Trek District – An Owners Review
Nick S. was one of the lucky few to have already received his Trek District. Now that he has had it for a few days he was kind enough to snap some pictures and write up some of his first impressions. Enjoy!
Initial thoughts on the Trek District 2009….
As I was handed my new Trek District at my local bike store the other day here in NYC, I could sense the numerous pairs of eyes staring at it. A woman approached me immediately and asked what kind of bike it was. Well, I was about to find out.
Weighing in at roughly 20 pounds, the first thing you notice while riding the District is the lack of any noise whatsoever. The rubber of the tires rolling on the asphalt and my jacket wafting in the wind were the only sounds to be heard, louder than any singular part on the bike. It’s literally like riding on a silent cloud. While the wingspan of the handlebars was wider than I had expected, the steering was still tight and nimble, allowing myself to easily negotiate myself between cars.
I really liked the gear ratio for the bike, as the District was super fast on the inclines, but only while sitting down. The configuration of the bike positions you pretty upright and I found standing up to be a little awkward. I also noticed that once I reached speeds upwards of 20 MPH, there was no point in peddling anymore. Its aluminum frame was rigid on bumps, but I’m used to that riding on NYC streets and dodging huge potholes. I did purchase a softer saddle, switching out the beautiful-looking, yet painful Bontrager one, which improved riding over rougher terrain tremendously.
While some readers were concerned about the difficulty of maintaining the District, it couldn’t be any simpler. First of all, there was no black chain grease to deal with and after using a hex wrench to loosen the rear bolts, the tire popped out vertically downwards from the adjustable dropouts. The Gates belt was easy to remove from the cog and chainring once the tire was out.
One thing that I haven’t gotten used to is the constant barrage of people staring and asking questions about the bike. People are immediately drawn to its bright orange rims and unique shape. It’s a crowd pleaser for sure. But most importantly, the District is just a true pleasure to ride and has now officially become my Spring/Summer cruising bike.
Some riders may not like the free-wheel setup or the bright colors, but it’s a unique bike that provides a unique riding experience. Ultimately, for riders looking for a beautiful and nimble single-speed urban bike, the District is one of the best out there.
-Nick
Congrats on the new bike Nick!
This entry was posted on Sunday, April 26th, 2009 at 2:45 pm and is filed under Bikes, Trek District. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
April 27th, 2009 at 1:06 am
I understand the need of a softer saddle, but it does take away a little bit of the looks. But then again, no one will see it when you’re sitting on it
Thanks for the review. This pretty much answers the few doubts I had about this bike. Can’t wait till I get mine.
April 27th, 2009 at 11:23 am
The District pictured on Trek’s website shows a different stem. Or was it installed upside down? Is that even possible?
The bike doesn’t look nearly as aggressive with the stem pointing up like in the picture above, and the previous blog.
If I can install mine upside down, I will.
April 27th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Dr.,
I called my bike shop and they said the Bontrager Soho 15 degree stem that comes with the District should be reversible. I will check that out on mine because I do like a more agressive stance when riding.
April 27th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
Flip it and let us know if you like it better.
April 28th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
Looks completely different! I was trying to figure out what it was… Flip it!!
April 28th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Thanks for the review.
Any ratcheting (slippage) issues with the belt drive?
Any difficulty tensioning the belt properly after you put the rear wheel back on?
How did the belt drive feel compared to chain drive?
May 1st, 2009 at 7:25 am
Put a Brooks Sadle on it and your sorted.
May 5th, 2009 at 11:09 am
You can flip the stem for a more aggressive riding position. the bike that we shot in the studio as well as placed for photos has the stem level rather than raised. Congrats on the purchase!
May 11th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Hello. Great job. This is a great story. Thanks!
May 16th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
just got a district. love it…
May 20th, 2009 at 5:09 am
Just had a call from my LBS here in UK – Picking it up Friday! (60CM)
June 4th, 2009 at 7:40 am
i just got my trek district yesterday and went on my first ride this morning. i havent ridden bikes in a long time, and this is my first real skinny tire bike, but i love it, although i do seem to out pedal this bike. maybe im a better rider then i give myself or maybe i need a bigger chain ring, but this thing climbs awesome, so light and nimble. i did put some spd pedals on and i havent ridden spds in a long time, took a a little spill trying to remeber to kick out while waiting for traffic so i could cross the road. but all is good.
June 17th, 2009 at 11:07 pm
Just got my trek District from a trek deal in brooklyn last night and its amazing. It was kind of hard to find but once I passed by a bike shop in Bay Ridge and saw the owner putting it together I Was like YEAHHHH babe I got to have it and I love it. The saddle completes the good look of the bike but it really hurts riding on it I thought that was because its been 5 yrs from the last time I rode a bike but after reading some reviews and seeing that a lot of other are complaing about it I do agree. However if I look into buying a more comfortable one I would definitely consider using the leather frioom the real saddle to sew it up on top of the new one just to keep that cool look. I totally agree with Nick as far as people asking about the bike, its only been a day and I had to answer a lot of question but hey who cares Ill get used to it soon. I love it and can not wait to ride it every day. One question does anyone know any cool fenders that I could purchase and match it with the bike. Trek Doesnt have any for it.
thanks a lot
July 18th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
Dupont Teflon Multi-Use spray is excellent for keeping the belt ultra quiet. If the belt binds slightly or makes minor noises. Use this, it is outstanding! I used it on my District and it runs even smoother. Harley owners who use the Gates belt drive have been using this for years rave about it. You can buy the spray at Lowes.
July 22nd, 2009 at 1:23 pm
A lovely bike. Some of the specific details/bits could be better but would raise the cost.
As a conceived package at a certain price point, it is excellent.
More importantly, it is soooo much fun… riding with a single speed in the urban metropolis becomes a joy. Smooth, silent, grease free and stress free. I have been liberated from my previous bus led life.
I am a convert…
July 29th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
so i have a couple Q’s
first, i’m really curious is this really a fanboy site?
it certainly feels like a ruse by the folks at trek- with a post from “Eric, Trek Brand Manager” straight up kickin’ it on here? – which ever is cool with me. maybe he knows the answer to the 2nd District pic …
AND NOW – - –
the real question – what is the gearing on this bike, specifically.
are other beltrings available? considering using this as a trainer, already in process of converting my mtb to carbondrive sys – gonna be wicked!
July 29th, 2009 at 10:24 pm
Georgia,
I assure you this really is a fanboy site. I started it when I first heard about the district last year. I couldn’t believe no one had registered the domain name so I did. After I contacted Trek to see what kind of insider info I could get. Eric has been nice enough to send me some exclusive info, like the pic of the 2nd District. Feel free to google me … Creede Fitch. All my other sites are about modern architecture and design.
About the gearing..
I believe it’s a 4.8 gain ratio – 55T/22T/175mm cranks
September 22nd, 2009 at 6:33 pm
if you get any small nicks on your District, (i have one on the very tip of the front wheel drop out) Testors Enamel Paint Marker in Gray #2538 is a near perfect match to the District’s paint.