TrekDistrict.com

Trek may have been a little slow to deliver the first District, but now that all the manufacturing hurdles have been taken care off it looks like they are going full speed ahead with a new version. Here is an exclusive sneak peak of the upcoming 2010 Trek District. Obviously we can’t tell a whole lot from the picture but it does look like they have nailed the colors perfect again.

It’s been a long time since I fell in love with the bike and I have obviously been wanting one for a very long time. I was finally able to pick up my gorgeous 54cm District from my LBS SLC Bicycle Co. I was pretty sure I wanted the 54 although I probably fit the 56 just as good. I took them both out for a little spin and I was amazed at how different they both felt. The 56 felt much more stable while the 54 was more nimble feeling. I typically like my bikes a little small (I’m 5′ 10″) and the 54 felt like a perfect fit. They guys down at SLC Bicycle were super nice and the owner Brent even came out an flipped my stem for me before I left.   

Since then I have had been able to ride it to work a dozen or so times. The ride is about 10 miles each way and has a nice mix of hills and flats. It turns out that the gearing on the District is absolutely perfect. I wish it was a little taller on the flats and downhills as I pedal out pretty quickly, but if it was any taller I might not be able to pull some of the longer steeper hills that I have. I am working on getting some decent photos’s of my bike as well as some video. So far I haven’t done much to it, just stripped off reflectors, belt guard etc and added a set of toe clips.

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!”

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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