Fifty Plus (50+) - Trek Website up with the 2008's

Just noticed that the TREK website has been updated with all the new stuff for 2008. Some of the bikes remain almost unchanged like the Pilot 5.0 that I've been looking at. While another one, the Portland, has been repainted and updated. A few new single speeders, a lot more aluminum and carbon. It'll be interesting to see what the shop orders in!

Chris

Unchanged... except for a 15% price increase!

Trek appears to have dropped a lot of the Pilot models too.

I'm starting to shop for a road bike replacement for my Marin Novato hybrid and the Pilot is high on my list.

Chris,

I noticed the new colors on the Portland right away. It's nice. I like it better than the burnt orange and black. But the deal you guys gave me on the leftover '06 was better. Mine's the 56cm one in the back of your showroom on the right. Keep your mitts off it until I'm finished paying the layaway. This week and two more paychecks...

As for the site itself, I find it a lot easier to navigate than the '07 site. I hated having to use the drop-down to find bikes on last year's site. I could do without the gee-whiz stuff, but if that's the price of better navigation, so be it.

TSL,

So it's not the one hung in the front on the wall... Good! I want to take one of these down and test ride it. I just wish these were Steel instead of Aluminum. Just a personal Pref.

Chris

They seem to have added more WSD bikes to their line:)

I've been very pleased with the two WSD bikes I own. I don't think I would ever consider buying anything else. They've made riding much more enjoyable.

So it's not the one hung in the front on the wall... Good! I want to take one of these down and test ride it. I just wish these were Steel instead of Aluminum. Just a personal Pref.

Aluminum was a specific requirement for me. I ride all winter long, and the road salt, well you know what it does to cars...

Isn't the one on the front wall a 60cm? That's a mite large for you. I suppose you can test ride mine if you want. You can even make the adjustments I mentioned when I brought it back. :) Or you can read about my test ride (http://www.brucew.com/blog/2007/08/12/361).

Good news for me on one of those bikes. The Trek 7.6 FX has been changed in ways that make it much more attractive to me. As in:

Replaced Double Crank with a Triple, and a hybrid triple at that 48/36/26, my favorite combo.

Has carbon fiber fork, seat stays, and seat post, just how I like it. 2007 lacked carbon seat stays.

Retained 105 r.d. instead of downgrading to Tiagra, as others have done.

It looks like the handlebar has a little more upsweep, which I also like.

It is a healthy price increase, from $989 to $1099, but $110 seems a reasonable price for the changes, IMHO.

Only negative, and its a *BIGGIE* is that the color is Pearl White. There's just something degrading about being seen out in public on a white bike. :)

PS To Yen: They have a WSD version of it too!

In a related story, I've seen the new '08 Reno.
They've downgraded the Tiagra components to Sora and changed the color scheme.
Glad I got mine when I did

Looks like SKT is VERY disappointed with what Trek did to the LeMond Reno. Triply disappointed.

Whoa! I don't know what happened there. I clicked on "post" and nothing happened; absolutely no response what so ever. Guess it was doing something "under the covers". Sorry about that. I am only doubly disappointed

I see Trek is now offering an integrated suspension fork on their upper end 7x00 hybrids, like the Cannondale Headshok that has been out for a while. You can see it on bikes like the new 7500. This saves a little weight off of the dual suspension fork.

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/2008/bike_path/7000_series/7500/

PS To Yen: They have a WSD version of it too!

Yeh, but it's white :eek:..... and the pedals are clipless. :eek: :eek: :eek:


(I'm keeping it on my long list though....)

Here's that new 7.6 FX

Trek is listing their FX line under both their "Road" and "Bike Path" sections. They really are much more a flat bar road bike than they are a bike path hybrid.

The 7.6 is their 3rd from the top model, the 7.9 is a $2469 full carbon, again hardly your typical bike path hybrid bike.

For tall riders, they show that they are offering the 7.6 in a 25" frame, not too common nowadays.

I think those pedals are clipless on one side and platform on the other.

I noticed the new colors on the Portland right away. It's nice. I like it better than the burnt orange and black.

Looks good with the faux-Brooks honey brown saddle. Just replace it with the real deal.

The Portland looks like a very useable bike. Full fenders would be more useful. I don't like the obsession with minimal spokes on the wheels of so many bikes from Trek and others these days. They seem downright scary on a bike with disc brakes. But I do like the idea of a more practical road bike. I prefer making this kind of bike from an older steel bike, but it's good to see something like this on the market.

Looks good with the faux-Brooks honey brown saddle. Just replace it with the real deal.

The Portland looks like a very useable bike. Full fenders would be more useful. I don't like the obsession with minimal spokes on the wheels of so many bikes from Trek and others these days. They seem downright scary on a bike with disc brakes. But I do like the idea of a more practical road bike. I prefer making this kind of bike from an older steel bike, but it's good to see something like this on the market.

Full fenders are the first thing going on mine when I get it home. A rack is the second thing. I move my lights from bike to bike.

I agree with you on the wheels. They make me nervous, and it seems like the hoops have to be heavier, but it was tough for me to tell with the rotors on there. I'm planning on a second set of wheels for it anyway, and I couldn't seem to break them on the test ride, and I tried several panic stops to see how they felt. Nothing bad happened, so I bought it. We'll see about longevity down the road.

As for the Alu, this is my third Alu bike and it rides a *LOT* better than the other two. It was freaky.

The Soho, 7X00 and FX models seem to have gotten more alike - wonder what's up with that?

Where's the 1000?

TCS

The 7x00 and FX frames have been moving closer with each year. They were very similar last year.

The bikes do change at certain price points.

For example, the 7.5 FX 17.5" frame has an effective top tube of 54.8 cm and a wheelbase of 105.1 cm.
While the 7.6 FX 17.5" frame has an eff top tube of 55.7 cm and a wheelbase of 106.5 cm.

Within the 7x00 line, there is a break between the 7200 and 7300 frames. They are made of very different aluminum tubes and have different geometries. The 7000 thru 7200 (and 7.2 FX) are made of standard aluminum tubing, while the 7300-7700 use hydroformed tubes.

Unchanged... except for a 15% price increase!

Trek appears to have dropped a lot of the Pilot models too.

I'm starting to shop for a road bike replacement for my Marin Novato hybrid and the Pilot is high on my list.

Trek may have dropped some Pilots due to the new Madone. The Madone now has performance (more slack geometry) and pro (more aggressive geometry) fit. I've got a new EX8 coming. I saw one at a lbs. It's a real work of art, IMO.

In a related story, I've seen the new '08 Reno.
They've downgraded the Tiagra components to Sora and changed the color scheme.
Glad I got mine when I did


SKT:

Where did you see the new Lemond? LBS or online?

The Lemond web site still had only 07 bikes the other day.

The Soho, 7X00 and FX models seem to have gotten more alike - wonder what's up with that?

Where's the 1000?

TCS

It's now a "1.2" with downgraded rear der and costs more. Has a flatter stem and 31.8mm "OS" handlebars. And slightly lower geared big and middle front chain rings.

It does have the same geometry as the "performance" fit Madone line.

So far, every catalog I've seen has shown higher prices in 2008. Some of Specialized's bikes are going up even more than these Trek prices, but most are going up about the same amount.

You've really got to pay attention to the details on the new bikes. Many components are being downgraded, after a fair amount of that happened with the 2007 models. From 2006 to 2008, some models have been significantly downgraded.

But that's what happens when the dollar weakens against foreign currency. I saw an article dated August 8th that said the dollar was at its lowest point in 15 years vs an index of other major currencies.

What bothers me is when the companies go cheap on the parts you can't really see. Things like Bottom Brackets and Headsets. I usually upgrade these parts sooner than later especially on Mountain Bikes. HUGE difference in weight and feel from a basic BB to an LX or 105 BB.

What bothers me is when the companies go cheap on the parts you can't really see.

Yeah, I hear you, but sometime try selling a person a bike with cheap paint and great bearings when they're looking at a bike at the same price point with beautiful paint and cheap bearings. Ain't easy.

TCS

This is my big complaint about the new 2008 Raleigh FC. A flat-bar full carbon road bike that my dealer now tells me will sell at around $1600-$1700. It looks great, and all of the carbon fiber is seductive. But almost every part on it is typically found on $600-$700 bikes. I suspect Raleigh had this on the drawing boards for a while and then got caught in the double crunch of the falling dollar and the rising cost of carbon fiber, and then had to cheapen all of the components to meet a price point.

I'm seeing a lot of down-leveling on brakes, cranksets, front derailleurs, bottom brackets, wheel hubs, etc. It makes one wonder about paint jobs, internal bearings, and maybe even tube quality.

Tom,

All valid points to make. One thing that I see TREK stressing in their new updated website is their warranties and now an EXTENDED warrantee. I do have to find out about what that's all about.

Chris

I actually like the look of that Bontrager City/Select saddle on the Portland. Why is it you cannot buy those separately? It's the same thing with the stock Bianchi Velo saddle. You can only get them as standard epuipment on a new bike and can't buy them separately. Makes no sense to me since they are not exactly expensive saddles.

Anyone notice there is no Project One link anymore? I wonder if you cannot get custom paint and framesets now????

They say you can still get custom paint jobs, but not the Project One color schemes.

http://www.trekbikes.com/faq/questions.php?questionid=1

Can I have my frame repainted at the factory?

We do offer a repaint program through our dealers. You can visit any authorized dealer in your area and they can show you the current paint and decal choices available. They can then quote you a price based on your choices. Unfortunately the Project One color schemes are not available for repaints.

I was thinking that if the U.S. Dollar continues to fall against foreign currency, that it may not be long until stores here will want people to pay with Canadian quarters!

Does anyone know why the 08 fx's lost the disc brakes?

They only offered them (disc brakes) on the 7.3 and 7.5 last year, and even those bikes were also available with standard brakes. Looks like they moved the disc brake models into their expanded Soho line, where 3 of those have them. The Soho 3.0 looks like a ruggedized 7.5 FX Disc, with disc brakes and heavier weight wheels.

So if you had your eye on a 7.5 FX Disc, then just look at the Soho 3:
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/2008/urban/soho/soho30/

They say you can still get custom paint jobs, but not the Project One color schemes.

http://www.trekbikes.com/faq/questions.php?questionid=1

Can I have my frame repainted at the factory?

We do offer a repaint program through our dealers. You can visit any authorized dealer in your area and they can show you the current paint and decal choices available. They can then quote you a price based on your choices. Unfortunately the Project One color schemes are not available for repaints.

Yeah...but then no component choices..
I emailed them to ask and got back

Project One will be available in January of 2008.

Does anyone know why the 08 fx's lost the disc brakes?

I didn't get to go to Trek World last weekend, but many of the changes were to attempt to keep the price point down. Trek tended to lean towards the AVID Mechanical brakes which are really nice stout pieces that work well. We've had some others in the shop (Hayes Mechanicals) that after 6 months of riding you need to pull the caliper off the bike and replace it with the AVID units.

Another reason to go back to V-Brakes on these bikes is to take a little more weight off the bikes also. Between the Hub, Rotor, caliper, and the mount itself you can save maybe a few ounces without a sacrifice in performance in MOST cases. For me, I WANT a disc brake bike due to the weather conditions here. This is one of the reasons that the Portland is so attractive to me as a Road bike.

Chris

I actually like the look of that Bontrager City/Select saddle on the Portland. Why is it you cannot buy those separately? It's the same thing with the stock Bianchi Velo saddle. You can only get them as standard epuipment on a new bike and can't buy them separately. Makes no sense to me since they are not exactly expensive saddles.

Are we talking this saddle?
http://www.bontrager.com/Road/Components/Saddles/6921.php

I know we sell many Bontrager Saddles and have done well with them. I was after the Bontrager Sattelite Select Handlebar and we had to special order that one in. That was one of the crowning pieces on my Clyde Bike!

Chris

P.S. As to not having the COLOR of the new Portland Saddle, they may have reserved this just for that bike for now. Might be a late 2008 release to Shop Stock.

On a related note, the Gary Fisher 2008 bikes are also up now.

http://www.fisherbikes.com/bikes/