Trek District

If you are considering investing in a Trek District bike yourself, then there are a few things which you should know about single-speed bicycles. There are undoubtedly a good number of advantages to riding one of these bikes, but they are, perhaps, not for everybody. 

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I’m sure there are a few of these out there by now, but not many. If you have any of the new District models, by all means, take a picture, and then drop us a note! Here is one from Junior in California.

Hi, I’ve been keepin’ track of your blog for the passed month. I was ecstatic when I found it because I had been looking for more user photos of the District, but not too many people have them, most especially this white 3rd District. I went to about 6 different shops in early January 2010 and they all gave me a sale date of April 2010. I put my order in to Jax’s in Huntington Beach less than a week ago and was told at that time that Trek had bumped up the ship date to February for these bikes. I called today just for kicks and was told the bike was being pieced together. Without hesitation, except for a quick stop for a teriyaki bowl, I rolled out with my buddy to pick it up at the shop. Boy, was I in utter disbelief when I saw how pretty this thing is. I almost want to leave in a glass display case; it’s that beautiful. Upon paying for it, the salesman told me that mine is only the 3rd and last one available in all of California. So I lucked out with the size I ordered, too. I will say that one reservation I did have leading up to the purchase of the 3rd District was the gold accents on the wheels, seatpost, and stem. I was afraid the gold color would be too much akin to gold jewelry e.g. bling. It turns out that the gold accents are subdued in terms of luster and are more satin-y which is a plus for me because I didn’t want to stand out in a crowd with this gold. I’ve attached some a couple of pictures from inside my apartment only because it’s dark out. I’ll send some more in day light and provide a more more objective review. Thanks Jr.

Details are just rolling in, but it looks like the District line just got a whole lot bigger. It is now comprised of 4 different models, only two of which have belt drives. Here is the quick overview.

The District Carbon. Belt drive, OCLV Carbon, $3359.

1st District. Belt drive, with retro looks. This is really the true younger brother to the 2009 District. $1099.

2nd District. No belt drive here, although it looks like it will still have the split rear triangle. I think that this is the best looking of the bunch personally, and it would make an awesome fixed gear bike. $709.

3rd District. Again no belt drive, but still a really good looking bike. $709

Huge thanks to Jerrylikesbikes for the pictures!

It looks like the belt drive thing is slowly spreading through the ranks of Trek’s new bikes. They have a new steampunk bike concept that appears to be sporting a Gates carbon fiber belt. Pictures via @bikehugger and @trekbikes.  

Another nicely modified District. Loving the Brooks saddle on this one. IMHO needs a stem flip though. Here’s what George has to say about it.

I just got my District on June 26th… I’ve been told it’s the first one in Calgary. Note the Brooks saddle and Shimano PD-A530 pedals that take it up a notch. I’m thinking of straight handlebars to give it some “edge”. It’s a great ride and has gotten a lot of attention already. Love it!

This one is fresh from Switzerland. It may be one of my favorite pictures yet…

After months of waiting, she’s finally arrived! (where I live we speak italian and the bike is feminine, like the car, we are passionale!) I was waiting for her since the beginning of february, when I decided to buy me a new bike, to give back to my sister her “citybike” I was using for commuting to work. After having spoken with a close friend of mine who made for himself a singlespeed and finding this concept a good idea, I saw the District and I directly fell in love with her. Now she’s mine!! It’s only a week I’m riding it, I’ll need much more time to give an objective opinion about her, but it’s looking out very good so far… Ciao, Marc from Tessin (the italian part of Switzerland)

I put my order in for a District mid-August 2008. It finally arrived at the end of April this year. The bike was good as is but I was set on making it perfect for me from day one. First up was changing the stem and water bottle cage hardware – the orange didn’t do it for me on the stem bolts and since I didn’t install cages I wanted lower profile button head bolts there. I know, very minor details. Next, the stock bar was swapped for a Trek flat bar trimmed to 510mm. Since the headtube is so long on these bikes the stem is run with negative rise and the steerer tube trimmed 10mm shorter. A pair of big double sided platforms for Odyssey are a must for me. I like smaller brake levers so the stock ones had to go and some Dia Compe were installed. Oh yeah, I also added the Trek Time analog watch to the bar. That was all done before taking it home for the first time. Later, I realized I’m not a laid back seat tube and offset post kind of guy so I had a Thomson with zero offset installed to get my seat far enough over the BB. My most recent change is the crank and BB. I really wanted shorter crankarms than what came stock. Since a new set was needed I figured it would be a good time to get a 2 piece Shimano design with outboard bearing placement. The new set up is so much stiffer in addition to be being a better fit. Overall I am now super stoked on my bike. The only thing I can think of changing at this point is possibly going to a 20T rear cog.
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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!”

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.