TrekDistrict.com

I’m back from a brief winter hiatus, and I have been collecting some great user submitted photos. We’ll start one off from Lancashire UK. Mark says;

Hi Three more mods to my district a Honey Brooks saddle i think i may trim the sides down,put a new stem on i think it looks a beter shape and some limeted edition orange and grey pro3 tyres only have one more mod then i will be happy

While this is getting to be old news now, I wanted to makes sure I posted up a picture of Sean’s sweet collection in Leamington Spa England. It’s been almost a month now since he got his bike. Above is a picture of it the day he got it. SInce then he has gotten a Brooks saddle and flipped his stem. Still to come are orange pedals and cables.

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!

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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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.

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!