Trek Portland? (Commuter)

It's actually pretty low-zoot which is why I want the Portland. It's a
$65 chucksbikes.com special frame - the whole thing weights nearly
30lbs. The front is ugly, but it works a lot better than just a
traditional flap that ends up spraying water over your feet. The rear
fender doesn't wrap all the way because there isn't enough clearance
there.

The rear flap is nice and low because I ride with my team most of the
winter - having a good "buddy flap" is key.

As for the drop - I'm 6'3" and pretty flexible - all my bikes have a
big drop.

Race bike: http://tinyurl.com/dantu

In article ,
Paul Hobson wrote:

JeffWills wrote:
H M Leary wrote:

In article .com,
"Andrew F Martin" wrote:


Anybody seen this in a shop yet? I need a new rain bike that actually
stops when I want it to.

-a

My LBS says they won't be avalable until January.



That would be about right- it takes a little time for manufacturers to
fill the orders after product introduction (Trek does this in August, I
think).

Here's what it looks like in the catalog:
http://www2.trekbikes.com/bikes/bike...id=1037000&f=7
(Warning: Flash-heavy site, to no good purpose.)

Flash is like cheap candy. Tempting initially, but it gets old even by
the first taste.

To view their site the browser must have cookies enabled
as well as fish. I am happy with my Marinoni, thanks.

--
Michael Press
The rest of the world.

On Thu, 03 Nov 2005 21:27:20 -0500, dvt wrote:

That's an interesting bike. It's pretty high-zoot for a commuter, it has
a lot of drop from saddle to handlebar, and the front mudflap is ugly
but probably quite effective.

What really surprises me, though, is the rear fender. It looks like you
didn't have enough clearance to rotate it all the way forward. I'd bet
your feet and drivetrain would stay cleaner if you could get it to
rotate all the way to the bottom bracket.

It looks like both fenders are sections of one rear fender, to me. the
front is *really* tiny.

Jasper

The front fender does extend down about 2/3 of the way down the flap -
it's a normal front fender except for the fact that I didn't extend it
forward past the fork due to low clearance.

The rear part behind the brake is a front fender with an extra set of
supporting mounts that I pop-rivetted in to keep it straight. Between
the brake and the seat tube is just a small piece - couldn't fit much
else in there.

Andrew F Martin wrote:
It's actually pretty low-zoot which is why I want the Portland. It's a
$65 chucksbikes.com special frame - the whole thing weights nearly
30lbs.

While I'm surprised at the weight figure, I still think that a carbon
fork and STI shifters make it high-zoot for a commuter. I guess it all
depends on your perspective, eh?

--
Dave
dvt at psu dot edu

wrote:
And to splice threads: I hope disk brake bikes get front forks &/or
dropouts designed to resist the downward ejection force on the axle.

http://www.ne.jp/asahi/julesandjames...ase/index.html

- Frank Krygowski

Looking at the Trek Portland, it seems the drop out slots are pointed
forward. Is that what you mean? Photo at
http://www2.trekbikes.com/bikes/bike...id=1037000&f=7

wrote:
H M Leary wrote:


BTW, the last time I was in Waterloo, Wisc. I saw a few Trek bikes thet
were manufactured with full fenders, generator lights, rack... the whole
nine yards. called the 7770 or some such.

You might be refering to the L200

I don't know how to link directly to it, but you can see it if you go
to http://www.trekbikes.com/ , then Bikes, then Bike Archive (lower
right), then 2004 City and Bike Path Bikes, then L300 or L200 etc.

Not available for sale in the USA, but I did see several in Ireland.

Isn't it odd - and frustrating - that a bike made in the US isn't
available for sale in the US?

If the OP is talking about the L200 and other models like them, I don't
think they were made in the US. Not surprised he saw them in Ireland --
Trek recently closed an assembly plant there, and these bikes were
almost certainly assembled there.

Sure, it wouldn't be the most popular bike sold in America.

You're right -- it's been dropped from the line in 2006.

But those
of us in the US with unusual requirements should be able to get one by
special order, at least!

Maybe try calling different Trek dealers who might want to sell last
year's?

In article ,
"Jay Beattie" wrote:

"Andrew F Martin" wrote in message
oups.com...
We have a couple guys with Redline Disc-R's and one with a
custom
Clemente Disc bike. Their rims are always spotless compared to
my
brake-"dust"/slime rims.

I just want them to stop. I could barely stop my bike yesterday
while riding to work in a rain storm through about two miles of
standing water. All the storm drains were blocked and it turned
my commute route into a lake with leaf islands. I run STI with
some well adjusted cantis, and they would not stop in under 50
feet. Dual pivots may have done a better job, but I would hope
disks are even better. -- Jay Beattie.

Taking "well-adjusted" at face value, I have to guess this is either a
failure of pad compound or expectations.

I'm a great fan of Kool-Stop's famous salmon (iron oxide) pads.

As for the other part, The rims have to be substantially clear of water
before they'll do any stopping. On my biggest commute descent, this
means dragging the brakes slightly to keep the rims clean when it rains.

I think discs have two advantages: they tend to stay out of the rain a
bit better, and because the pads sit closer to the braking surface, you
can have less lever effort, more clamping force, or a bit of both.

--
Ryan Cousineau http://www.wiredcola.com/
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos

wrote:
wrote:
And to splice threads: I hope disk brake bikes get front forks &/or
dropouts designed to resist the downward ejection force on the axle.

http://www.ne.jp/asahi/julesandjames...ase/index.html

- Frank Krygowski

Looking at the Trek Portland, it seems the drop out slots are pointed
forward. Is that what you mean? Photo at
http://www2.trekbikes.com/bikes/bike...id=1037000&f=7

Hmm. Yes, it does look like that. And that is what I mean. Thanks.

- Frank Krygowski