TrekDistrict.com

I got this question from a reader the other day and I thought I’d post it up to see if anyone has any opinions/advice.

“Curious if anyone has had one of these stolen yet? I’d love to get one, but just the attention that they get while your on it makes me terrified about the attention it would get locked up. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’ll have it chained to my leg, but any tips on keeping one of these guys not stolen for those rare moments that it does have to be locked up? I would -hate- to do it, but the wheels are definitely the “loudest” part of that bike. Are there any less loud wheels you’d recommend or post up for review? Thanks! -Ken”

Photo via

This picture comes to us from Dave B in Newport Beach. I’m loving the orange pedals. Here’s what he has to say about it.

“I just got my district today and it’s really sweet. Even better than I expected. I got more pics, if you want them. Trek District comes to Newport Beach!”

It’s funny that Trek bills the District as a commuter bike. Although I intend on using mine as such (as soon as the get 54 cm’s in stock) it isn’t really set up for commuting, at least not yet. Dave from the UK shows us that the District really can be set up as a serious commuter bike. Here are his thoughts.

Just picked up my new Trek District. I was a little apprehensive of the gearing to start with, and thought the gearing might be a little on the low side.. but my fears have been mislaid. I like the idea of adding the narrow straight bar, the curved standard bar just doesn’t do it justice. I lowered the bar slightly by putting the spacers above, but think that turning the stem over is a better option after some play. I added a slim carrier for the rear (unfortunately need to spoil aesthetics with panniers from time to time), and Ultegra SPD pedals from my road bike. Flats just don’t cut it.

Thanks Dave!

I got this review from Spokane the other day.

I just got my District yesterday and woke up early for a bike ride, this is my first skinny tire bike, and I haven’t ridden a bike in a long while. i put a set of spd pedals on and that was interesting for my frst real ride in a very long time. I love this bike though, so light and nimble, the gearing is a bit on the small side. I found myself out pedaling it, but after a short ride I found myself out of wind and needed to relax and just enjoy the ride. It’s so quiet, and nimble and climbing hills was easy. So far I’m impressed, no slippage of the belt at all, its toothed pretty deep I don’t see how it could slip unless you broke off several belt teeth.

Thanks Erik!

It probably should be stated that the District is the first bike I have owned in nearly 15 years. I have been threatening to ditch my car in favor of a bike for my commutes to and from work but I really couldn’t find the motivation to visit a bike shop until I first saw pictures in the District in the fall of 2008; I thought it was too sexy to see production. The concept of using such an aggressive combination of components (frame, fork, seat, etc.) and a color scheme so unique, seemed too polarizing to be considered marketable; not to mention the inclusion of a Gates carbon drive which is a bold enough move for a production bike as it is. Anyway, I downloaded the high-res screen shot from the Trek website and made it my desktop to see if my excitement for the bike would wain after some time on the eyes. As it turned out, it had the opposite effect and I came to appreciate it’s aesthetics even more. So I stopped by my local Trek concept store and plunked down a deposit; mine was their first order. After months and months of patient waiting, I received a call from the store notifying me that my District was being assembled in their shop and was ready for me to take delivery.

My first impression supports the opinions of others: this bike is even more impressive in person. Trek did a very good job staying true to the original concept. The build quality is probably the most surprising characteristic; everything is very tight. All of the welds are clean and nearly unnoticeable while the Vintage Gray paint gives it that “urban assault vehicle” appearance that I find so strangely attractive. I too, had my shop invert the stem to mimic the concept; this is the way the District was intended to look. The most interesting thing I noticed, and this may be an “error” in production, is that mine came without the Trek shield on the front. I’m not complaining because I think it looks rather nice that way…but I found it odd none-the-less.
The Gates carbon drive is remarkable. There is no noticeable difference in pedal feel between the Gates and a traditional chain drive; even when you get on it. In fact, the only difference I can tell is in the sound (or lack there of); it’s almost surreal. Anyone who is skeptical of belt drives need to take the Gates carbon drive for a spin before you write off the technology.
The District is fast. My commute to work is nearly 4 miles and it takes me a good 13-15 minutes to commute by car (accounting for traffic). The District, by comparison, is only about 3 or 4 minutes slower and I attribute that to the massive hill(s) that I have to climb going to and returning from the office. The single speed can make a large hill a work out but nothing that “breaks the will” so to speak. When the terrain is flat, the District is buttery smooth. That being said, it’s an aggressive set up so it’s not gonna ride like a cruiser…but it wasn’t designed with that intent anyway.
As far as personalization, I have some things in mind that I plan on adding sooner or later. What I can tell you is that anything I do will not detract from the original design intent.
Cheers,
Jay KOmaha, NE
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Here are a couple more pictures Mark sent of his District. I think these may be some of the first ones I have seen with out the belt guard. Needless to say, I’m loving it. The orange goretex cables and the set of Duraace brakes are a nice touch too. Looking sweet!

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This picture comes from Mark T and are the first pictures I have seen of a District with anything other than OEM parts on it. Mark added some cut down straight bars and toe clips with leather straps. Personally I think it looks brilliant!

Thanks Mark! Send more pics!

Anyone else changed things up on the District?

I just realized that I had never posted this picture I got a while ago. It comes from Ronald S of Holland who had his district way back on the 29th of April.

Thanks Ronald!

Here is another great review with some equally stunning photo’s from the UK!

Back in early December 2008, the winter off road commute was taking its toll on both the bike and me. I was in the market for a low maintenance, fun commuter. Not sure where I first saw a details of the District but thought – that’s got to be a fun bike.

A deposit went down on the District and every week I was hoping that it would be just another few days, I regularly visited trekdistrict.com to see if there was any news.

After waiting several months and only having a few pictures to look at, I was unsure what my initial reaction would be when finally seeing it for real. I arrived on foot at the bike shop with the intention to cycle it home. I waited eagerly as they brought it out from the workshop – the first thoughts were wow! The styling, lived up to my expectations, the build quality was stunning. It was “for real” and looked so much better in real life.

After a chat with the friendly guys at http://www.evocycles.co.uk/ it was now time to get on and ride it. At this point I felt nervous. Having not owned a road bike for 20+ years, my focus has been on long distance cross country riding. The fit didn’t feel too dissimilar to my Trek EX-8, the main thing that crossed my mind was how small and light the bike felt underneath me. In contrast to a chunky MTB, it felt fragile. I pulled away slowly and started to wind it up. The gearing felt natural and my worries about power transfer quickly faded. A strong tail wind was in my favour, before I knew it I had covered nearly 2 miles. The build felt robust with the only noise being traced to a loose inner tube valve nut – this bike is seriously silent. After a quick stop, and with a long flat stretch ahead it was time to see how fast I could go. Acceleration is effortless, the GPS logs showed that 24.8Mph was reached. At this speed, the legs spin like crazy and my fingers were twitching to down shift. Would be interested to hear what others feel about the gearing, would like to have gone faster but perhaps I just need to stick to a sensible speed and enjoy the cruise?

The next test was to see what its like at hills. Nothing to steep, but the ones I tried were fine. A few times I had to get out of the saddle to keep the spin up, the bike is incredibly light and seems to fly.

A few observations, the pivots on the brake levers have orange paint which has started to flake off – not fussed as feel that they looks better without. The weld at top of seat stay looks rushed and untidy. One side of the pedals seem convex whereas the other side is flat, I prefer using SPD’s so will fit these soon. The black spokes are a nice touch. Its amazing how much attention it gets, I think it’s a bike that people either love or hate – two days of ownership and I love it. Happy riding

Thanks Nigel! Lots more pictures after the jump…

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One of our loyal readers Sander van der Vegte of http://www.coin-op.nl/ just got his Trek District last week. It’s currently the only District in Holland. He was kind enough to take some great pictures and write up his initial thoughts. If you are one of the lucky to own a District, drop us a line and share some photo’s, we’ll post them up for everyone to see. See Sanders full review below.

If there were something like drive-by burglaries, this would be the tool of choice.

The Trek District is quiet. You hear nothing but the tires or the hard-to-notice squeak of the belt when you push down hard. It’s a lovely experience, especially in parks and woods. I bought this bike at a Trek dealer called Top Bikes in The Hague, the Netherlands. Amongst many other bike stores they were one of the few that listed the District. I made reservations approximately three months upfront not knowing about the delays. When it finally arrived they informed me that only four (or maybe five) Districts were made, and only one was shipped to Holland. I consider myself very lucky.

This is my first Trek bike. I’m not an expert in biking, but in this country everyone rides bikes. It’s by far the best way to get around town (and I don’t even have a drivers license as result). This picture gives you a good idea of how common biking is here:  
I’ve owned many bikes. Some were stolen, some rusted away. But it wasn’t until a few years ago before I bought my first new bike. Eventually, I got fed up with having grease all over the place and looking like a clown stuffing my pants in my sock. The belt drive of the District is, together with its stunning looks, the reason why I wanted to have one. The bike doesn’t make you worry about things like grease or gears. Just get on and drive away. A lazy-men’s bike when it comes down to those things. And I find that positive. Before I left the store I asked if they could flip the stem. Apparently the stem is mounted upwards by factory default. With such a minimalistic design something trivial as a stem can change the look of the bike entirely. The mechanic flipped it for me without a problem.

My first trip was from The Hague to Rotterdam, which is (including some sight seeing) roughly 30 kilometers or 18.5 miles. The rock-hard tires in combination with brick roads made for an uncomfortable ride at first, but as soon as I hit tarmac all my worries were gone. The word ’smooth’ couldn’t even cover it. The gear ratio is perfect, as is the grip on the pedals. The belt drive feels like a strong piece of fabric that doesn’t stretch. It’s hard to describe the difference between the belt and a normal chain, but you can certainly feel it. There is absolutely no slippage or jerky moves to be found. It really makes you wonder why this system hasn’t been applied to all bikes already.

There is a downside to the quiet ride though. For instance, with every odd sound the bike produces I find myself bending towards the frame listening carefully to learn what causes it, and it makes a bike bell a necessity which lessens the looks of this clean machine. I can’t recall how many times I had to brake or steer clear from unexpected bikers and pedestrians that simply didn’t hear me coming. The good looks of the bike is something we can all agree on. The minute the bike was outside the store it received its first bystander’s comment of approval. Kids shouting “cool bike!”, grown ups turning heads and elderly people stopping for a moment to study it. It all happened in a matter of hours. If I have to summarize my impressions, it would be that the Trek District is a great looking bike, a very good and silent ride that is ridiculously well priced for what it offers. That evening I couldn’t help myself and went for another 15km ride. I eventually stopped at a bench and took a closer look. Here are a few pictures of interesting things.