BarracksSi

Don't get your mileage-worn panties in a bunch. The point was that brakes should be that strong. It's not a test of rider skill.

oneleft

" It's not a test of rider skill."

Whew! Thanks for the clarification.

All jostling aside, I've ridden drum brakes before and they are smoother and in my experience it would take a lot of pull to screech to a halt, much more than with standard v's or disc's.
I'm definitely going to give it a go and see what happens.

BarracksSi

Famous last words, right along with such famed phrases as, "Hey, watch this"...

oneleft

I'll let you know tomorrow... or maybe not!

Love that Foxworthy line.

oneleft

Picked up my Soho at 3:15, 1.5 hours of riding later and it's just cool. I've been using modified mountain bikes for years for commuting so it will take some getting used to.

As for the brakes, no problems with locking that mountain bike and getting the rear wheel up but if you can do it with roller brakes then you're a better man than me. It stops plenty fast enough but you don't get that locked wheel (could be I'm a lightweight and don't have enough pull).
It stops smoothly.

screech

Congrats to ya, let's meet for some beers, a ride and pics. I agree with the locking of roller brakes, harder to do, they'll stop the bike on a dime, but don't lock up as easily as disc or V. Maybe that's why they're called roller.

dynaryder

Can't comment on the Soho,but have this data:

My Swobo Dixon w/9sp,discs,all alloy weighs 27lbs 15oz.
My Surly 1x1 w/7sp,disc/roller,all steel weighs 28lbs 1oz.
My old Bianchi Milano w/8sp,V/roller,steel fork/alloy frame(plus fenders/chainguard/kickstand) was 30lbs even.
My Nexus 7 hub w/roller,laced to a 26" Rhynolite rim is 6lbs 9oz.
The Milano's Nexus 8 w/roller,laced to a 26" Alex rim was 7lbs 14oz.

vtjim

I just noticed this thread. The LBS I use has a Soho in the showroom. I was in there ogling it the other day, and decided, "I think this might be my next commuter."

The chainless aspect turns me on, as does all the internal bits that won't get gunked up with sand and grime, not to mention ice and salt.

ChainlessRev

Nice pics!

screech

Some nice pictures and review of both the District and the Soho.

https://www.bikeradar.com/news/articl...an-bikes-22067

screech

I've been riding my Trek Soho all summer, mostly commuting to work, and towing my son on a trail-a-bike to camp. In general the bike has been great. Couple of comments and observations.

1. The belt is creaking like a wicker basket chair. My friend who also bought a Trek Soho has brought his creaking bike into the LBS where he bought it for adjustments twice, stopped creaking for 5 miles and then starts to creak again. I haven't brought mine in yet, and just gotten used to it, or been riding in loud environments so I don't notice too much, but it is embarrassing to say the least. Spraying water on the belt seems to help a little bit.
2. Gears - work very well (Nexus 8 red Hub) with Nexus Alfine shifter. The shifter indicator on my bike broke, so I can't tell visually which gear I'm in. I've gotten used to it, but will get it replaced someday.
3. Roller Brakes. Mine definitely need adjusting, haven't adjusted them for 3 months and now have to pull really hard to stop. I think adjusting them I can get them back to spec, but I would say they are not as strong as disc brakes, but they can stop the bike on a dime, just have to pull hard, again, this may be an adjustment thing.
4. Bike is really comfortable, handlebars, geometry is all good, mainly because the 20" frame size fits me. The rubber guards on the frame have come in handy when locking the bike to a street sign.
5. Tires. Bontrager H2 plus. I think I have a very slow leak in the rear tire and haven't gotten the courage to take the rear tire off to change/fix the flat due to the new design.
6. The original seat wan not comfortable so I switched to a Brooks Flyer, which has been great.
7. Checking the Trek site. https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/urban/soho/soho/. It looks like the MSRP has gone up to $1149. I think back in June the MSRP on the website was $999, or $1099, can't remember exactly. I paid $1069 incl. tax out the door.


Overall Thoughts:

Would I buy this bike again. Yes, but with a standard chain configuration. Why no carbon belt? The constant creaking looks to be a constant. And possibly not fixable. Everything else has been great and I've been riding it hard everyday and pulling 60+ pounds (child, trail-a-bike) up steep hills with no problems on the belt. Yeah, but the creaking is going to ruin the carbon belt innovation even before it gets started. I'm sure there is creaking on the Harleys, but you can't hear it!

Check out the Gates Carbon Drive website under Support (https://www.carbondrivesystems.com/support.php?lang=us). Right there the question:

Q: "My drive is squeaking or making noise, what’s the cause, and how do I fix it?"

A: "The belt can make noise when forced to run hard against the flanges on the sprockets. This can be due to sprocket misalignment, wheel misalignment, or run out in the drive caused by damaged components. Spraying water on the belt may quiet the drive for a few minutes, but the permanent solution is to correct the alignment or replace the damaged components. Another possible source of noise is a loose front sprocket. Using thread lock on the sprocket bolts alleviates this problem."

I'll post some more pictures soon, maybe even record the creaking for everyone to hear. Maybe Gates and Trek can get in on the conversation of the creaking and work it out.

vtjim

Thanks for the review. The belt noise does seem to be problematic. It would drive me nuts, too. Still seems like a nifty commuter, assuming they can quiet it down.

mosquito

How do you like your Carradice Bureau? I've recently thought of selling it and trying the Ortlieb or Arkel. The Bureau is way too big when carried around the shoulder I hate the adjusting straps on the buckles.

lambo_vt

I dunno, seems like a deal-killer to me. And the FAQ on the Gates website sounds an awful lot like Gates is simply shrugging at the problem.

oneleft

Two months in, somewhere around 800 miles. Twice to the bike shop and they can't get the squeaking to stop. Deaf in one ear and about 30% loss in the other and it still drives me nuts.

Really like the gears. Haven't found a hill I can't climb comfortably (well, Tilden from Rock Creek up to Conn. Ave wasn't exactly comfortable, but quite doable) but could use one more gear on the other end. Shifting under load is not a problem.

Everything else is fine, I like the cockpit, the roll, the handling...

If I had a do over (only because of the squeaking) I'd try the Swobo Dixon or maybe the Cannondale Bad Boy 8.

BarracksSi

I wish we got that bike here in the States. If I had the scratch, I'd bump up to the Rohloff version:
https://gb.cannondale.com/bikes/09/ce/model-9BSR.html

oneleft

I didn't notice the 8 wasn't available here! Dang. That Rohloff does look good.

screech

I liked the Carradice when I bought it, then didn't like, now I like it again. Does that make any sense? Every bag has issues, for me it sometimes doesn't hold enough and will switch to a bigger pannier for winter. I have begun using it as a non-bike overnight bag. About a year ago as I was riding next to some construction equipment, the bag got stuck on somethin and complety ripped off the bike breaking both latches that secure it to the rack rendering the bag useless. I ordered two new latches from Carradice, and when the package arrived I discovered that they included 8 latches! So if it happens again I have spares. Awfully nice of them to do that. Sometimes I lose things in the bottom of the bag, but it's nice to have small compartments for cellphone, iPod (thanks Rick!), tools, sunglasses, and nice to have separate sections for wet and dry clothes. Overall a well built, goodlooking bag that'll last me 20 years or more.

TwoHeadsBrewing

I finally picked this bike up last week from the LBS for $899. I also rode the Trek 7.5FX and Gary Fisher Mendota, which were both very nice bikes around the same price point. After riding each for a good hour around our local park the Soho just seemed to be the smoothest and most comfortable ride. The 7.5fx was on sale for $820 and the Mendota was $1,050 so the Soho was just in between. I've been commuting to work on a Gary Fisher hard-tail MTB with Specialized Nimbus road tires, which has served me well but is starting to need some major work done on the drive train. All of these bikes blew my old MTB out of the water, but again the Soho had more of the commute-specific features. I came very close to picking up the Mendota which was a SWEET ride...but in the end it was just too expensive for the lighter frame and disc brakes.

This is a commuter bike, and if I want a racing/touring bike I'll go buy one specifically for that task. So far, here's what I think about the bike:

-pros-
Ease of Shifting - internal hub is very smooth and quiet
Quiet - belt drive has no slop and doesn't clang around when you hit bumps
frame and components - all components feel very solid and polished
Comfort - the riding position makes for a very maneuverable, visible, and comfortable commute
Looks - I like the color, the matched painted fenders, and overall clean look of the bike

-cons-
Gearing ratio - I don't know if it's just me, but the 8th gear doesn't feel like it's quite tall enough. I could use another one. Anyone know about a smaller cog on the rear?
Roller Brakes - I'd rather have disc brakes (but I don't want to pay for them ), but for all-weather these are "ok".
No Rack??? - For a commuter, it wouldn't hurt to throw in a cheap Topeak or Blackburn rack in there.

Thanks for all the information on this site regarding the bike, it's been instrumental in helping me choose the right bike for me!

JimJimex

+1
I was gonna ask the EXACT same thing about the power transfer!

BarracksSi

Considering that many car engines use toothed rubber belts for valve timing, supercharging, and whatnot, I wouldn't worry about power transfer. Valve timing is especially sensitive to slop.

screech

Power Transfer?

Here's a guy pulling a car using a bike equipped with a Gates Carbon frame.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-k80ibA-fyw

soho2009

Screech,

Dont accept the noise as "ok". I had a noise problem from mile 5 on and kept at it with the LBS to get it fixed. Finally replaced the rear wheel set so I cant tell you if it was the hub or the gates drive but it was "fixed".

At that time I was told that in the whole U.S. trek system there was only one other bike with that noise and it was a hub issue. Clearly thats not the case with two more bikes mentioned here.

You do have a warranty on that bike.

I'm at mile 1200, roughly, and will "steal" your template.

Belt -- Exactly what I wanted - NO Maintenance! Gates Drive site says it should last 10,000-15,000 miles.

Gears - Love the gearing, except that 7 should be 8 and 8 should be 9 or something like that without going into gear ratios. -- Can Harris Cycling sell me those gears for an Alfine?
Shifter gets scratched because the few times I've flipped the bike over it to change a flat, along with the bell, are first to come in contact with the ground.

Roller Brakes - NO Maintenance! - But stopping distance means mentally adjusting from disk brakes. You tend not be going as fast, though.

Rubber Guard, Coffee cup, save the money, Trek

Tires -- Stock - Nebula Bontanger - Well, the rear tire just went at 1000 miles. Three flats were enough in a month and half -- They track nicely in foul weather but I have to say I was looking forward to switching out the rear tire. I put on Travel Contact - Continental and have picked up at least 2 mph on the rear wheel. It could be my weight is just too much for the nebula. 210+gear+packs.

First flat was a blowout when I jumped up on a curb, my fault, but still, tube slitted, pain in the butt finding the leak. 2nd one I never found the tire failure and just replaced the tube. Third one was straight puncture that no self respecting tire should have allowed. During the inspection found a large cut across the tire from some other event so the puncture and cut meant replacement in my book.

Seat - Love, Hate Relationship -- I like the stiffness but the shape is just a bit off for a commuter guy - maybe fits a commuter girl better. Keep telling myself Ill switch to my fizik gobi but never do. Wondering if its the sado macho in me.


Its got some first year issues that should be ironed out over time - like cool looking bar covers with wrist platforms that twirled around the bars the 2nd day of ownership and zip ties to hold brake/shift cables on the bottom of the bike - bad idea, where they are very likely to get scraped off.

This bike solved my No1 issue with bike commuting (about 30-50 miles roundtrip) and that was maintenance. I was spending 20 minutes a day adjusting something and that was unacceptable. This bike needs air pumped into the tires once or twice a week.

Now why can cagers get 20,000 miles from a car tire with no flats, and I can get only 1,000?

Bat22

Couple days after getting a 96 Novarra Fusion, I brought it down to REI to have a
mechanic show me how to change out the rear tire. 15mm,10mm.hex key, flat and
philipps head screw driver. I practiced a couple of times at home. The best time I
could get was a half hour to change a tube on a work stand. I put 21,000 miles on
it and it was nimble and fast. I wouldn't use the Fusion for a commuter unless I wanted
to add extra time as a safety. Good luck with yours.

TwoHeadsBrewing

One thing I'm wondering about is if there is a way to go down a few teeth on the sprocket in the rear or up a few in the front. The gearing is fine for commuting, which is this bike's intended use but I could see wanting another gear up on the top end for downhills or a big tailwind. I cruise at 18-20mph as it is in 8th, but I prefer more resistance and longer revolutions instead of less resistance and quick revolutions.