Why does everyone seem to hate Trek

[John D.]

I bought a 5.9, because I believe Trek has one of the best warranties around (LIFE TIME). I check the warranties on several Top Bike MFG's and "most" only give you a year. If it happens to have a problem in 366 days after you bought it....then that is now your problem.
I have seen some pretty questionable damage on some Trek's and when the frame is returned to Trek they have (at least the ones I have seen) always replaced it for free,no questions asked.

 

[AmpedCycle]

I don't hate trek, my new specialized tarmac does.

 

[EasyDoesIt]

I bought a 5.9, because I believe Trek has one of the best warranties around (LIFE TIME). I check the warranties on several Top Bike MFG's and "most" only give you a year. If it happens to have a problem in 366 days after you bought it....then that is now your problem.
I have seen some pretty questionable damage on some Trek's and when the frame is returned to Trek they have (at least the ones I have seen) always replaced it for free,no questions asked.

I bought a Trek 1200 just over a year ago and i hate it. Some of the screws, nuts and things on the compoments are rusting and i've had to get the back wheel rebuilt cos the spokes kept breaking which i had to pay for (i'm only 150 lbs and no i don't hit every pothole i see). Bike shop said it wasn't covered and rusty components aren't covered apparently, so much for a lifetime warranty ! I've since ordered my new bike, it's not my dream bike as such but it's as close as i can afford at the min !

 

[free_rideman]

I actually owned a 1200 too. It was the bike that started my road bike craze (I do other forms of cycling). It was a pretty good ride. The components sucked a lot, but the frame seemed okay. I mean, what did I expect for $750? But that is where I think it is at: it was just okay, and Trek's image is that too. But for some reason when I was buying back then (2 years) specialized seemed worse and too "new tech", "plasticy", "fake" for me. I guess I went with the 1200 since it looked a lot more modest than anything in the allez line.

Now the frame (not the fork), is nice. Something that you can clean up and hang up on the wall to remind yourself of the days when you were young. But the fit was very weird on that bike (probably because the bike shop ordered one that was 1 size too large), and again it felt like I was just riding an okay bike. It didn't compliment me in any way that I could feel. It didn't feel like an extension of my body.

But I did learn with that bike, and that is something that will be very important for me for the rest of my cycling days. Now I am just one part away to finishing my custom built road bike that will beat any big brand bike out there.

-on a side not, bontrager does make some good stuff. I like their handlebars, and in the future when I start racing, I would love to try their high end wheels.

 

[John D.]

I bought a Trek 1200 just over a year ago and i hate it. Some of the screws, nuts and things on the compoments are rusting and i've had to get the back wheel rebuilt cos the spokes kept breaking which i had to pay for (i'm only 150 lbs and no i don't hit every pothole i see). Bike shop said it wasn't covered and rusty components aren't covered apparently, so much for a lifetime warranty ! I've since ordered my new bike, it's not my dream bike as such but it's as close as i can afford at the min !
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EasyDoesIt

EasyDoesIt

Well...when Trek says lifetime warranty, it is for the frame. Do you really expect ANY MFG to cover bolts,nuts if they rust??

I will bet you if your new bike has "steel" nuts,screws,bolts and you maintain them the same way as your Trek, they will do the very same thing "Rust"

I am also sure of this, the answer will be the very same thing from who ever makes your new bike "rusty hardware is not covered" ask them before you buy it.



John D.

 

[baj32161]

I bought a Trek 1200 just over a year ago and i hate it. Some of the screws, nuts and things on the compoments are rusting and i've had to get the back wheel rebuilt cos the spokes kept breaking which i had to pay for (i'm only 150 lbs and no i don't hit every pothole i see). Bike shop said it wasn't covered and rusty components aren't covered apparently, so much for a lifetime warranty ! I've since ordered my new bike, it's not my dream bike as such but it's as close as i can afford at the min !

Did you ever do any maintenance (like clean) your bike? I am not trying to be a jerk so please forgive me, but if you have rusting screws and components then it sounds to me like your vike wasn't looked after very well.

Brian

 

[AmpedCycle]

I bought a Trek 1200 just over a year ago and i hate it. Some of the screws, nuts and things on the compoments are rusting and i've had to get the back wheel rebuilt cos the spokes kept breaking which i had to pay for (i'm only 150 lbs and no i don't hit every pothole i see). Bike shop said it wasn't covered and rusty components aren't covered apparently, so much for a lifetime warranty ! I've since ordered my new bike, it's not my dream bike as such but it's as close as i can afford at the min !
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EasyDoesIt

EasyDoesIt

Well...when Trek says lifetime warranty, it is for the frame. Do you really expect ANY MFG to cover bolts,nuts if they rust??

I will bet you if your new bike has "steel" nuts,screws,bolts and you maintain them the same way as your Trek, they will do the very same thing "Rust"

I am also sure of this, the answer will be the very same thing from who ever makes your new bike "rusty hardware is not covered" ask them before you buy it.



John D.

You know, I had a specialized allez sport that broke about 10 spokes, total, front and rear. I know where you're coming from with the low end bike. I was able to have the wheels replaced for free... now I'm riding on alex a-class ALX-295's, which are bombproof. Just to let you know, if you have a chronic problem like this, you can speak with a trek rep (and go around your LBS) and you should be able to have this problem fixed. Forget about what your shop told you about these things not being covered, call around to other shops.

 

[EasyDoesIt]

EasyDoesIt

Well...when Trek says lifetime warranty, it is for the frame. Do you really expect ANY MFG to cover bolts,nuts if they rust??

I will bet you if your new bike has "steel" nuts,screws,bolts and you maintain them the same way as your Trek, they will do the very same thing "Rust"

I am also sure of this, the answer will be the very same thing from who ever makes your new bike "rusty hardware is not covered" ask them before you buy it.



John D.[/QUOTE]Yes well the new bike is a Colnago Active with Zonda wheels and Campag Centaur groupset so i'm not expecting that to rust

 

[EasyDoesIt]

Did you ever do any maintenance (like clean) your bike? I am not trying to be a jerk so please forgive me, but if you have rusting screws and components then it sounds to me like your vike wasn't looked after very well.

Brian

LOL well when i first got the bike i took good care of it kept it nice and clean an' all but then i started seeing the rust here and there and by then i hated it anyway and well i kinda haven't cleaned it since !!! But rest assured the new bike will be kept spotless !!

 

[mastamilla]

I bought a Trek 1200 just over a year ago and i hate it. Some of the screws, nuts and things on the compoments are rusting and i've had to get the back wheel rebuilt cos the spokes kept breaking which i had to pay for (i'm only 150 lbs and no i don't hit every pothole i see). Bike shop said it wasn't covered and rusty components aren't covered apparently, so much for a lifetime warranty ! I've since ordered my new bike, it's not my dream bike as such but it's as close as i can afford at the min !
__________________
EasyDoesIt

EasyDoesIt

Well...when Trek says lifetime warranty, it is for the frame. Do you really expect ANY MFG to cover bolts,nuts if they rust??

I will bet you if your new bike has "steel" nuts,screws,bolts and you maintain them the same way as your Trek, they will do the very same thing "Rust"

I am also sure of this, the answer will be the very same thing from who ever makes your new bike "rusty hardware is not covered" ask them before you buy it.



John D.








Your rusty parts are from you sweating and not maintaining your bike when you were done riding. Sure any road bike under $1000 is going to have some issues in particular wheels.

I've been selling bikes 12+. Have sold almost all brands, but the stores I worked at we always had Trek. Almost all the time when someone would ride a few different models they would lean towards Trek for a whole bunch of reasons. Sure alot of time if you compare a couple different bikes, the Trek is going to be a tad more. When you look at the part selection (all parts not just a rear derailleur) Trek tends to have a better parts selection. When you get into their OCLV stuff, yea its gonna be more, it pays for being handbuilt in the USA. I'm not sayin I'm Trek, just my experiences.

 

[Jeff D.]

I hate treks. Every one I had broke and I am 140 pounds.

How does that happen

Jeff

P.S. Treks are gay

 

[rudycyclist]

I first owned a Giant and was against Trek for the Lance reason posted before. I didn't really like how he raced this past Tour and took it out on Trek. Now that I ride a Trek, I feel totally reversed about that opinion.

 

[shokhead]

I hate treks. Every one I had broke and I am 140 pounds.

How does that happen

Jeff

P.S. Treks are gay

So you still got another after it broke? Thats gay.

 

[baj32161]

So you still got another after it broke? Thats gay.

Not to mention stupid

 

[John D.]

I for one, did NOT buy a Trek because Lance, or anyone else rides one,I bought it because they make a very well made Bicycle. and they have a excellent warranty.

I don't care WHO makes the bike,ALL frames can break,ALL wheels can bend,and ALL components can wear out. You get what you pay for pure and simple!

John D.

 

[kleng]

I for one, did NOT buy a Trek because Lance, or anyone else rides one,I bought it because they make a very well made Bicycle. and they have a excellent warranty.

I don't care WHO makes the bike,ALL frames can break,ALL wheels can bend,and ALL components can wear out. You get what you pay for pure and simple!

John D.

I used to remember when we were riding the first lugged giant carbon frames back in the early 90's, we used to drool after the Trek 5200 OCLV even back then. Trek still make awesome bikes its just as human beings we want something always a bit more exclusive and Trek has become too available.
I'm riding a Giant TCR Advanced Team, but I still wouldn't mind a Trek Madone 5.9 SSLx, if anyone does'nt want theirs.

 

[vchu7105]

I have a Trek 1000, 2005 year. I've had the same experience. Rusting on some parts within a year. The rear wheels have been trued about 10X and still stink. I've bought a new pair of wheels. I think the Geometry is good on the trek, but the components are not. Maybe a Trek Carbon is better. I'm not sure if all bikes in the Entry Level have parts rusting. When you compare bikes, seems like the same parts across. Anyway I still have my trek 1000, and a Specialized Tarmac Comp now.

I bought a Trek 1200 just over a year ago and i hate it. Some of the screws, nuts and things on the compoments are rusting and i've had to get the back wheel rebuilt cos the spokes kept breaking which i had to pay for (i'm only 150 lbs and no i don't hit every pothole i see). Bike shop said it wasn't covered and rusty components aren't covered apparently, so much for a lifetime warranty ! I've since ordered my new bike, it's not my dream bike as such but it's as close as i can afford at the min !

 

[JohnO]

Well, let's be real. Any steel or aluminum component, not properly cared for, will get corrosion. Bicycles do need to be cleaned and kept out of the weather when not in use. Store it in an unheated garage, where temperature changes will cause condensation to accumulate on the bike, and it will get corrosion. Leave a Colnago Dream out in the weather (what a horrid thought!) and it would suffer accordingly.

One of my riding buddies has a Trek 1200. Nice bike, for what he paid. The wheelset isn't the greatest, but then again he bought the whole bike for about what I paid for a used set of Zipp 404's. It doesn't shift as precisely as my Chorus group, nor is it nearly as adjustment free, but again, I paid more for the Chorus group than he paid for the entire bike. However, he rode with me all last year and had no major problems. Well, not with the bike.

What I'm hearing is people ragging not on Trek, but on sub $1k bikes in general. That's not Trek's fault. It's the buyer's, for having expectations that exceed their budget.

I have a Trek 1000, 2005 year. I've had the same experience. Rusting on some parts within a year. The rear wheels have been trued about 10X and still stink. I've bought a new pair of wheels. I think the Geometry is good on the trek, but the components are not. Maybe a Trek Carbon is better. I'm not sure if all bikes in the Entry Level have parts rusting. When you compare bikes, seems like the same parts across. Anyway I still have my trek 1000, and a Specialized Tarmac Comp now.

 

[kleng]

Can't agree more with the comment about riders being disatisfied with sub 1k bikes, unfortunately you get what you pay for, so we should'nt generalise and criticise Trek, there are worse bikes out there.

I'm riding a Dura-ace 10 speed wheelset and over the last 1.5 years haven't had to true them or service them even once and none of the Dura-ace group set is showing any signs of corrosion despite riding in the rain all the time.

 

[free_rideman]

I actually finished cleaning and overhauling my old 1200 wheelset today. The 1200 is a model year 2004, and has some pretty generic wheels, but they seem okay to me. Not light, and not the stiffest around, but after cleaning them out today, they seem very nice. Obviously some parts will suck, but that is normal for a bike of that price range. The frame is excellent though, and I will soon be turning it into a single speed/pretty bike. If you know what I mean.

I love the 2004 1200's paint job too. Very nice.