What's the deal with Trek!!!

Monty Dog

I used to work for a Trek dealer many years ago - built, ridden and serviced enough to understand their 'meh' quality. They also have a rubbish history for warranties, frankly not worth the piece of paper it's written on - if you want a big brand who cares about warranty, get a Specialized as their service is 1000x better IME.

However, what killed it Trek's reputation for me is their ethics as a company are questionable - firstly the way they treated Greg Lemond (and lost) and secondly, their complicity in the whole USPS/Disco/Armstrong affair - along with Nike and Oakley.

Superbalicious

MattC59 wrote:

I've got a 2009 Trek 1.9 and it's great...... Love it.

+1

As another Trek 1.9 rider I really don't see what the problem is. I mean, does everybody hate Apple products just because they are a large company?

I bought my bike when returning to cycling following a 20 year break (my bike before that was a Raleigh Elan (with an oval chainring!!) I bought the 1.9 because I could relate to the Ultegra group set and because, quite frankly, I love the white and blue colour scheme. I enjoy riding it and at the moment I have no idea whether its a good climber or whatever because it's probably me that would give up before the bike is at its limits.

As for mainstream, yes I've seen plenty of Treks out on the road, but never another 1.9

At the end of the day, we ride because we enjoy it, does it really matter what bike we're using?

Have a good weekend... the weather is looking fine!

Paul E

Whoa bike snobbery overload!

kleinstroker

I dislike Trek wholeheartedly for most of the above reasons plus for me the biggie was buying out Klein then destroying it! Trek will always suck as far as I am concerned.

Cannock Chase

I remember a question asked to Sean Kelly. What was the best bike he had ever ridden. His answer:
"The one I was paid to ride.."
Bike snobbery has no place in professional cycling so neither does it in mine.

Monty Dog

kleinstroker wrote:

I dislike Trek wholeheartedly for most of the above reasons plus for me the biggie was buying out Klein then destroying it! Trek will always suck as far as I am concerned.

Good point - take some of the most innovative thinkers in bike design like Gary Fisher, Keith Bontranger and Gary Klein and create the most mediocre, dull and uninspiring products using their name.

jouxplan

I had a 2004 Madone 5.2 and loved it so much, I up-graded to a Madone 5.9 in 2006. That one has done an Etape and lots of Alps and is the business. Then when the Project One thing came along, I could not resist designing my dream bike on Trek's website. I ended up with a custom built Madone 6 Series, 2010 model - with SRAM Red, a custom paint job, Aeolus wheelset and even had my name painted on the frame. The sexiest bike I ever laid eyes on, and it rides as good as it looks.
Perhaps the most surprising thing is the reaction it gets from many people - even French cyclists, who as a rule detest any American bikes, especially Trek's: they come up to me and practically drool all over it at cafe stops

BlakeysFC

Surprisingly, on the Sportive I did today in the New Forest I didn't see 1 single Trek!

Hundreds of Specialized's, quite a few Giants, a few Bianchi's, a few Cannondales, a few Pinnarello's and a gorgeous looking Gun-Metal Grey Focus which was utterly sublime.

KentPuncheur

Monty Dog wrote:

secondly, their complicity in the whole USPS/Disco/Armstrong affair - along with Nike and Oakley.

I'm not entirely sure this is fair...I don't argue against people who don't like the brand (or bikes as you have actually ridden them) as it is their opinion and they're entitled to it. However, I don't think they were complicit in the LA doping affair! Yes I agree their brand will be tarnished by association, and perhaps thats more what you meant? However to say they were complicit (along with Nike and Oakley) with what was going on regarding doping is a bit much, no?!

siamon

KentPuncheur wrote:

Monty Dog wrote:

secondly, their complicity in the whole USPS/Disco/Armstrong affair - along with Nike and Oakley.

I'm not entirely sure this is fair...I don't argue against people who don't like the brand (or bikes as you have actually ridden them) as it is their opinion and they're entitled to it. However, I don't think they were complicit in the LA doping affair! Yes I agree their brand will be tarnished by association, and perhaps thats more what you meant? However to say they were complicit (along with Nike and Oakley) with what was going on regarding doping is a bit much, no?!

It also puts the forum at risk from legal action for publishing such malicious nonsense. Monty is a narcissistic, patroninising, deluded egomaniac who is so prejudiced that he comes out with some unbelievably cretinous comments such as Trek make:

Monty Dog wrote:

the most mediocre, dull and uninspiring products....

When the truth is Trek make fantastic bikes.

Cannock Chase

What is the bike....?

Is it the frame? Is it the wheels? Is it the groupset?

Is it the sum of all parts?
Yes of course it is. Therefore if someone is going to have a downer on Trek they may has well have a downer on Shimano, Sram, Bontrager etc etc as well.

Cannock Chase

KentPuncheur wrote:

Monty Dog wrote:

....secondly, their complicity in the whole USPS/Disco/Armstrong affair - along with Nike and Oakley.

May as well say then that Bianchi were complicit in Pantani's misdemeanors or Giant with Jan Ullrich or Decathlon with David Millars or any manufacturer whose bikes were ridden by Riccardo Ricco or Alexandre Vinokourov etc etc etc.

Joeblack

What I find funny, of the people who don't seem to favour Trek on thread no one has mentioned poor quality or the design or the lines or any of the things one might expect a bike to be disliked for

desweller

Cannock Chase wrote:

What is the bike....?

Is it the frame? Is it the wheels? Is it the groupset?

Is it the sum of all parts?
Yes of course it is. Therefore if someone is going to have a downer on Trek they may has well have a downer on Shimano, Sram, Bontrager etc etc as well.

Soooo....

Campag or Shimano?

ALaPlage

Joeblack wrote:

What I find funny, of the people who don't seem to favour Trek on thread no one has mentioned poor quality or the design or the lines or any of the things one might expect a bike to be disliked for

Spot on. Goes back to my original point that the majority (and I accept not all) of the Trek bashers on here do so from an uninformed position of never even straddled a Trek bike never mind ridden one. As most of the commentators on here have alluded too their negative position on Trek relates to the LA connection or that they are mainstream and "I just don't do mainstream...".

Trek make great bikes. Their success means they can invest in development of their machines and they produce bikes that are worth consideration on anyone's shortlist. We are not all the same and fit and feel should always be the driving factor behind bike choice when comparing bikes within the budget, followed by component preference and I suppose the look will come into it too. Well we all like to look good on our bikes which is one thing I concede with Trek is that some of their colour schemes are not all that arresting.

Monty Dog

siamon wrote:

blah blah blah

For such puerile, fanboy-deluded nonsense you deserve one of these!



It's a free world FFS and we're all entitled to our opinions!

hipshot

I think there are two totally different arguments going on here.

Pro Trek are protesting that the bikes are fine (which they are).

Anti Trek don't like the brand because of their business practices and associations.

ALaPlage

hipshot wrote:

Anti Trek don't like the brand because of their business practices and associations.

and that's fine but there is a lot who are anti brand dish out advice to those asking for opinions on the quality of the bikes intimating they are crap rather than just stating their view that they don't like the brand.

Cannock Chase

I'd be interested to know from the Trek bashers that at any given price point what makes Trek bikes 'inferior' to other brands.

P.S. This same arguement takes place on photographic forums I belong to. Canon bash Nikon bash Pentax bash Sony bash Olympus bash Panasonic when in fact all are as capable as each other.

Mikey41

ALaPlage wrote:

Trek make great bikes. Their success means they can invest in development of their machines and they produce bikes that are worth consideration on anyone's shortlist. We are not all the same and fit and feel should always be the driving factor behind bike choice when comparing bikes within the budget, followed by component preference and I suppose the look will come into it too.

^^ this.

I bought my first Trek MTB waaaaaay back, and it was solid. It was then stolen by someone who knew what he was looking for as he moved 3 other bikes in order to get to it. :x

Next one is the hybrid I am riding now as my commuter. It's a lot lighter than that old MTB and feels just as solid, great value for money! I considered it purely because of how good the MTB had been, and it was an end-of-line model at a decent discount.

So, after the experience of those two bikes, I had no hesitation eyeing up a Trek 1.5 as my first proper road bike since I was 16. However, tommorrow I'm going to be test riding a Giant, since that LBS has offered me a cracking deal on a 2012 one

I am too new to know who rides what in the racing world, and I don't much care either. I buy a bike that fits me and will be reliable, that's all I ask and I don't care who makes it.

siamon

Monty Dog wrote:

siamon wrote:

blah blah blah

For such puerile, fanboy-deluded nonsense you deserve one of these!



It's a free world FFS and we're all entitled to our opinions!

Well its got to happen someday.

But it doesn't change the fact that your previous comment is bitter, libelous & and well out of line. Your hatred of Trek products and refusal to admit they make excellent products, with very well matched components and an eye to value is plainly wrong. Hate them for whatever deluded nonsense you want but claiming the bikes are cack is childish. And I'm a Giant & Shimano fan-boy, not a Trek one.

And a free country it may be but you are not entitled to publish libelous dross.

styxd

Trek make good dull bikes for good dull people.

I was chatting to a Trek rider at a food stop on a sportive. I asked him how he'd found the climbs and he answered like he was one of Treks marketing team. He started reeling off how the stiffness of his frame and bontrager wheels had helped him conquer the climb. Blah blah blah. He almost sent me to sleep. A nice guy, but very dull. A bit like Trek bikes.

proto

Monty Dog wrote:

I used to work for a Trek dealer many years ago - built, ridden and serviced enough to understand their 'meh' quality. They also have a rubbish history for warranties, frankly not worth the piece of paper it's written on - if you want a big brand who cares about warranty, get a Specialized as their service is 1000x better IME.

However, what killed it Trek's reputation for me is their ethics as a company are questionable - firstly the way they treated Greg Lemond (and lost) and secondly, their complicity in the whole USPS/Disco/Armstrong affair - along with Nike and Oakley.

I agree with all this. Spot on.

All of the mainstream brands sell very decent bikes, nothing wrong with any of them, but if I was buying a new bike I would buy a Specialized simply because of the way they treat their customers. Superb support and service from them for warranty or crash replacement, anything. Not something you ever hear said about Trek.

KentPuncheur

I think what we can all take from this is:

1) Those who ride Trek bikes, and enjoy them, great...keep doing so, its your money and opinion and you're entitled to it.

2) Those who don't like the brand (due to LA associations, business practices, warranty issues etc), fine, don't ride Trek bikes, spend your money on other brands, its your opinion, and you're entitled to it.

I don't see the need for Trek bike owners (and fans) to try and convert those who don't like Trek.

And I don't see the need for non-Trek bike owners to belittle those who ride and enjoy their Trek bikes.

As with every walk of life where brand choice is involved, you will always get people who like a particular brand and those who don't. Let's all just enjoy the fact that the choice exists, have a cup of tea, and enjoy and ride our bikes...

styxd

I think what we can all take from this is:

1) Those who ride Trek bikes, and enjoy them, great...keep doing so, its your money and opinion and you're entitled to it.

2) Those who don't like the brand (due to LA associations, business practices, warranty issues etc), fine, don't ride Trek bikes, spend your money on other brands, its your opinion, and you're entitled to it.

I don't see the need for Trek bike owners (and fans) to try and convert those who don't like Trek.

And I don't see the need for non-Trek bike owners to belittle those who ride and enjoy their Trek bikes.

As with every walk of life where brand choice is involved, you will always get people who like a particular brand and those who don't. Let's all just enjoy the fact that the choice exists, have a cup of tea, and enjoy and ride our bikes...

That sums up what I mean about Trek owners - dull as dishwater.

Not even up for a bit of banter :twisted:

Cannock Chase

styxd wrote:

Trek make good dull bikes for good dull people.

I was chatting to a Trek rider at a food stop on a sportive. I asked him....

Couldn't have been so dull if you'd chosen to speak to him...!!

KentPuncheur

styxd wrote:

That sums up what I mean about Trek owners - dull as dishwater.

Not even up for a bit of banter :twisted:

Touché!

I was able to over come this slight using the stiffness of upper lip that is provided through the carbon weave used in my stiff Trek frame, and the stiffness that provides strong power transfer in my bontrager wheels and finishing kit!!...

styxd

KentPuncheur wrote:

styxd wrote:

That sums up what I mean about Trek owners - dull as dishwater.

Not even up for a bit of banter :twisted:

Touché!

I was able to over come this slight using the stiffness of upper lip that is provided through the carbon weave used in my stiff Trek frame, and the stiffness that provides strong power transfer in my bontrager wheels and finishing kit!!...

siamon

Anyone know of any threads about Trek refusing to honour warranties? I can't find them?

Mikey41

styxd wrote:

I was chatting to a Trek rider at a food stop on a sportive. I asked him how he'd found the climbs and he answered like he was one of Treks marketing team. He started reeling off how the stiffness of his frame and bontrager wheels had helped him conquer the climb. Blah blah blah.

Oh my god, what a tedious bloke I bet he goes on just the same about his company car.

Anyway, I'm not interested in trying to convert people to Trek, they aren't the only brand in the world after all, and I seem to have become a Giant owner after my test ride :shock: