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FEATURES: TREK WORLD, PART TWO - BONTRAGER CLOSE-UP
Zap
August 25, 2008
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As big as the Trek name is in global bike sales, they didn't get there on the shoulders of the single brand. Back in the early 90's when a trio of competitor companies were searching for a way to stay afloat, Trek stepped in to absorb them - Gary Fisher, Bontrager and Klein came under the Trek umbrella. Although the move caused considerable waves back then (Trek was derided by earnest cycling enthusiasts, who in resenting Trek's attempts to add life to the three brands, apparently preferred to see them disappear instead!) Of the three, the former two are still alive and more prolific than ever. In this round of coverage from Trek World, we'll be looking at the growing selection of the Bontrager accessory line as well as the broader Trek lineup.
Inside the Trek factory you'll find the "Lance Wall" where one bike from each of his seven Tour de France victories is displayed. Trek offers factory tours to the public every Wednesday and Friday at 10:00. For more info, (920) 478-2191.
With the demise of their decade long relationship with Nike, Trek decided to fill the soft-goods void with a broad line of Bontrager labled clothes and shoes. Like the rest of the Bontrager component line, the clothes are broken into three different categories: RXL, RX, and Race. There's also a WSD line of women's clothes too.
Speaking of the new Bontrager shoes, the high end, three strap RXL has a host of features including the external molded InForm heel cup, and a vented carbon sole along with a customizable eSoles insole. The RXL is available in either black or "the new black" aka white. The Bontrager shoe line includes two lower priced shoes, plus a Tri specific shoe, the $170 RXL Hilo. The WSD shoe line is made up of two performance oriented shoes, plus a shoe designed for the recreational rider.
Of all the Bontrager products that have gained global prominence in the days since Keith Bontrager was co-developing the Rock Shox suspension fork and welding steel mountain bike frames at his Santa Cruz factory in the late 80's, it would have to be the wheel category (thanks to Lance). You can find everything from deep dish aero rims (co-developed with Steve Hed) to the Wisconsin made, 1180 gram OCLV Carbon Race XXX Lite wheels. Originally intended to be a climbing specific wheel for Lance, they eventually were marketed as daily wheel after Lance insisted on using them on a daily basis in the Tour and they proved durable enough. Bonti was also showing off the new Aeolus ACC wheel which uses an aluminum hoop with a 50mm deep Hed carbon fairing.
If you're in the market for a new single pivot brake, maybe you should give the 270 gram Bontarger Speed Limit brakes a gander. The brakes use a special PowerAmp linkage system to provide dual pivot power. Available in either black or polished finish. $200.
Amidst all the fancy pants OCLV Carbon bikes sat what could be the most impressive bike of all - Trek's entry level, Alpha aluminum 1.5 road bike. This is an exceptionally good looking bike for about $1000.
Probably the least impressive product offereings found at Trek World were the helmets. No doubt hitting key price points that the dealers favor, visually at least, the Trek lids were underwhelming and nowhere near as dynamic as those offered by Giro and Specialized.
Trek's line of Women's Specific Design bikes grows each year and for 2009 they have 11 different models of road bikes ranging from the hi-end ($6929) OCLV Carbon Madone 6.5 (this one with a Project One paint job) to the Equinox 7 Tri bike.
Trek has always been a big player in the commuter market and for 2009 the pricey ($2749) 7.9 leads the way with the new IsoZone monostay rear end that uses an elastomer spring to damp road vibrations. Three different models use the IsoZone design.
The IsoZone is similar to the elastomer cell design used on the custom Trek SPA (Suspension Performance Advantage) bikes developed for the Discovery team to use at Paris-Roubaix. The SPA technology bikes also saw limited production and had three different durometer "springs" to use and provided up to half an inch of rear wheel travel.
Besides the show inside the Monona Terrace complex, Trek also opened up the factory for tours and plenty of riding. With miles of scenic roads and a huge complex of trails built by Trek specifically for mountain bike R&D, the dealers and shop groms had plenty of opportunities to test the the new bikes.
The Gary Fisher designers were proud to show-off their beguiling El Ranchero. While a quick glance makes you think its a tandem, look closer and in fact the bike is designed for parental units to chauffeur around their kids. The GF'ers said the El Ranchero was close to attaining the production run go-ahead, but that it would probably lose the saddle bags in the process.
Trek's in-house deigners were able to show-ff some of the concept bikes they're woking on. One included a much racier prototype of the District city bike which grabbed so much attention. Although the production bike uses a belt drive, this proto still uses a traditional chain.
When it comes to aero goods, the Bontrager line is well represented thanks to all the successful TT and Tri efforts of their sponsored athletes. The TdF and Iroman wining Trek TTX was the model used to show off all the aero parts and acessories. You'll find everything from wheels and cages/bottles to an extensive line of streamlined handlebar options.
After years of development with the Universtity of Wisconsin (Go Badgers!), Bontrager has introduced their new line of InForm saddles which are available in three different sizes to reflect the wide range of pelvic sizing. None of the saddles use cut-outs (although the Women's Specific Design models use what's called a Contour Relief Zone). Six different saddles make up the line (which includes two WSD saddles). All the saddles enjoy Bontrager's nifty Unconditional Comfort Guarantee which lets you return the saddle up to 90 days after purchase if you're unhappy with the fit.
Despite high hopes for a carbon cyclocross bike, Trek is sticking with their Alpha aluminum framed versions. The hi-end XO-2 sells for $2895 with the X0-1 selling for $1759. Both bikes run a carbon fork with the biggest difference being the Sram Rival/Bontrager Race X Lite and Shimano 105/Bontrager Race drivetrains/wheel combos respectively. Yeah, even the Trek guys admit that white bar tape on a 'cross bike is dumb.
Founded in Waterloo, Wisconsin back in 1976, Trek has gone from building wobbly steel touring bikes to winning the Tour de France eight times. Although all the steel and aluminum frame production has been shipped off-shore, Trek continues to build their proprietary OCLV Carbon bikes and Bontrager wheels at their expanded factory.
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