'14 Trek

Comments:

Got gently used but after riding, would have paid full price! For what you get stock, you really get your money's worth in usefulness and features. The step through frame is my favorite! Other cargo bikes just don't look right after using this one. So easy! The flip down racks are genius! The bags are cavernous and well made. The gearing is smart and the bash guard outer ring is more like a "pant guard" or "leg guard" than anything else. I live in a fairly flat area with some rolling hills. I have used all the gears when loaded but haven't wished for more one way or another. I use it quite a bit for general errands, grocery runs fully loaded down with food for 4 people for a week, beer runs, and hauling kids to the park. It does it all with ease. I did need to add stoker rider accessories to the rear, cushion & footpegs & handlebars. The rear racks unloaded will rattle, so I added rubber hose washers to the ends of the tubes where they fit into the metal pivots. .79 and quiet! I also thought the ride quality was harsh with the Hardcase stock tires, so I replaced them with Schwalbe Fat Franks. Highly recommend! The stock kickstand is great ONLY if you never use the cargo bike as intended.....to haul cargo! Duh Trek.....this is a very important feature and one that you should not have overlooked in your design. Sad really. It is the main limiting factor to the ease of use for this bike. I will be upgrading to a more useful double stand that a competitor makes. Overall, a great bike with great potential. I hope to see more out there in the future!

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This is a great intro bike into the cargo hauling scene. The things it comes stock with, like big bag, 2 folding supports, rear cargo tray, ergo grips & integrated bar ends, upright bar, lights, & front rack are usually add ons for every other cargo bike out there.Step over frame is super easy to maneuver when loaded. Dual kickstand is pretty decent as long as your load is fairly balanced. The bags are very substantial and well designed with zips, buckles, and internal mesh pockets for easy access to your supplies and clip on and off just like normal panniers do.The bottom support racks(wing running board like attachments) fold up or down with a cotter pin. This ability is what makes the racks rattle when not loaded but easily fixed with well placed rubber washers on the ends of the tubes were they bounce slightly against the brackets. Think watering hose washers. $1 fix.Trek doesn't say you can have adults/kids ride on the upper rack but duh....everybody who carries cargo eventually carries a person. Unfortunately, Trek's system doesn't play well with Xtracycle accessories so some ingenuity is needed for seat cushions or foot pegs or child seats & stoker bars. Just look around, you'll find solutions. The deck is rated for 100lbs and the running boards for 50 each. So pretty much anybody can be carried on the back portion of the bike.The front rack is nice and not rated for much weight. Case of beer? Diapers? Flowers? Not a problem. Any more than that and it will affect turning since the rack attaches to the fork and not the head tube.The lights, ergo grips & bar ends, upright bars and quality seat really just add to the goodness. The brakes are adequate, I did upgrade to a matching BB5 on the rear to match the front. Easy upgrade and well worth int considering the cargo weight loads and the conditions you might experience when running errands like sudden showers or that extra bag of dog food. The more you can carry, the more you buy!I wasn't super stoked about the aluminum material for a cargo bike. Sure, it is lighter than the equivalent steel frame but it doesn't flex as nicely, doesn't have natural cush & give. So far, it has exceeded my expectations and only time will tell how it holds up to repeated flex and use. Because unlike steel, if it cracks or bends, it can't be fixed.I hope to be proven wrong with years of usage!

Comments:

I have purchased the transport to replaced my truck and reduce my carbon footprint. Having the option to put a disk break on the rear wheel is nice,but using this for all trips where heavy transporting is involved, I would of liked having it as standard . The gearing is adequate for this application, being used to a more aggressive crank and gear ratio will have to get used only having two gears on the crank. I was happy to have a bag coming with the transport, the page was confusing saying extra's instead of comes with. The double kick stand bends with only one bag filed and flipped my brand new transport right out of the shop (on the maiden voyage) not impress about that. The seat is comfortable,I am still getting used to the strait position for cycling on it. In general a well rounded bike.

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I use my Transport for going to and from work, post office and grocery store. I like the ease of changing gears, the amount of 'stuff' you can carry, the absolute 'coolness' factor. There is a rattle from the drop down carriers that support the two saddle bags, but nothing I can't live with.

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I am a bike commuter and mother of two young children and have been eying a cargo bike for a while. I investigated the xtra-cycle but I was turned off by the price of the full bike/cargo model and confused by all of the options for adding one to my town bike. I found out that our local shop had the Trek Cargo through a friend. I went to the shop with low expectations. I am 5' 2'' and most bikes do not fit me well. However, my first ride on the 16" cargo was a sweet surprise. It fit! And I have no trouble handling it, even with 100 lbs on the back. I have no regrets about this purchase. I put a garden pad on the back to haul my 5 year old and my 8 year old loves to snag a ride on it too. My only criticism is that Trek is losing a big audience by not actively marketing this bike to parents. I spent an extra week of research on this bike just trying to find information about parents using the Trek Cargo. It works great as a kid carrier! Another suggestion- the primary market for this bike in color, styling seems to be men. Another lighter color option would be great. That said, I get happy smiles and positive comments from everyone who sees me on this bike. It is a real conversation starter!

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We just purchased this bike to replace our Xtracycle conversion; I wanted to pass along some initial thoughts: 1) Ride is much stiffer (better) than Xtracycle conversion, I expected nothing less. I can stand and pedal with a heavy load without feeling like the bike is made of rubber. 2) No rear fender is absolutely foolish on Treks part, the rear deck is hardly a substitute. 3) Wheelbase is too short, this is especially evident when heavy loads are placed on the rear part of the deck, which leverages control from the front end. For comparison, the WB on our Xtracycle is 9.5 inches greater. This is the worst thing about the bike and one that I cannot change/fix. 4) The center stand holds the bike up just fine ONLY IF the load is nearly perfectly balanced on the left and right. The aftermarket stand on our Xtracycle was MUCH burlier and able to handle unbalanced loads. 5) The L and R rear load trays rattle like crazy, whether they are up or down. I came up with a homemade solution to rid ourselves of the embarrassing noise we used to make. 6) Trek, what's up with your lack of enthusiasm for promoting this bike as a people-as-cargo mover? All the other longtail manufacturers have fun with it and this bike does it well too! All in all this is a fun and useful bike. It always puts a smile on strangers faces as well :) The above negatives are for the most part small and DIY fixable, the biggest bummer is that Trek did not take care of them themselves.

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I bought the transport in December of 2011,one of the first in the Seattle area.We bought it to use on our farm to make deliveries to the Farmers market.I might mention that we live in a very rural area on top of a 9 percent grade hill .I mentioned all of this to the dealer before buying the bike and he assured me,no problem making it back up that hill? Guess what? He was right just like pedaling on the flat, put her in 4th assist and up we go.Iam looking into adding solar panels to the bike to extend the battery life.

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I recently purchased this as my main ride. It has proven to be one of the best purchases I have ever made in the cycling realm. I am looking forward to many years of easy riding with this one. The only complaint that I have found is the lack of a rear fender. Which I did put one on as soon as I got it home. I strongly suggest adding one to help avoid getting any load you might have on board wet. I have also added multiple lights for safety. I would not hesitate to recommend this bike to anyone out there looking for a commuter/cargo bike for everyday use.

Comments:

So far this is the best bike I have ever owned. I purchased this bike so that I could park my car and run all my errands on my bike. So far I have hauled lots of heavy items and the bike sails down the road with no problems. This is a well thought out design and does everything I was hoping it would do and then some. The only complaint I could come up with about this product is that the kick stand needs to be a bit beefier, other than that this bike is the best product on the market to be a car replacement bike. ( I rode several similar products in this class) So for anyone wanting to do all there grocery shopping, hauling dog food, kids to school, or anything that you cant fit on a regular bike rack, go check this bike out! It rocks! Plus you will turn heads wherever you go.

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I have been using this bike for a few weeks now to go grocery shopping and visit local farmers markets. So far the bike has exceeded my expectations. I have only carried about 50lbs on the back so far and the bike handles great, almost like the weight is not there. I am amazed at how smooth the ride is on this bike. I am very satisfied with the Transport so far and have no real complaints. I did have my Trek bike shop upgrade the rear brake to a disk brake when I purchased the bike. Also I do wish the bike had better grade of derailleurs on it, and the front hub would be by Shimano.