Utility Cycling - Trek transport question

The bike only comes with one bag and metal support. Does anybody know what the cost is for the second. I found the bag on the trek web site, but no information on the metal support.

Edited: did not read about the Trek before responding.

I just ordered one. It should come with only one bag, but both side racks. Beast should be able tell you better than me since he owns one.

The bike only comes with one bag and metal support. Does anybody know what the cost is for the second. I found the bag on the trek web site, but no information on the metal support.

And the BeastRider responds........

I have had mine since October. It comes with ONE bag. Two side racks that can be folded up and out of the way. Which makes it quite handy for everyday riding as well.

Since you mentioned getting a second bag I would strongly suggest that you go with the one for a while just to see if you really need the second. I thought I would need two as well. But, after riding a while I discovered that I didn't utilize the one that came with it to justify the expense of a second. The one that comes with it has TONS of space....

Any other questions???? I am happy to answer them.

So does it come with the metal support on both sides?
Tia, john

And the BeastRider responds........

I have had mine since October. It comes with ONE bag. Two side racks that can be folded up and out of the way. Which makes it quite handy for everyday riding as well.

Since you mentioned getting a second bag I would strongly suggest that you go with the one for a while just to see if you really need the second. I thought I would need two as well. But, after riding a while I discovered that I didn't utilize the one that came with it to justify the expense of a second. The one that comes with it has TONS of space....

Any other questions???? I am happy to answer them.

So does it come with the metal support on both sides?
Tia, john

The side racks are fully supported. Exactly what metal supports are you talking about? The ones that hold the bag on? If so, yes, it's on both sides. You have the option of placing the bag on either side.

I think the OP is referring to the flip down racks on both sides. Making sure that it just doesn't come with just one flip down rack for the one bag only.

Flip down racks on both sides. They are secured in place with a cotter-pin like setup. Holds in place quite nicely. I have had absolutely no issues with them

The bike only comes with one bag and metal support. Does anybody know what the cost is for the second. I found the bag on the trek web site, but no information on the metal support.

Here are a couple of shots of mine. As you can see I have the rack in the down position on the right side and in the up position on the left.

I'll be happy to answer any other questions that you have.


ENJOY YOUR NEW RIDE!!!!!


Left Side Up
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m279/hbrogan57/500/DSC_0104.jpg

Right Side Down
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m279/hbrogan57/500/DSC_0110.jpg

Right Side Down
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m279/hbrogan57/500/DSC_0100.jpg

Left Side Up
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m279/hbrogan57/500/DSC_0093.jpg

Not a transport, but I run just one bag on my Mundo. Having the other side open for large items is handy. On grocery runs I have carried cases of seltzer, 10lb bags of spuds, stuff like that.

Thanks, I was referring to the flip down racks that support the bottom of the bags. Thank you all for the replies. I haven't committed to purchasing yet.
John

Thanks, I was referring to the flip down racks that support the bottom of the bags. Thank you all for the replies. I haven't committed to purchasing yet.
John

They do a bit more than just support the bags. I rarely carry my bag with me. Unless the weather is looking bad and I need to protect something.

What other ones are you considering?.....

Not considering any other. Just not sure I need it. I would like to do some touring. Just retired and that is the one thing I want to do while I still can, due to medical condition I am not sure I can.


They do a bit more than just support the bags. I rarely carry my bag with me. Unless the weather is looking bad and I need to protect something.

What other ones are you considering?.....

Not considering any other. Just not sure I need it. I would like to do some touring. Just retired and that is the one thing I want to do while I still can, due to medical condition I am not sure I can.

I have had lower back surgery and I have managed to get myself back into shape. Trick is not to overdue it. And THAT'S easy to do.......

I too had back surgery, L5-S1 fusion, but I had a stroke and that has slowed me down and at 63 it is harder to keep my energy up. Dr. Says not too much exercise. I will most likley out live him.
L

I too had back surgery, L5-S1 fusion, but I had a stroke and that has slowed me down and at 63 it is harder to keep my energy up. Dr. Says not too much exercise. I will most likley out live him.
L

L4-L5 for me. Fell off a ladder at work. That was 2009 and I am STILL dealing with the insurance issue.....

Doctor told me that one of the best things could do is ride a bike. But I have worked up slowly to the mileage that I can now ride. I am 55 and feel pretty good about myself.....so far......

You two are troopers!

You two are troopers!

Thanks!!!!! The first couple of months I rode it was strictly a back and forth trip to Physical Therapy and then back home. A distance of about six miles. After that I was completely SPENT. It's taken the better part of a year to work up to the 30 miles I can now ride without any real issues.

Just takes time and, believe me, I am not a real patient person either!!!!!

I bought my Trek Transport last summer and waited about 3 months for the 2nd pannier to arrive. Cost about $100 if I remember correctly. One pannier can hold 2 cloth type grocery bags completely full. I make a grocery run once a week and rarely have to strap anything to the rear rack top or front rack. Down side of 2 panniers is you need to remove one (very easy to do) to check the air in the rear tire.

I bought my Trek Transport last summer and waited about 3 months for the 2nd pannier to arrive. Cost about $100 if I remember correctly. One pannier can hold 2 cloth type grocery bags completely full. I make a grocery run once a week and rarely have to strap anything to the rear rack top or front rack. Down side of 2 panniers is you need to remove one (very easy to do) to check the air in the rear tire.

I thought that I would need a second one myself and almost went ahead and ordered one. But I chose to ride a while and decided that it wasn't a necessity for me. Glad to hear that someone actually uses a second bag. I just use the one and find it, more often than not, more than I actually need. Bungee cords work quite well for most of what I carry......

246073

Added another Trek to my stable. Bought it yesterday and went for a 15 mile ride. I was completely surprised by its rideability over distances. Named it Clutch Cargo.

I am considering a second bag simply for balance. I brought home two watermelons and a cantaloupe. The weight was enough to make the bike unstable on the kickstand.

More pix to come.

246073

Added another Trek to my stable. Bought it yesterday and went for a 15 mile ride. I was completely surprised by its rideability over distances. Named it Clutch Cargo.

I am considering a second bag simply for balance. I brought home two watermelons and a cantaloupe. The weight was enough to make the bike unstable on the kickstand.

More pix to come.

I agree with the kickstand issue. A slightly wider one would make a definite difference. But I have managed to get used to it. Takes a little time but you should as well. I thought that I would need a second bag as well. But, after riding for a while, I decided against it as it wasn't a necessity for me. Try riding for a while both empty and loaded to see if you really need to go to that extra expense........

After owning and riding the bike for awhile...I do agree the stand needs to be more stable. Mine blew over bending the rear brake lever. It is also hard to balance the load as the bike wants to fall over as the load is being adjusted. The other complaint I have is the lack of a rear fender, it should be standard. I am also having a shifting issue in some of the higher gears.

After owning and riding the bike for awhile...I do agree the stand needs to be more stable. Mine blew over bending the rear brake lever. It is also hard to balance the load as the bike wants to fall over as the load is being adjusted. The other complaint I have is the lack of a rear fender, it should be standard. I am also having a shifting issue in some of the higher gears.

I had a bit of a shifting issue after riding mine for a while. Take it in to the LBS and let them do a tune-up on it. That way all of the cables get their "stretch" adjusted at the same time and you won't be running back and forth.

It's relatively simple to install a rear fender. I didn't have any problems doing mine myself. But then I do enjoy tinkering with mine. Almost any standard 26" fender will work. I just wanted mine to drop a bit lower on the rear on both the front and the back so I cannibalized three fenders to get the "look" and the practical application that I wanted.

For what it's worth, I ordered the second pannier. I respect BeastRider's advice, but I just felt that the second bag would solve the balance problem. It did. I put it on last Thursday and I keep my lock (a heavy cable lock) in the right pannier and my tool kit in the left. Automatically seems to give the bike better resting balance. Mine blew over once in the wind a week ago, and I've been wary of trusting the stand since then. I usually park the bike "into the wind" like a sailboat. If I can't, I lean it against something rather than trusting the kickstand on windy days.

I have to say, I do love this bike. Did another 15 unplanned miles on it today. It's just so much easier to ride than I expect.

I dropped a Planet Bike ATB fender on there. I only had to trim off a small piece of metal, but everything else was insanely easy to install.

The kickstand does stink, but I just load a little at a time now and I have zero balancing issues. Then again, I was the one everyone in my family called when they needed someone to help them move. I have had years of experience with strapping things down and balancing loads. It is like second nature now, I rarely even think about it.

Oh, and I just have one pannier. I stopped by Home Depot and snagged a bag there (click pic for link).
http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/300/67/67833261-ca14-41a4-b740-27620ebd442d_300.jpg (http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-25ecodZ5yc1vZ12kx/R-202532001/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=bag&storeId=10051)

It clips right on to the pannier bar on the rear rack. I do place a bungee on there just to be safe, but I have never had it fall off. Plus, for $2, you can't beat it. Also that orange is a rather bright color, which does help visibility.

Also, while you are shopping, it clips to either side of the cart to hold itself open. That way you can just drop items in there and not worry about small things rolling out of the cart or anything like that. It is really a brilliantly simple design.

I have the two panniers bags. I always use a bungie to secure them, as I have had the bag hop off the side rail clips when hitting a big bump

Whoa. Well, I can see that happening. Good to know and thanks for the heads up.
Do you . . . um, do a lot of these big bumps on your Transport? :)

I have seen people hold adult passengers on the back of Surly Big Dummies. Do you think a Trek Transport would be capable of something similar, or would you not risk it because it is an aluminum frame instead of ChroMoly?

That seems to be the Achilles Heel for the Transport. Speculation is that Trek didn't want to deal with the liability issues, so made no provisions to mount a PeaPod or any other people carrier. However, I have given my grandkids (all of whom are easily under the 100 lb limit) rides without incident. It's just not a long-term (or long route) solution.

I have seen people hold adult passengers on the back of Surly Big Dummies. Do you think a Trek Transport would be capable of something similar, or would you not risk it because it is an aluminum frame instead of ChroMoly?

Here in China I see passengers on the rear racks of normal bicycles with frames of: steel, Aluminum, and utter garbage. Even the racks that people are riding on are nothing special. They are the old spring racks that the bikes in the 70s had.

It really does not matter what the frame is made of, the rack is pushing down on the rear dropout; so, it is almost entirely compression strength. The compression strength of nearly any metal, other than 100% solid rust, is pretty strong. The only question is the welds.

The only provision is to not purposely induce excessive swaying movement. I do not mean normal sway, I mean purposely see-sawing the handlebars. It is necessary to keep the riders CG as close to centered, but slightly ahead of, the rear axle as possible.

I realize that my attitude about risk is altered by not being in the US; but, seriously, if the entire bicycle were to suddenly disintegrate beneath you while riding, you are going slow enough while carrying passengers that it would result in little more than a few scrapes and bumps. My assistant is not the slightest bit afraid to hop on a bicycle rack behind me.

I have seen people hold adult passengers on the back of Surly Big Dummies. Do you think a Trek Transport would be capable of something similar, or would you not risk it because it is an aluminum frame instead of ChroMoly?


The rear end of the Transport is definitely under-rated for weight capacity. Carrying passengers shouldn't be a big deal. However, I certainly wouldn't be using the side boards as a mounting point for them.

I've carried a passenger on the back of the Transport with no big issues. The bike handled it no problem. The passenger was about 160lbs too.

I've carried a passenger on the back of the Transport with no big issues. The bike handled it no problem. The passenger was about 160lbs too.

Glad to hear someone responding that has carried a passenger or two. The Beast isn't rigged for that, only cargo so I can't speak in the subject.