GF Montare Owners - 2011 Trek Montare (Gary Fisher Collection)
 

has anybody ridden a 2011 Trek Montare (Gary Fisher Collection) yet? really looking to purchase one in the next few months.

how about the older model Montares? have you all had good experiences w/ them?

i called around San Diego today and couldn't find a shop w/ a Montare in stock. might have to special order one....

Thanks in advance for the insights, all.

liking the paint job on the 2011 too:

http://www.trekbikes.com/images/bike...tare_black.jpg

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes...sport/montare/

rode a Specialized Crosstrail today. very nice bike.

saw a Trek Gary Fisher Mendota at the LBS too. very speedy bike.

leaning towards an all terrain 29er now that i talked to people @ the San Diego Trek Bicycle Superstore today....

i just got my new 2011 Montare a few weeks ago. I've yet to ride it since we've been hit by two monster snow storms here in New England. It looks great in person and I'm very eager to jump on it as soon as the weather warms up. BTW, the frame geometry on the Mendota is very similar to the Montare. Biggest difference is the fork and tires IMO. I almost went for the Mendota but because I ride rails n trails a lot with my family, I wanted a suspension fork for smoother rides on those unpaved trails.

I test rode a Mendota and found it to be a real sweet ride. I am still on the fence trying to decide between the FX, Mendota, and the GF Lane. I can't justify buying three....how do I choose? Eeeny Meeny Miny?

Just picked up my new 2011 Montare this week, took about a month to get it in (backordered). Haven't had a chance to take 'er for a spin yet with the weather here in MN, but hope to in the next couple weeks. It's a pretty sweet looking ride though.

I had a 2007 Montare and liked it a lot. Extremely versatile. High quality. Comfortable. Reliable. It's a "Swiss Army Knife" of a bike. I found, though, that I almost always rode with the fork locked out. If I could have changed anything about the Montare, it would have been replacing the suspension fork with a conventional carbon fork and replacing the wider tires with a narrower, more street/hardpan oriented variety (which I did).

I sold the Montare late last Fall. Looking for a replacement this Winter, I found the Mendota. It is essentially a Montare with the two changes I always wanted. And . . . for 2011 the paint jobs are even the same!

For the more street-oriented, there's the Mendota. For the more dirt-oriented, the Montare. Both GREAT bikes.

I was torn between the Montare and the Mendota. I live in Vermont and will want to get off paved roads sometimes. The Mendota appealed to me because it is light and fast. However, the Montare, which arrives in a week or so can do more overall. I did ask my bike man to put Bontranger H2 700c tires on the bike for a faster ride. I'll also be putting fenders, rear rack and Mountain Mirrycle mirror on the bike when it arrives.

I picked up my Montare last Friday. My previous bike was a 1994 Trek 750 hybrid. I must say - I like this bike much better. I mostly ride on gravel and packed limestone paths. The tires handle the conditions quite well and the front suspension provides good damping without allowing the front fork to bounce around. I'm also happy with the way it shifts as well as the hydraulic brakes. I'm taking it on a 32 mile ride on the Katy Trail in a couple of weeks. I'll have more to write after that.

Its a very nice looking bike but there,s half a dozen bikes the same, pretty ordinary level of components except the rear derailier because that the most visual component on the bike and a different frame.
Its better just looking for a high spec frame and building it up weather a mtb or trekking frame and building something unique its much more satisfying.
Also its much more interesting showing it off in forums, thats what I want to see. :p

First long ride
 

Although there is still a foot of snow in the fields and woods, the roads were clear and dry for my first real ride on the Montare today. Most of the ride was on pavement but there was a section that was downhill, dotted with potholes, and was mostly loose gravel. The quick switch to active front suspension was nice. The Bontranger H2 tires did well on the gravel, however, I did need to keep my speed down. I can't judge the seat yet as I haven't been on a bike all winter. I'm a bit saddle sore. The shifting is different than my old bike. It's a change I'm sure I'll get more comfortable with over time.

Anyone have pics of their Montare? I rode it's sibling the Kaitai and liked it a lot. The Montare has the same frame but better components so I'm thinking of ordering it sight unseen. Seeing a real life pic first will make me feel better before I flip the switch. Thanks.

Just bought a 2011 GF Montare
 

Proud new owner of a 2011 GF Montare. I will use it mostly for communting, about 5 miles each way plus bike rides on the weekend with my son.

I live in Norway and really need full fenders. I was looking at the planet bike 45mm but read that they only fit upto 37mm tires. The LBS here in Norway recommended the kind you attach to the seat post. I'm looking for somehthing more permenant. Can anyone tell me what size they put on their Montare?

I only rode the bike a few miles so far. The handle bars are really wide on it, but feel comfortable. Everything else seemed to indicate that it will be a nice bike for my short communte.

The 12's are coming out already? I thought they roll out around September. Is there a webpage or something with the 2012 info? I like the 2011 Utopia but maybe I should wait?

Wow! Cool to see the new models already! I wish they'd keep the names, it makes it much easier to remember rather than 8.2,3,4 etc. I may have to grab a 2011 Utopia just so I can realize that I've finally found my cycling Utopia.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=204329i have the 2011 utopia i changed it quite a bit though. I think it's the best bike for a hybrid.

I've had my '11 Mendota for a week. It's freaking awesome. You'll like it :)

No changes for me yet except for putting lights and tail bag on. I'm pretty sure I'll like it fine the way it is. Of course, over time that is likely to change :)

Oh, it sounds like changing out the BB5 brakes for BB7s is a pretty common upgrade http://www.amazon.com/Avid-Mechanica...d=4DM92LSOYJ8A We'll see...

Anyone have an issue with loud/vibrating brakes on the 2011 Montare? Where you able to fix? My bike only has around a 100 miles on it. and when they are dry they make a horrendous noise. When the are wet it's okay.

Just an FYI, I see now that Trek has updated it's website and added the 2012 designations for the Utopoia, Kaitai, etc. The new bikes look pretty similar but they've switched to DS #'s instead of names.

yeah, those DS's look sweet. might try to snag an 8.4 as I never ended up getting a bike in 2011.

http://www.trekbikes.com/ca/en/bikes..._series/models
http://www.trekbikes.com/ca/en/bikes...eries/8_4_ds/#

http://s7d4.scene7.com/is/image/Trek...0,0&iccEmbed=0

I put $800 down as a deposit when I ordered my 2012 DS 8.5 in June. At the time the expected delivery date was to be August 22.

I went into my LBS today to get an update and they said there has been a delay. Trek is now telling them that the expected delivery date has been pushed back to Oct 2!

My LBS is making some calls to their Trek rep to see if they can get there hands on one for me so I should hear from him in a couple of days. So in the meantime I wait... and wait... and wait.

Has anyone put front fenders on the 2010 Montare? I tried to put SKS Long Boards but there was no place to attach the supports. I guess I'll have to change the fork or buy a used bike as a rain/snow bike.

I've been looking at the Kaitai, my LBS didn't have it so I test rode the Utopia yesterday and it was sweet. I am confused though, is the DS 8.3 more equivalent to the Kaitai or the Utopia? My LBS had a DS 8.3 but not the Kaitai, so if they are similar I might pull the trigger.