First Ebike - 2022 Trek Allant+ 7S

[rob feature]

I've 80mm Coil Mobie on Xroad and really like it, definitely better than lower spec Suntour on wife's bike. Good at ironing out rough roads and can still handle odd big hit. Have quality airforks on MTBs and never felt need to upgrade. Get preload sorted under warranty and then see what you think.

Have multiple ebikes with Purion controller never had issue with coin batteries. Only change one set as thought it might be good idea, voltage was still good. Suspect they only draw power on turn on after that run off bike battery.

Yeah looking more into it, it seems the batteries in the Purion are for memory retention and lose charge slowly. Still though, I carry tools & spares for most eventualities and the batteries don't take much room. If I have them I won't need them

Still haven't put much thought into fork replacements as I've been riding & tinkering a lot, but I'm thinking I can sneak an 80 on there. OEM is 45, but if I give it some sag it might not mess with geometry too much. I think the big challenge is going to be fitting the fender. Might have to go to something else there.

 

[MacCrackin]

This is my 2nd Trek. I still have the other - a '90s 6000 that a lot of us called mountain bikes back then. I don't know what's 'officially' considered the first mountain bike unless we're considering klunkers, but compared to what was available at the time, it was more capable than most. What suspension?, 26" 1.75 rubber, cantilever rim brakes, grip shift, and a rather dodgy looking cockpit compared to today's standards. I've never ridden this hard, but had a Cannondale F400 around that time that was similar. We'd take these things down black diamond trails and never think anything of it.

I was at a buddy's house about a decade ago and noticed this lying under piles of crap in the garage - somehow still pretty cherry I assume by the lack of time he spent on it & being covered in garage crap. I asked him about it and he seemed a little shocked I would find it appealing. I started to explain what about it makes it cool and he paused me and said 'what'll you give me for it'? $100? Sold right there on the spot.

I rode this bike almost daily for the year I lived in Boulder, CO. It's still the smoothest bike I own as long as you stay on reasonably smooth terrain like bike paths. 30ish years old and still rides like a dream. Or will when I put on some new rubber. This one was also built by hand in the USA which adds value to me. And not only to me. Go see what a handmade US frame costs. I haven't priced one lately, but I'd be shocked if you could get a frame for under $2500.

I need to get wheels back on it & take some better pictures but this is shortly after I brought her home. 100% stock except the tires.



View attachment 134365

He looks familiar, where I purchased it just for work at a very large Chrysler Ford dealership where I had to cover a lot of ground taking care of several thousand cars coming in on transports from rail cars, inspection for paint damage to gun shots holes while on train cargo cars. That's why they are loaded in covered rail cars now so they cant see them.
One key frame part on this bike was made locally North of Mpls, the multi complex fitting Just under the seat that was cast for all the tubes to enter and welded in.

Cheers

 

[rob feature]

2 month - 900 mile followup

This time without all the wind

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Rob, several comments:

1. Suntour forks equipped with a steel coil are not the best. While it is not expected that the full suspension travel is utilized under normal riding conditions, these forks are hardly adjustable.
2. It is not easy at all to find a suspension fork to meet the criteria of your Allant+. Good short travel suspension forks are rare. You would need one fitting your steerer, with proper spacing for your wheel hub, and fitting your front wheel thru-axle. Even the thread for your thru-axle should match!
3. I hope your stem is a pretty standard A-HEAD one. Instead of finding a better fork (that is, looking for a unicorn), you could take a closer look at Redshift ShockStop suspension stem; it does miracles to my unsuspended Vado SL!
   However, I can see you use a Blendr compatible headlight (Night Rider)... It might be you cannot replace your stem either!
4. You say your tyres have already started wearing. Well, Schwalbe G-ones are known for that. What has made me surprised was your comment that the rear tyre started wearing first! The well know fact is the front wheel takes 70-80% of the whole stopping load. Do you use both brakes at the same time? If you do, the front brake pads should wear first, and the front tyre would wear first. If you, however, use the rear brake primarily, it makes the impression "it needs bleeding" and it explain the rear tyre wear, which is unusual! And I do not think you need to bleed the line for the rear brake. Does your brake lever have (easily visible) a knurled knob for its adjustment?
5. My observations tell me the chain might get stretched past 0.5% with the mileage of just 1,000 miles. Pay close attention to the chain stretch, or soon you will have to spend much more than for just the chain replacement!

More happy miles!

 

[rob feature]

Yeah not sure I'm even going to try to stick a short travel fork on here. I should be able to make a good 80 or even 100 work with the right tune. This thing's a boat anyway and would probably benefit from a little rake hike regarding sudden elevation change requests from the front wheel. Another detail I neglected to mention is that the bar change seems like it gave me a tiny bit of compliance in the new bar. Maybe it's just the riding position, I don't know, but it seems like the bar gives a little on sharper hits.

From my experience in cycling and motorcycling I've always seen the rear wear more quickly. Without exception. And it should be that way, right? The rear brakes and accelerates. The front only brakes. Yeah, I brake with both levers. But when using brakes for speed control on straight ahead descents, I generally only use the front to try and even the wear.

The rear brake definitely needs a bleed. Inconsistency is the dead giveaway. Fortunately, Shimano brake service is super easy. And uses mineral oil.

As a side note, if I had done the difference in mileage in the truck (900) it would have cost an extra $240 in fuel alone. Not to mention the local pollution. And exposure to the hazards of driving. My bike commute is 95% car free - with only road crossings. I can't keep this up in the winter, but if I can ride 8 months a year at that rate, I get back a grand just in fuel...which alone justifies the cost of a nice new ebike every other year

Cheers!

 

[Sparky731]

2 month - 900 mile followup

This time without all the wind

I didn’t watch your full video, but recently turned 5,600 mi on my 7s. Love it more each time I ride it.

 

[rob feature]

That frame bag video

 

[rob feature]

As I get ready for a ride on an unseasonably warm Winter day, I noticed a couple things.

I cleaned up the chain last night, and as is customary on chain cleanings, I stick the stretch-o-meter in for a peek. This time the 11/12 speed indicator went. So chain replacement is nigh. The bike has 1040 miles on it as of right now. I have another KMC 9-speed chain sitting here - $18 at REI. Will install it but will probably go for an e-bike chain on the next round now that I have a good idea of intervals on the OEM KMC.

I also got it ready to go to the shop for its initial inspection and tuneup a couple days ago, but the weather got nice on us, so I put almost everything back on so I can ride it the next few days. Everything but the lock. It's mounted on the seat tube and the top seat tube boss has pulled about halfway out of the frame. I'll let the shop address that since it'still under warranty.

Otherwise looking forward to a few warmer than normal days of riding. There's still a fair amount of snow & ice out there, so should be interesting

 

[rob feature]

So after about 1500 miles, it was time to do something with the tires. I've suffered 3 flats with these - time to go tubeless. Not only did I want to go tubeless, but I wanted something a little more efficient with lower rolling resistance. I think. Also, the G Ones feel like they're rolling in harder corners and make a bit of noise - which means friction.

I didn't find exactly what I wanted to use - a Maxxis Torch. They don't make that tire in a 27.5, so I settled on the closest thing I could find - IRC Boken Plus. They're a little stealthier than the G One as they don't have the reflective stripe up the side. I don't ride in the street, so I never really considered that a feature.

While these weren't the easiest tires I've ever mounted, they didn't put up too much of a fight. I did need a single lever to get them on, but they were easier to get on than the G Ones were to get off. I needed 2 levers for one of those. Both inflated and seated the beads on the first tries. The tires are made of some super sticky rubber which kept the beads from sliding while I levered the last parts on.

One thing that I immediately noticed is that they're noticeably shorter.

The Bokens are also considerably narrower.

I have zero miles on these yet, so I can't tell you much about them. Just after I put them on, I had to take the bike into the shop because as I was truing up the wheels, I noticed the front hub bearings were really crunchy. I also had a bottle boss pop off and the shop where I purchased the bike was not able to fix it.

I also needed to address a few other little issues. The shop where I bought the bike was absorbed by Pon (Mikes) and as a result decided that they were no longer responsible for fixing the bike they sold me - which still has most of its warranty remaining. As a result, I now have to set aside 4 hours for a round trip to get the bike into a Trek dealer. However, this has been a much better experience so far as the wrenches at the Trek shop are not only more willing to help, but know their stuff. I did not get the sense that the dealer where I bought the bike had a competent service department.

Turns out the OG shop had hamfisted the preload on the bearings when I took it in for its first inspection and to fix some items. So far that has turned out to be a quick fix, but while I was there, I inquired about shorter cranks as this lower ride height is going to result in more pedal strikes. I had my share before the shorter tires. So I ordered up a set of 160s which should be in in around a week.

We also discussed options for the fork. Turns out there really aren't any. All 3 of them were in agreement that even going to an 80mm fork would dramatically alter the geometry.

This was the first time I really did anything other than routine maintenance as the bike didn't need too much. I had a small section of lateral runout in the rear which was easily remedied by a half turn on 2 spokes. The front was dead on. Stuck on a new chain at 1250 miles - went with a continuous KMC ebike chain.

The Trek dealer gave me a smoking deal on the new crank arms (EThirteen Plus Bosch GEN4 160mm aluminum), so I'm going to let them do the install - which includes a Face, Chase, Tap, Ream, Hone, Align. Stoked to get it back so I can try out the new goods!

 

[PedalUma]

where I bought the bike was absorbed by Pon (Mikes)

Pon's goal is to 'Make Mike's Bikes the Starbucks of Bike Shops'. I worked for Mike's Bikes at their HQ . When they separated ways with Specialized, they adopted that same caproate ethos of taking it all, at any cost. They were at 14 stores then, now it it 24. I work with only LBS, local bike shops.

 

[fooferdoggie]

I had the g-1 race those things were pretty much hands only mount. but they were so thin they were pathetic. your IRC Boken Plus look just like my wtb's same size too. those were hands only to get on and one lever to get off. Hope to have my new wheels soon as those smaller tires need a thinner rim.

 

[rob feature]

Pon's goal is to 'Make Mike's Bikes the Starbucks of Bike Shops'. I worked for Mike's Bikes at their HQ . When they separated ways with Specialized, they adopted that same caproate ethos of taking it all, at any cost. They were at 14 stores then, now it it 24. I work with only LBS, local bike shops.

Lol - Starbucks to me = long lines for overpriced, mediocre products. I can't say my experience with Mikes has been any better. One of their reps did reach out, but ultimately didn't do anything for me except invite me back to the store to purchase more stuff. In the end all he did was chase me off.

I'd like to think I can deal with only small LBS, but that's not the reality of the ebike ownership experience from one of the majors - at least while it's under warranty. Actually the warranty is the only reason I deal with any shop at all. I did not have the cone wrenches on hand to dive into that hub, and this is a warranty item, so I let the shop deal with it. There's all the other stuff too for which I'll have to buy tools, so as long as a shop is willing to do this service for no additional cost, I'm in.

 

[rob feature]

So about these new tires

I kept expectations low. The narrow made me nervous. Preconceptions of narrow tires bowing to lesser territory and all

One thing that's immediately obvious is the girth reduction. I could smuggle drugs in the fenders now. That's yet to be rain-tested, but keeps dust down on all the parts. I think. Haven't seen a lot of dust the last few weeks.

Once I got on it that was all gone though. This should be the factory tire. Tubeless. 40 psi in the rear, 35 up front. Reverse mullet pressure mmmkay.

This tire setup does everything right. Rolling resistance is minimal. Grip is always consistent. Gives you the cornering confidence of a motard. It survives light trails. Makes thorn flats irrelevant. Increases range over the stock Schwalbe. It's just the right mix of compliance and energy retention.

About that. The stock Schwalbe has a roll to it that while predictable, makes you second guess things. It's noisy in corners. It lets you float through grassy passes, but I don't usually need that extra buoyancy. And they barely fit the fenders.

I don't know - looking at this again it doesn't look so bad. Knob-stuffed fenders are a certain type of sexy - you have to admit. This does not deliver that, but you should make this your next tire if you ride pavement on one of these. It's stunning how good this bike is dialed in a little.

 

[fooferdoggie]

or these guys about the same it seems same size too.

 

[rob feature]

So this still unnamed steed is starting to show its age a little after a bit over 1700 miles. Despite attempts by 2 shops and the factory, this top bottle boss on the seat tube is an escape artist. I think I'm going to tackle this one myself. Maybe some JB Weld or some other sort of adhesive. Friction fit is clearly not working. The lower is fine. But I want it back, so Ima take a stab at it.

Still no luck with the fork preload adjuster either. 2 shops and it's still INOP. Can't say I've been able to get them too interested in fixing it either.

The Trek store here did solve my front hub issue quickly though. When I was truing up the wheels for the new tire install, I found crunchy bearings in the front hub. Turns out someone had hamfisted the preload. The wrench there backed it off, and now they run more smoothly. However, I'll need to keep an eye on these. There may have been some damage from the excessive preload. Yes, I'm considering a new wheelset. Rims are good, but I'd prefer sealed 'cartridge' bearings.

Oh, and you may have noticed a non-standard part there as well. While I was at the Trek store, I inquired about shorter crank arms as the bike is sitting lower with these new tires. I found the 170s to be excessive even with the G-Ones, so I got hooked up with a set of EThirteen espec 160mm crank arms. They are rather attractive, don't you think?

I let the shop install these for a couple reasons. There is a setting for crank arm length in the software, so I can't do that. Also, they gave me a sweetheart deal on the crankset. While it seems they mostly got it right, I had a pedal come loose at about 45 miles.

Aside from that, mission accomplished. They get my feet a bit more off the ground and make me work a little harder for the miles - which is just fine. I have a motor for the lazy days.

 

[TrevorB]

The bottle mounts should be covered under frames factory warranty. Trek should replace it.

 

[rob feature]

The bottle mounts should be covered under frames factory warranty. Trek should replace it.

Totally, but after 2 shops trying and failing, I'm losing faith. And time. It's a 3-4 hour investment to get the bike to a shop & back - plus the time I don't have it. It's not worth it anymore.