Why so few Trek owners?

[Chancelucky2]

I'm another Trek owner, Crossrip+ bought used from another member here. I've been very happy with it so far, 1,000 plus miles in 3 months. Once in a while, there are very good bikes that just don't find a market. I suspect the Crossrip+ may be one of those. Trek mostly marketed it as a commuter bike that can be used for gravel and I suspect they would have done better marketing it as a gravel bike that can be used for commuting, more or less the way they marketed the rest of the Crossrip line. They also overpriced it at first. I keep noticing little bits of thoughtful design with the bike like the hand position for riding the brake hoods letting you actually work the brakes from that position or the way the rear light works with or without the rack.

That said, I think one reason that there's not a lot of Trek talk is that Specialized in particular has been able to create more excitement. First they let their Vados go at a great discount a few months ago, then broke out the Turbo Creo line pretty artfully. The Turbo Creos are a different concept: lighter, lower power, directed at a younger-fitter buyer. Trek's 2020 offerings incoroporated the new Bosch motors, but didn't break ground conceptually. I like the Alliant line, but their main "new" thing seems to be a bigger battery and the option to mount a second battery. I just don't see that as likely to stir up much discussion. Bosch is relatively conservative, Trek is conservative for the most part, more or less Toyota pre-hybrids. For many years the Toyota Camry was the best selling car in the United States, but I think very few people ever went "Wow, did you see the latest Camry? I'm so excited to get one right away."

One of my mechanical bikes is a Gary Fisher Montare which is really a Trek. Nothing that exciting about it at the time, though it was one of the early mainstream 29ers. It's served me very well, but there's never been that much to say about it.

 

[Sharp20]

It is the case.

This is my observation, but I know a lady who bought a Trek Verve+.

She knows NOTHING about ebikes.
She doesn't know the difference between 36V, 48V, mid drive, hub drive, or the difference between hydraulic and mechanical brakes, NOTHING.

When she was looking for a new bicycle, she dropped by at her local Trek dealer, she happen to test ride ebikes they had in stock.
She had no intention of buying an ebike, but she absolutely loved it.
And she bought the Trek ebike very next day.

She knew there are numerous ebike manufactures out there, but she just KNEW she couldn't go wrong with Trek. She did NOT bother looking around because of that.

Now, you might ask, why has she never been on EBR?
Because she doesn't have to.

If you have "internet ebikes", you are on your own.
When you encounter problems, you better have some skills to fix them, and work on your bike.
Inevitably you will have to educate yourself, and EBR is a great tool.

I can tell you right now that EBR members helped me a lot, if it was just between me and Juiced, I'd probably gave up fixing my bike and it will be either in the dumpster or collecting dust at the corner of garage.

She did have some questions and minor problems with her Trek, guess what she did, she did not sign up on EBR.
She just called the Trek shop, they answered all the questions, problem solved.
Whenever there's a problem, Trek will fix it, she doesn't have to self diagnose like "internet ebike".

I mainly use the forum to educate myself. I am about to purchase my second e-bike and the Trek Verve+ is a solid contender. The Specialized Vado is also. I'm not terribly concerned about flaws or problems with the name brand bikes so the various complaints about Trek (doesnt seem like there are many), well they are data points so good to know but not enough to dissuade me from purchasing. As a long time reader of Bikeforums.net, a forum site with tons of activity, I would agree that this one seems 'lighter' so to speak. As in, not as much dialogue.

 

[Clydesdale]

I have to hand it to @Dallant. This is the best thread in a long while on Trek. He has been baiting us with posts for a few weeks now and I agree, it would be great to have more Trek e-bike posters sharing more thoughts, ideas, add-ons, etc. like Alaskan, Over50 and a few others have done.

I just purchased the Baramind BAM Trek handlebars and the Kinekt Body Float Seat Post for my Allant+ 8s. I will report back after a few rides. @Alakan has costs me a lot of money over the past couple of years and my wife is not happy with him

Now who is going to arrange a group ride?

 

[jim6b]

It's really just one person for most of the Trek complaint threads from what I have read.

And what a bore.

 

[Dallant]

I have to hand it to @Dallant. This is the best thread in a long while on Trek. He has been baiting us with posts for a few weeks now and I agree, it would be great to have more Trek e-bike posters sharing more thoughts, ideas, add-ons, etc. like Alaskan, Over50 and a few others have done.

I just purchased the Baramind BAM Trek handlebars and the Kinekt Body Float Seat Post for my Allant+ 8s. I will report back after a few rides. @Alakan has costs me a lot of money over the past couple of years and my wife is not happy with him

Now who is going to arrange a group ride?

Ha ha...baiting you? Yeah I’m new to ebikes and have lots of questions, that’s true. It just seems to me that for such a popular brand as Trek, there oughta be more posts about them and not just complaints.
As for a group ride, I would suggest RAGBRAI next year or the 3-day fall version in early October this year.

The Great Iowa Fall Ride

SAVE THE DATE! More details about the two and a half-day event will be released on Saturday, July 25, the last day of RAGBRAI’s virtual ride. In the meantime, check out RAGBRAI Virtually the Best Bicycle Ride presented by TIDE so you can get your summer miles in before The Great Iowa Fall Ride...

ragbrai.com

 

[6zfshdb]

Have to admit that I’m surprised/disappointed at how few Trekkers there are on this forum. Or at least how few talk about their experiences. I have an Allant+7 that Ive had for 2 months and I love it but I’ve not seen one other one on this forum. Are there any better forums for Trek ebikes?

As of 6/24/20, 8:00AM, there were 207 posts in the Trek sub forum. That ranks 10th of the 286 total brand sub forums on EBR with Stromer, Rad, and Specialized being the top 3. Not too shabby IMO. By comparison, Pedego, one of the top selling brands, had only 168 posts. As others have said, the lack of posts could be construed as a good thing since many are related to problems.

Trek was late getting into the ebike market and their initial price point was a bit on the high side. Given time, I think the number of posts will increase as sales continue to climb.

Although I don't own a Trek ebike, I've been riding Trek conventional bikes for over 30 years. I think they make a terrific product and would have bought a Trek ebike if my local Trek dealer had stocked them in 2017 when I was looking.

 

[Akrotiri]

I mainly use the forum to educate myself. I am about to purchase my second e-bike and the Trek Verve+ is a solid contender. The Specialized Vado is also. I'm not terribly concerned about flaws or problems with the name brand bikes so the various complaints about Trek (doesnt seem like there are many), well they are data points so good to know but not enough to dissuade me from purchasing. As a long time reader of Bikeforums.net, a forum site with tons of activity, I would agree that this one seems 'lighter' so to speak. As in, not as much dialogue.

Me too, I called him nasty but I regret it. He's nice , smart and interesting.

 

[Over50]

...I just purchased the Baramind BAM Trek handlebars and the Kinekt Body Float Seat Post for my Allant+ 8s. I will report back after a few rides. @Alakan has costs me a lot of money over the past couple of years and my wife is not happy with him
...

@Alaskan just cost me a bundle of money too ... cluing me in to the SRAM electronic setup and Onyx hub ... if that guy keeps posting his upgrades, I just might go broke!

 

[GuruUno]

It's really just one person for most of the Trek complaint threads from what I have read.

Really, who is that?

 

[Akrotiri]

Really, who is that?

Well, the threads are there so there's no point in naming and shaming.

 

[Johnmj1]

I wanted the reliability, style, comfort, and most importantly, the support of a local dealer I trust in Santa Fe, NM. So I bought a new Verve +3 and after 150 miles, still loving it and ride almost every day. Lots of research online, but bought it unseen due to the pandemic. I have nothing to whine about on the forum, but wish the group was more active. Perhaps the Trek owners are a more conservative, satisfied group in general, and less evangelical than some of the online brands?

 

[Chancelucky2]

I dont't think the bike industry analogizes perfectly with the car industry, but there are probably some parallels. I see Trek as something like Toyota and Giant as maybe Hyundai. Pedego is maybe Cadillac, but Cadillac from say the sixties. Specialized would be Honda, a little more performance and looks oriented but still pretty mainstream. Interestingly, if any car company gets buzz, it's probably Tesla. I don't know if there is a Tesla in the bike or e-bike world, a company that's not just aspriational, but aspirational because of the company's reputation for being innovative and out of the box. Unlike the car industry, the e-bike world has lots more non-mainstream competitors, some who sell more e-bikes than the big four. I don't know that any are yet changing the way we think about the product though.

 

[Dallant]

Not to be a whiner but I will say I’m definitely not a fan of the lack of clear/specific user documentation on Trek‘s part. 2 very generic documents but nothing specific to each bike. As a former training/user developer, it’s pretty sad. It’s clear that Trek and the local dealers attempt to make you come to them to solve most issues. Fortunately, there hasn’t been many of those issues for me to deal with yet.

 

[GuruUno]

I'll chime in with my 2 cents.
I love Trek.
I'd possibly consider another brand, but who and why?
If I have the same options and it's a device to get me to point A or B with assistance, depending on the components used (which most are standardized ...exception being manufacturers of motors and mid-dive vs hub drive), then it's all about how well the "brand" supports their products and how they stand behind them.
Sure, I've had my issues with components, LBS inadequacies, as well as a host of other items, but that is my right, to choose, and to complain if things do not meet my level of acceptance or standard.
I'm not living in a fantasy la-la land where life is beautiful all the time and I'll be happy to see those nice young men in their clean white coats...I'm living in a life where if I purchase any item or service it is that my expectations are of the highest and most demanding that performance and support be the best. Hence deciding on using Trek products.
So, if I choose to express my opinions regarding faults, deficiencies, problems, and others too have similar complaints, that makes me a whiner? I think not.

I'm certain that if anyone who owns a business or provides a service is held to the highest standards by their customer base, and if not met, they might have complaints, bad reviews, get sued, and lose business, etc.

Then again, if the majority of end results are in the positive vein, then it is beneficial for those providers having generated a long term acceptability of product and or service.

This is why I chose Trek.

So, If I have possession of an "anything" and I have a problem with it, it is my expectation that it be addressed and or resolved in a timely and professional manner, which is what Trek absolutely tries to do.

That does not mean that if Consumer Reports or Independent Review.com or Joe Blow has a dissatisfied or negative opinion of an experience that it is the end of the world.

It is an opinion.

And this is why community forums exist, for us to share our experiences, both positive and negative.

If forums did not exist or the collaboration opportunity did not exist to have these opportunities, how would we be able to gain knowledge of the things that are necessary to make a valued decision prior to purchase or address the potential of a recall because of a deficiency?

I tell it like it is.

 

[Clydesdale]

@Guru (and others) - for me, it's the sheer volume of different threads of complaints for the same problems that turns me off. You have some really good posts and definitely things to complain about. I chose the Allant+ 8s partly due to your experience with the 9.9 and I am extremely happy with my choice. So my advice (not that anyone asked) is for people with issues to have less threads with more complaints, than more threads with less complaints. And that advice for everyone is likely worth exactly what you paid for it. I do apologize for some of my earlier comments to you.

 

[Dallant]

I’d like to think that Trek has someone monitoring popular forums for good and bad comments. Plenty of companies have customer comment areas to get such opinions. This could be is just another source.

 

[pmcdonald]

Alas I don't see any evidence of manufacturers aside from Biktrix, Watt Wagon, Zen and Bosch actively monitoring these forums. Which is a shame. Most of the interactions with reps seem very positive and beneficial both to the end user experience and the reputation of the manufacturer.

These forums are niche. If you want a more direct interaction with the manufacturer I suggest picking up the phone or, God forbid, using Facebook or Twitter.

Folks, don't conflate the issues of other users as judgement on your purchase decision. The purpose of these subforums is largely to troubleshoot issues. User application varies wildly and lemons unfortunately do happen.

One poor chap in the Giant forum had a water ingress issue early on, followed by threaded pedals that his LBS (allegedly) managed to botch up on install. It doesn't reflect my experience with the bike (touch wood) but I completely understand his antipathy and frustration after all he went through.

These are huge purchases for many of us, and it's not unreasonable to expect relatively trouble free use for the life of the componentry, or at least prompt repair when things go wrong. Ride on!