Squeezebox

The fork bags that you see on the 720 ad, will also fit on the 520 and 920 forks. The bolts are 3 1/2 " apart. Will they fit on anyone else's fork?? I think the cost is $100 per set. Worth thinking about.

Happy Feet

Initially I am not impressed.

They are just dry bags strapped to the fork. The problem being bag wobble that could potentially set the bag into the wheel and send you teet over arse.
Look at the top rear of the bag. What is holding it from flexing into the wheel where it meets the fork. Having had that happen with a cheap rear pannier I can say the stop is fairly sudden. It's why panniers have solid backs and racks have horizontal tubing. Also, how much flexing of that plastic holder until it snaps off at the bolts.


A more simple and safe solution would be to just fasten two dry bags to your front rack where the horizontal bars will stop that from happening. Connect the male from each bag to the female of the other and they would simply drape over the rack with only a strap or bungee to secure them. It's what I intend for my new old bike.

BTW, some less than flattering reviews of the 720 touring capabilities here (especially Darren Snyder's) : https://bicycletimesmag.com/first-imp...nture-touring/

rex615

These. I am a visual kinda guy.

saddlesores

i wouldn't worry about the bags flopping into the wheels. the whole thing
is pretty much just for show, won't be going offroad, and the bags will likely
never carry more than packing peanuts.

were this bike to go off road loaded, "the Bontrager wheels .... wide, round
and true, even after several rides" would collapse long, long before the cheap
plastic brackets were to fail.

Lt Stonez

Wonder If they fits my Roubaix carbon fork?
do you have a link Squeezy ?

LeeG

When you're riding with those fork bags the reduced aerodynamic drag and weight of 24 spoke wheels makes all the difference.

mstateglfr 

I dont see a link on treks website to buy these. Got a link?

In the meantime...

Salsa anything cage is $30 and holds 6# each or so and can connect to regular bottle cage mounts or the proper 3 mount fork on surly and salsa.

Cleveland everywhere bag is an option.

Blackburn outpost cage is $25 and holds 8# while connecting to 2 hole bottle cage mounts or the fork using pclamps or a pclamp and the midpoint brazeon if a fork has them.


$25 for the cage, holds 8# of gear, and has straps to secure gear.
Seems like a viable alternative and its fornsure available now.

mstateglfr 

You think Darren's comments are less than flattering? I didnt read that at all.
Darren clarifies what the 720 was designed for and highlights the benefits of the bike in the way it was intended to be used.
I didnt read anything that is less than flattering.


If people are trying to use a mix use bike for full loaded touring, thats their own fault, not Trek's.
Have you read trek's website? Over and over, its mentioned that this is a credit card touring bike or that its for light touring. It even says 'race to the next area code'. It is clearly not a fully loaded touring bike and Darren's comments aee consistent with how trek advertises the bike.

Happy Feet

I guess I just don't see where touring fits into the equation all that much.

Besides the reviews regarding multiple broken spokes, which loaded or not is a pretty blatant failure point, the idea of using front fork bags like that as the preferred packing solution sort of boggles my mind. Either you will pack a reasonable load and snap the attachment system or stuff the bags in the wheel or pack something so light and small to be meaningless.

Just imagine the torque generated at the attachment points using the bike off road with loaded bags.

I get that it is an adventure bike. Just take the fork bags off and call it an old school rigid frame mtb, which is all it is. But even old school mtb's don't break multiple spokes on a single tour and have reasonable abilities to attach racks for reasonable storage solutions.

I appreciate Darren's comments but he seems to basically admit it is a touring bike that can't carry a load. Isn't that just called a bike?

saddlesores

i think trek's failure here is in the marketing. they're going with the number
series....520, 720, 920, etc. that brings visions of fine german engineering,
recalling the mercides, porsche, and bmw numbered series.

if anything, these bikes are UNDER-engineered. they should play to the market,
which would be affluent, lotsa-free-time, overweight, middleaged cosplayers.

just as volkswagen has a theme.....they name their vehicles after winds...
gulf, jetta, scirroco, bora.......trek should follow suit.

maybe a mexican-sounding theme, m'kay? mexican food is pretty popular
with that crowd. i'm seeing so many opportunities....sombrero-shaped
helmets with multicolored pom-pom blinkies, spandex over the
shoulder capes, chihuahua bobble-head fender ornaments.....

how about the names for the new "treksikali" series?

lets start with the 520. that one's obvious! call it "el burro"!

then take the 720. it's got a relaxed, laid back look....how about the "siesta"?

and the 920? it's got that vaguely military-ish terminator vibe with the quasi
khaki paint and the monster racks..........let's call it the "bandito"!

why, they could even leave the logo off of the headtube on the 920,
which would give our pancho villa wannabes the chance to throw
their spandex capes over their shoulders and proudly proclaim...
....."we don' need no steenking badges!"

why mexican? cause with 28-spoked bontragers, each bike comes with
free tacos!~

of course we'd have to put up with thousands of basement dwellers
christening their new 920 the "frito bandito".......

indyfabz

Don't put anything in them that you need to access quickly and easily.

robow

saddlesores = marketing genius

indyfabz

The urban sombrero:

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...633cb61ba2.jpg

mstateglfr 

Darren's comments are quite clear and mirror Trek's website.
Its a light touring bike. Its a credit card tourer. Its a roadie's tourer.

Here is part of his comment- It was developed to be a light and fast credit card (stay in hotels and eat well) adventure bike. It rides like a road bike during the week and with the front bags and racks it quickly transforms into a weekend adventure bike.


I know exactly what market they are targeting with this bike. Its someone with disposable income(cost is $2K) who already has experience with road bikes. They will typically be empty nesters or in their 30s and older. They will want to travel by bike for overnights but are not looking to camp. Weekend trips to hotels and b&bs would be the typical destination.

My wife and I have gone to a historic hotel about 40mi from where we live. Its a fun ride there and the hotel has indoor bike storage. Instead of me carrying everything for both of us, if my wife had this bike she could carry her stuff. We would never consider paying $2K for the bike though when she could just continue to use her road bike and we could slap some of the blackburn outpost cages on the fork for $50 total...or I will just continue to carry everything.

Point is though- there is a real market for the 720 and I can see its appeal. That cost is flippin tough to justify though, especially with what are apparently poorly built wheels. You are correct, spokes shouldnt break that frequently on any category of bike. So get the wheels properly tensioned and trued. Or get a different set of wheels.

fietsbob

You will need more than 1 mid fork braze on ..

Add a rear rack? the multiple Fork bosses on the 720 will let you add a lowrider rack instead..

Happy Feet

Or.. this space age technology called a... handle bar bag

Mstateglfr, I think your comments are right on as far as the target and intent.

I can see a road bike enthusiast wanting an off road bike that basically does the same thing, an off road road bike. Fair enough. But why the poor component ideas. I would think that an affluent gearcentric roadie would want a road bike that maximizes performance (CF etc...) and likewise, an off road bike that would do the same, especially in the 2K range. I find it hard to grasp because I use converted mtb's which give me road/off road capacity in the same bike but to each their own in that light.

When I hear adventure bike I think rugged and reliable. Light weight can also be achieved with those caveats so I am not so impressed with a targeted adventure bike that seems to be designed with such blatant failure points. I get that one can upgrade wheels but for 2K out the gate that should not even be a consideration, seeing as they are not offering any other design feature or materials to justify the price.

robow

wow, 2 grand for a tig welded aluminum frame, only 105 level components, and wheels that seem to eat spokes.
I know I'm starting to sound like an old curmudgeon here but give me a hundred Jacksons and I can definitely build something more worthy.

Squeezebox

If you have 2 bolts on each fork blade 3 1/2 inches apart they should fit.
Call customer Trek service, ask them. They told me 520, 720, and 920 only. From what I have heard carbon forks have issues with bolt ons. Call them!! Unless you are just trolling!!! In the trek photos I did not see mid fork bolts.

Squeezebox

I continue think you are crazy wrong. All the specs from several bicycle manufactures say the same, as me!!

mantelclock

Any experience with spokes breaking on new Trek 720 touring bike - Bicycles Stack Exchange

mstateglfr 

Completely agree. I dont understand spending $2000 for a bike spec'd with 105 thats basically a 23pound road bike with wider tires. I could snag a Soma or VO frame and slap the same components and better wheels for probably $500 less without even bargain hunting. Groupsets overseas are so disgustingly cheap right now that 11s 105 STIs are selling for only $130 as of last week!!

I would expect good wheels for a $2K bike. I have wheelsets which cost $200-300 which i trust without a second thought, so if I paid $2000 and had wheels which sucked, I would be furious.



That bike should either be $1300 as is, or spec'd with Ultegra and a good wheelset at $2000. But hey, Im cheap.

indyfabz

1. I don't buy much bike stuff. Is $130 for the entire set?

2. For that much money, that doesn't make you cheap. It makes you smart. My first touring bike came with wheels that were not equipped to handle my load, which included a lot of heavy film camera equipment. I had rear wheel problems from Seattle to Ohio, where it was discovered that my rims were cracking around the spoke holes. The only quick fix was a 48 spoke wheel off a tandem. Wheel problem on a tour really suck! They really, really suck!

elcruxio

Which bike manufacturers and about which bikes?

MixedRider

There is just not another option in components by Trek for their "adventure/touring" bikes. The 520/720/920 are all completely different bike geometry/materials/components. With each targeting a different audience.

Are the new Trek 720/920 adventure bikes an OK starting point for their intended use? Yes. I don't think anyone is questioning that. But for $2k, that starting point will be somewhat permanent since upgrading will cost a bit of money. And the new 720 and 920 don't have a long track record yet. Its like a new model car; they are bound to maybe have some issues which will be fixed in the next couple model years. And fix doesn't necessarily mean something continually breaks, but if the bike itself doesn't sell well, the manufacturer will look at the market and change things on the bike to attract buyers.

Other bike brands have a base model, and they also have the same frame available with a different array of wheels, components, and accessories. Salsa vaya1,2,3. Giant escape1,2,3. Specialized AWOL comp/evo/elite. The list goes on...

But back to the original question... attaching dry bags to your fork is nothing new. Trek is just trying to have a proprietary system which works best with their bikes so their customer will buy more Trek components instead of shopping elsewhere.

mstateglfr 

The $130 is for the STIs. 11 speed wiggle.com | Shimano 105 5800 STI Shifters | Gear Levers And Shifters Road

A full group is $423 right now. Shimano - Bike parts, accessories, components - Ribble Cycles It may be less on Wiggle, didnt check.

Basically $1000 for a frame, fork, and that groupset. Have to get some disc brakes and sell the calipers. Then you have $400-500 for tape, wheels, and a saddle and thats pretty much it. And that i could be happy with wheels and a saddle for less than $400-500. That would total $1500 though and its just some mope piecing together a bunch of stuff off websites to make a road bike with the capability of handling wider tires and some light packing. How Trek is $500 more with their volume is odd.