Trek is going in an interesting direction!
 

I was looking at the 2011 Trek Catalog this morning at work, just flipping through the pages, when THIS went by. I immediately stopped, and went back to the page for the Trek "Portland".
I would have to save for quite a while, but I kind of want one of these now!:love:,,,,BD


http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes...land/portland/

Similar to last year's model, and a very nice bike.

If it were my $1700, I'd get this instead http://civiacycles.com/bikes/bryant/..._alfine/#build

Very nice bike. But why is it so expensive?

If it were my $1,700 I would buy something off Craigslist and go on vacation in South East Asia for a few months....

The Portland used to be an awesome bike. Used to be 105 drivetrain w/ BB7 brakes for about the same money (and without a stock rack). Last year they dropped quality of components quite a bit and turned it into a poor seller. Now they upped the brakes back up, but it's still a mediocre drivetrain. I think it should be priced closer to 1300-1400 (since the Tiagra equipped 1.5 is 1,100. I think the BB7 upgrade and wheel swap isnt worth much more than 300.

It's a cool bike, but a tad overpriced this year. Snag it on sale and you've got a good bike at a good price. I'd rather go for a Fisher Collection Mendota. Lose the drop bars but $500 cheaper for similar quality

I wish they had put a raised heel on the shoe, for really natural walking.

Considering the price and the name, I would expect better components than that. Also, those fenders are pathetic.

ha there smoking crack if they think that bikes worth $1700. i wouldn't pay over $1200 for anything that had a tiagra grouppo.

The Salsa Vaya is the same bike... probably better for a dedicated commuter in steel.

In alloy, there's the Schwinn Super Sport DBX.

A nice all arounder is what most people want in an every day bike.

I've owned mine for three years, now. Of my four bikes, it's still my favorite.

It was two years ago that they dropped it from 105 to Tiagra, then put those crappy brakes on it.

Anyway, at first, I too thought the change from 105 to Tiagra was a downgrade. Now, I'm thinking it's an appropriate choice. The Portland is designed to be an all-seasons, all-conditions commuter. As such, durability is a consideration, as well as ongoing maintenance costs.

Over the past three years, I've grown pretty tired of replacing the chain two to three times a year. In the wet, gritty commuting environment, 10-speed chains just don't last as long as 8 or 9-speed. Plus the cost! Even if you go with Nashbar chains, 9-speed chains are half the price. Once you step up to name brands, the spread gets even wider.

That's why I now view the 9-speed drivetrain as appropriate. It's a commuter, not a stage racer.

As for the cost, if you think of the frame as merely something to keep the components from falling to the ground, it's overpriced. But have you actually ridden a Portland?

The value of this bike is in the frameset, not the components. I have a Reynolds 853 bike that rides almost as nice as the Portland. I have a Lynskey-built Litespeed that doesn't ride nearly as nice. An everyday commuter that rides better than top-quality steel and top-quality Ti is certainly worth a few bucks.

Coupled with the geometry and how it it handles, I'd pay your $1300-$1400 for the frameset alone. $1650 is a bargain with components.

With the return of the BB7 brakes, replacing the paired-spoke wheels for more normal ones, and the addition of the rack, the 2011 Portland is back on my "Recommended" list.

As for the fenders, yeah, they're spiffy looking, but ineffective. Full fenders are cheap and easy to install. I moved the "fenderettes" to my previously fenderless backup commuter. I put them back on the Portland when I put the cross tires on and go fire-roading with it.

Too much $$$ IMHO. I'd shop elsewhere for a commuter.

Amen! But I admire people who are willing to spend that much. A nice bike like that would last here about 2 months -tops, and then it would be stolen.

Typical TREK geometry and the reason why I don't even bother looking at their bikes. Their top tubes are way too long and head tubes way too short for the kind of riding I do. My road bikes have top tubes in the 56-57 cm range, depending on the seat tube angle. The Portland in size M/56 has a 58.2 cm top tube. The size S/54 has a 56.4 cm top tube, but the head tube is only 14.3 cm long. Those specs might work if you like a stretched out frame and/or a lot of drop from your saddle to handlebar, but that's not what I'm looking for in a commuter bike.

I think disc brake road bikes are great. tsl's posts about his Portland helped sway me to buy my disc brake road bike last year. I prefer steel frames/forks so I got a Salsa La Cruz on closeout at the lbs. I set it up for commuting and love the braking and OX Platinum Steel frame & fork.

Bikedued, just sell off some of the classics in your fleet (where you have duplication) and use your employee discount. I don't think you will be disappointed....

[IMG]http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k2...928_155916.jpg[/IMG]

the value of you opinion is diminished since you used the word "grouppo"....just sayin'

Keep in mind those of you crying over the Portland price that a carbon disc fork can't be had cheap. That's a $300 fork on that bike.

what kind of hubs are on the portland? cartridge bearing or cup/cone?

For the money, I could build a better bike that meets my exact preferences.

For someone who doesn't have the tools, time or experience, it's a good bike to consider. Don't forget to add sales tax since you can't buy online. All in all, you'd probably be spending close to $2,000 when fully equipped. You do get a great warranty from Trek.

I don't know about the 2011 model with the new wheels. Older models had cup-and-cone.

I also thought the price was pretty high, since last year you could get a Reynolds framed Raleigh with Tiagra AND a brooks swift for around 1000 bucks.(minus disc brakes of course) I was speaking mainly of a disc road bike with fenders and a rack. More of a theoretical styling and functionality thing IMO. I like the idea, and execution.,,,,BD

I got as far as the carbon fork, I'm over it now.
In all honesty, I have never ridden a carbon anything. In my mind, it is in the same category as a truck with an automatic transmission--probably ok, just not comfortable with it.
Other than that, it looks like a real nice ride.

carbon WRAPPED fork.

From this Commuting forum thread title, I was expecting this or maybe this.

Once upon a time I would have agreed with you. Then I needed a new commuter and best value bike for money came with a carbon fork.

I'm still riding that bike, about 9 000 miles later. Gone through two rear wheels before building my own. Lord knows how many tyres. Crashed on ice more than a dozen times.

The fork is still as good as new (ITM 4Eva carbon fork, steerer, aluminum crown). It's a great fork.

Just remember that those carbon breakup stories are nearly 100% super-light race bikes.

Fenders like that on a bike called "Portland" amuse me greatly.