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| The Chelsea 9 (top) and Steel District (bottom) have an MSRP of $790. Photos courtesy of trekbikes.com. |
Whether or not they're a "sexy mashup," these models definitely represent an evolution from the Trek District we featured here seven years ago. That bike was a belt-driven single-speed and Trek touted its "clean" look. David Hembrow commented: "I question the practicality of a bike which is claimed to be 'clean' yet which has no mudguards (fenders)."
These 9-speed models retain the clean look but offer gears and Hembrow's desired mudguards. The clean look is made possible by the 1x9 gearing, a set-up that I personally like (your mileage may vary). The front basket and disc brakes are nice touches.
Here are the specs for the Chelsea 9:
Colors: Canary Yellow; White Gold
Frame: Trek Custom Steel Mixtie w/inboard rear disc brake mounts, rack & fender mounts
Fork: High-tensile steel
Sizes: 49, 53, 56cm
Front Hub: Formula DC20 alloy
Rear Hub: Formula DC22 alloy
Rims: 32-hole double-walled alloy
Tires: Bontrager AW1 Hard-Case Lite, 700x32c
Shifters: Shimano Acera M390, 9 speed
Rear derailleur: Shimano Acera
Crank: Forged alloy 3 piece, 45T
Cassette: SRAM PG-950, 11-32, 9 speed
Pedals: VP city-style alloy
Chain: KMC X9
Saddle:Bontrager H1 WSD
Seatpost: Bontrager Alloy, 2-bolt head, 27.2mm, 8mm offset
Handlebar: Bontrager Urban, 31.8mm, 25mm rise
Stem: Bontrager Race Lite, 31.8mm, 7 degree
Headset: 1-1/8" Threadless
Brakeset: Hayes CX Expert mechanical disc, 160mm rotors brakes, Tektro CL520 alloy levers
Grips: Custom District, lock-on
Extras: Front basket, chain keeper
And the specs for the District 9:
Colors: Blue Grey Metallic
Frame: Trek Custom Steel w/inboard rear disc brake mounts, rack & fender mounts
Fork: High-tensile steel
Sizes: 50, 54, 56, 58, 61cm
Front Hub: Formula DC20 alloy
Rear Hub: Formula DC22 alloy
Rims: 32-hole double-walled alloy
Tires: Bontrager AW1 Hard-Case Lite, 700x32c
Shifters: Shimano Acera M390, 9 speed
Rear derailleur: Shimano Acera
Crank: Forged alloy 3 piece, 45T
Cassette: SRAM PG-950, 11-32, 9 speed
Pedals: VP city-style alloy
Chain: KMC X9
Saddle: Retro Urban Saddle, Brown w/ Rivets
Seatpost: Bontrager Alloy, 2-bolt head, 27.2mm, 8mm offset
Handlebar: Bontrager Urban, 31.8mm, 25mm rise
Stem: Bontrager Race Lite, 31.8mm, 7 degree
Headset: 1-1/8" Threadless
Brakeset: Hayes CX Expert mechanical disc, 160mm rotors brakes, Tektro CL520 alloy levers
Grips: Custom District, lock-on
Extras: Front basket
4 comments:
Thanks for your posts. The recent posts show reasonably good bicycles at 'decent' prices.
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You're welcome. If you know of some bikes we should feature here, send us a line by email or tweet at us.
Having mudguards (femders) is good, but unfortunately, in my view they've got it wrong again. An exposed chain, derailleur gears and (worst of all) disk brakes will ensure that these also won't be truly reliable long lasting everyday bicycles.
Trek does actually have a range of proper city bikes, but they may sell them only in the Dutch market.
The Trek is a lovely bike, but the details need some work. I've used one for occasional commuting for the last year or so. Here are the issues I faced:
1 - grips look good (Brooks knock-offs) but come unraveled almost at once. Replaced them with PDW Bourbons (which are awesome)
2 - the bolts that hold the rack on will rattle loose almost immediately. Locktite blue did the trick there.
3 - the sweep of the handlebars is great for a slow meander around the block, but it's a difficult position to generate any power at all. I replaced them with a flat Ritchey classic bar and like the position much better.
5 - the seat is a generic plastic knock off brooks and not particularly comfortable. I have an old WTB SST on it now, but I'll get a Gyes to match the PDW grips soon.
4 - the mechanical discs are ok, but not great. I've had to do some adjustments. I will be replacing them with better brakes soon - I'm thinking Deore XT if everything is compatible.
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