A review from Holland
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.
Tags: Belt Drive, Ninja Quiet, Photos, Review, Seat, Single Speed
This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 6th, 2009 at 10:00 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.
May 8th, 2009 at 7:25 am
Good review
How was the bike on hills ‘not that you have many in holland’.
Also what speeds where you cruising at?
May 8th, 2009 at 10:24 am
No hills here, so I can’t really tell. Bridges however are not a problem. The bike is light and easy to push up a good angle.
I’m not sure what my cruising speed is. Compared to my other bike with normal gears it’s less fast than I hoped for. I wouldn’t mind having a slightly bigger front cog. Then again, that also could mean it’s harder to go uphill. Guess the country I’m living in is the odd one out
May 10th, 2009 at 10:16 am
Sander,
Thanks for the great review. I received my District last week and have ridden it about 15 miles on a new bicycle trail here in Rancho Cucamonga (Southern California).
Your review is spot on and I’m getting familiar with the slight belt creak when pedaling hard and also the firm saddle. The brakes work great and the bicycle accelerates effortlessly.
Pedaling uphill can be a slight challenge if you don’t get a spinning start; however I enjoy having to ride out of the saddle for awhile.
Flipping the stem is a nice touch, but I think it might place the handlebars a bit too far out for my reach for comfort sake.
The stickers that both Trek and the bicycle store place on the District are horrendous. I was lucky and all four peeld off easily for me!
Again,thanks for the write up and cool pictures.
Ernie
May 10th, 2009 at 10:40 pm
Ernie,
What bike shop did you order your District from. I have had one on order since last Feburary and have been told not to expect it until June 29 or so? I live in your area and would like to know which shops are getting deliveries of Districts.
Bill
May 17th, 2009 at 5:47 am
Latest news is that there is another District available at the same place I bought mine, and I got a mail from another guy that has one. Looks like the production has started.
May 17th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
I ordered my District from the Trek Superstore in San Diego http://treksandiego.com/ I dealt with Carlos and he was very helpful. They received two others at the same time mine arrive; however they were already spoken for.
They were the only Trek dealer that would allow me to pre-order the District.
I followed Sander’s lead and flipped the stem mostly for aesthetic purposes and the ride comfort ended up being just fine. Also check tightness of all hex nuts since I have the hex set out for the stem job. Found one of the crank arm hex heads loose and the small creaky noise I was hearing under harding pedaling went away.
May 17th, 2009 at 1:08 pm
Dear Ernie,
Does your District’s seatpost look like the ones on the trek usa website?
May 17th, 2009 at 11:19 pm
The seatpost looks just like the one that Sander has posted. The Trek website show a black post with orange highlights; however not as shipped.
May 18th, 2009 at 10:30 am
Ernie,
Are the wheel spokes black or “silver” on your bike?
May 20th, 2009 at 11:40 am
Good evening all !
My father also bought a District here in holland ’bout 5 days ago! At the same shop Sander bought his! The guy behind the counter told the exact same story about the scarcity of this thing. I wanted to check his story, because I couldn’t really believe it. But then I found this site !
While i’m 17 riding my Honda Ruckus through The Hague tommorow we will switch vehicles(?) and I will definately make some photo’s of this delicious beast
I will keep you all informed
May 22nd, 2009 at 4:04 pm
There are silver.
May 23rd, 2009 at 11:57 am
Kyle, the spokes are black, not silver like I previously posted.
May 25th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
Hi all,
Im in Vancouver BC, I love that bike but the bike stores have not estimate time for this one. The summer here is short, so just wondering if i get another bike. Someone told me maybe in September the bikes will arrive. I don’t have that much !!! I mean the bike is Great but i don’t want to wait that long….. Does any have talk with trek and find out whta a heck is going on?
thanks..
May 30th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
I also live in Vancouver and i was talking to a trek representative yesterday and he said that mid june is when you would be able to get one. BSP also said this.