'11 Trek

Comments:

When it works, it's great. Unfortunately in the two years I've commuted with it (8 flat miles total on weekdays) there's been issues --sporadic irritating grinding from the bearing where the pedals attach (mostly in the cooler months ... FYI am in So Cal so 'cooler' isn't that cold) --changing the rear tire requires a trip to the shop (on account of the tricky rear internal gear/carbon belt arrangement) -- that same internal bearing (refered to above) needing adjusting by the shop -- and now, just today, something gave way in the internal gear box when I pressed down hard when starting up at a light. Enough! I need reliability and ease of maintenance. The Soho isn't it.

Comments:

Overall, I've been super happy with this bike. I ride this bike year round in Portland Maine and I love the internal hub and brakes (once I got used to them). My one complaint so far (after riding it for 1.5 years) is that the original rear cog was aluminum and it wore out after only 16 months of riding. I had to replace it and the belt due to excessive wear. I replaced the aluminum with a steel cog (which should be standard on this bike rather than soft aluminum) and am hoping to get signficantly longer life out of the cog and belt.

Comments:

I was very enthusiastic about the Soho at first, but this waned as I continued to ride it. "In theory" is is a perfect commuter with no chain, no derailleur, no brake pads, etc. I used to call it my "all weather, no maintenance bike." The Achilles' Heel of this bike is, as others have described, the brakes. Although they function identically wet or dry, they are not strong to begin with. I find that V-brakes work better in the rain than these do when it's dry. I've had to swerve to avoid contact when coming down a hill at 20mph because the brakes simply would not stop the bike (with me on it - I'm heavy). I see the new version of the Soho has a disc brake in front which is great. The other thing is that the ride is rough due to the all-aluminum construction. I call it the "bone shaker" because I am rattled on Boston's pavement. I see that the new version has a carbon fork, which should help a bit with that. I was also a bit underwhelmed with the gear range of the Nexus, but that is more of a minor thing. The brakes are a fatal flaw unless you are very light or mostly ride flat ground.

Comments:

First off, I bought this bike as an all-season commuter. I live in Michigan, which is well known for it's intense weather. The bike works great in clear, sunny weather, but hey, so does every bicycle. Once snow hits the ground, however, it becomes inoperable. The tires kick snow up into the belt drive, which quickly jams and derails. What's more, re-railing it is a difficult process that requires several minutes. In attempting to ride this bike in the winter, you will spend more time trying to fix the belt than actually riding. You'll get wear your going faster by walking. Words cannot properly express how disappointed I am with this bike. I cannot fathom how Trek is selling a bicycle as an all-weather commuter that becomes inoperable in bad weather. You're much better off getting a good three season and an old beater for the winter.

Comments:

This bike works very well for commuting, looks great and requires almost zero maintenance. It is quiet, and shifts very smoothly. After a year of all-weather commuting in Portland, OR, I'm very pleased with this. On the negative side, the internal roller brakes require VERY strong pressure. The brake modulation is better that with disks, and for normal slowing, they work well. Emergency braking is another story. If one happens to be down-shifting while braking and happens not to have 2 or 3 fingers on the brake levers, the brakes have real trouble stopping the bike. Same for high-speed braking. This can lead to some "oh my god - I can't stop in time" moments. Trek seems to have addressed this with the new soho dlx model, which has a front disk brake. I wonder if there is an upgrade option? All in all, a good bike, but I would buy the soho dlx over the standard soho.

Comments:

I bought the 2009 version of this bike at the beginning of the 2010 model year. The reason I selected this bike was for the internal gears and brakes and to a lesser degree the lubricant free drive belt arrangement. Here in Vancouver I cycle over a bridge that gets a lot of sand in the winter so I expected having everything internal and grease-free would be a real maintenance free bonus. After seeing the hundreds of different commuter bike designs on the market it is clear to me that if this bike were the perfect bike then we would be seeing lots more on the streets and bike paths. That being said, I am happy with what I got and the features have lived up to my expectations. I also think I got good value for money. I have ridden this bike for 11 months and for over 4000 km. I have a long back and short legs, my dealer was great fitting the bike to me on the day I bought it. I haven't used the new design that is configured with the front disc brakes, but I think this is a much safer solution than the front internal hub brake system on the earlier versions. I have a steep hill on my commute that is about ½ km long and my 50 year-old legs really miss the bottom two gears I had on my old commuter/mountain bike. If you live in a community with longer steep hills and you are not a powerful rider consider buying the optional lower gear-set range. I also rarely use the 8th gear. I like liveliness of the Aluminum frame and the larger tire diameter. I like the low key grey color because I think it attracts less attention from thieves. I'm aware that the hub makes the bike heavier, but then so is all the gear in my pannier! The single issue I would want to draw any potential buyer's attention to is that it is difficult to change a rear flat tire on a belt driven, split frame bike. The first and only time I had a flat it took me an hour to change the tire! If you are considering buying a Soho then go to a Trek dealer and have the salesperson take you step-by-step through the tools you'll need and the operations required to change a rear inner tube at the side of the road. I know I couldn't do it at night and if you are mechanically challenged, then this could be a show-stopper. Despite these technical issues, this is a sturdy, easy and fun to ride bike and it will not be spending time in the shop getting adjustments and tune-ups. Happy cycling!