile up and 5 tenths down and it managed it no problem.Like every bike it has its pros and cons

pros being pratically no maintenance and service costs kept to a minimum.
confort wise I find it more confortable with 700x25c compared to my winter bike a mtb with rigid fork and tyres marathon plus 26x1.50
fantastic as a city visiting bike,wheels of quick,bars off quick,frame in the boot of the car--no mess.

cons on the flat max speed 25mph



more info here http://trekdistrict.com/forum/

tomfairhead

Thanks for the advice so far guys. I think the simple life is what I'm aiming for when it comes to maintaining the bike. The idea of an Alfine hub was not quite as necessary as I wouldn't be doing any serious climbing.

I would use the trek all year round and due to the practicality as well as the opinion that riding a canal is nicer than roads (long distance) means I'd have to upgrade my tyres. Any idea what I should expect from the bike as standard? Are there surfaces that this bike will not handle in terms of pressure rather than grip. I don't like the idea of a puncture a week but saying that, some of London's roads are more trouble than towpaths!

Cheers again.

thel33ter

tomfairhead wrote:

Thanks for the advice so far guys. I think the simple life is what I'm aiming for when it comes to maintaining the bike. The idea of an Alfine hub was not quite as necessary as I wouldn't be doing any serious climbing.

I would use the trek all year round and due to the practicality as well as the opinion that riding a canal is nicer than roads (long distance) means I'd have to upgrade my tyres. Any idea what I should expect from the bike as standard? Are there surfaces that this bike will not handle in terms of pressure rather than grip. I don't like the idea of a puncture a week but saying that, some of London's roads are more trouble than towpaths!

Cheers again.

Some puncture proof slicks will probably be ok, otherwise cyclecross tyres will handle everything on a towpath, as long as they fit in the frame.

jackthelad

I bought mines as a winter bike with no hassle

I have put full mudguards on for the wet weather and 25c bontragger puncture proof tyres.These tyres are ok for roads and the odd canal path but if doing canal paths regular then you want to look at the puncture protection tyres upto 32c these will be ok for any canal paths.

I would get the tyres and mudguards put on by the bike shop so there are no problems down the line with clearances.AS a maintenance free winter bike it is ideal.

jackthelad

Monty Dog

FWIW cyclocross tyres are really designed for grip in soft conditions rather than durability - if you want something more suitable, look at something like a Schwalbe Marathon or similar touring tyre - I've been tearing up and down my local towpath on a pair for 5 years and haven't had one puncture