I don't know everything but I bought a new affordable rigid trek mtb in the mid 90s. I wasn't old enough to drive, And at 200 lbs I rode it everywhere. Weekends A few of us would throw our bikes I. The bed of my brothers pick up and we would hit the trails. I beat the snot out of that bike. The kickstand wouldn't stay up so I took it off and I eventually broke the rear derailer. Never another problem. I just sold it to a guy that had the same bike, but wanted mine because it was in much better condition. It was 20 years old. Now I have a fleet of electras that I'm really happy with. I think this bike will be pretty decent.
Interesting New 2015 Electra Moto-Klunker
- Thread starter the_undecider
- Start date
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If I was from Trek reading this thread,
I would be looking at Sherman tank designs!
Trek has made good to fine frames in the past, logic dictates they still do! Their redesign of Electra makes me want to ride one.
As far as hard or soft frames, this is a hard tail! Suspension is really not needed for a cruiser, and not really needed. It is nice, but the same trails get ridden by both types.
I would be looking at Sherman tank designs!
Trek has made good to fine frames in the past, logic dictates they still do! Their redesign of Electra makes me want to ride one.
As far as hard or soft frames, this is a hard tail! Suspension is really not needed for a cruiser, and not really needed. It is nice, but the same trails get ridden by both types.
Disclaimer/full disclosure: I work in a shop which sells Treks.
And we also sold Electra. Now we sell both, but order from the same outfit -- not a bad deal at all.
Electra sued Trek for their feet forward Pure line of bikes, which Electra claimed copied their Townie design a bit too close, and it looked like Trek did a letter of the law change to their design... and then bought out the plaintiff...
Trek has already dropped their cruisers, and I bet the Pure line is not long for this world. Same thing with their dutch style Cocoa, in favor of the Electra Amsterdams. I bet the Electra Verse line goes away; the Ticino... who knows. Competes with Trek's District Steel/Chelsea, I'd expect one or the other to go away in future years.
Me and another guy at our shop are super excited about the Moto bikes. He's pre-ordering a Moto 1, I'm going with the 3sp Moto 3 (SRAM i3). I like the 3 in case I want to upgrade to Alfine 8/11--the 3 has shifter cable guides, not sure the 1 does. I may also do other stuff, like upgrade to Shimano hydraulic brakes, consider a different handlebar, etc.
Specs are nothing to write home about. Generic alloy hubs, "Electra custom alloy double wall rims," generic BMX cranks, Hayes MX-5 brake calipers.
Trek says these will be shipping to dealers mid-Dec.
Here's the Moto 3:
Since it is an entry level priced bike, I expect it will originate in China, not Taiwan. And I have no issue with this. USA manufacturers generally introduce better working conditions and worker rights to Chinese manufacturing. Domestic market Chinese manufacturing can be all the bad things you've ever heard about Chinese labor, but export manufacturing is generally not as onerous and are coveted jobs, held to various labor standards.
With any manufacturing, you get what you pay for. Chinese manufacturing is no different. If you spec crap, you'll get crap; if you pay for higher quality, that's what you'll get.
And since this is my first post, here's a legit rat rod/cruiser I threw together with a US-made Trek lugged frame:
And we also sold Electra. Now we sell both, but order from the same outfit -- not a bad deal at all.
Electra sued Trek for their feet forward Pure line of bikes, which Electra claimed copied their Townie design a bit too close, and it looked like Trek did a letter of the law change to their design... and then bought out the plaintiff...
Trek has already dropped their cruisers, and I bet the Pure line is not long for this world. Same thing with their dutch style Cocoa, in favor of the Electra Amsterdams. I bet the Electra Verse line goes away; the Ticino... who knows. Competes with Trek's District Steel/Chelsea, I'd expect one or the other to go away in future years.
Me and another guy at our shop are super excited about the Moto bikes. He's pre-ordering a Moto 1, I'm going with the 3sp Moto 3 (SRAM i3). I like the 3 in case I want to upgrade to Alfine 8/11--the 3 has shifter cable guides, not sure the 1 does. I may also do other stuff, like upgrade to Shimano hydraulic brakes, consider a different handlebar, etc.
Specs are nothing to write home about. Generic alloy hubs, "Electra custom alloy double wall rims," generic BMX cranks, Hayes MX-5 brake calipers.
Trek says these will be shipping to dealers mid-Dec.
Here's the Moto 3:
Since it is an entry level priced bike, I expect it will originate in China, not Taiwan. And I have no issue with this. USA manufacturers generally introduce better working conditions and worker rights to Chinese manufacturing. Domestic market Chinese manufacturing can be all the bad things you've ever heard about Chinese labor, but export manufacturing is generally not as onerous and are coveted jobs, held to various labor standards.
With any manufacturing, you get what you pay for. Chinese manufacturing is no different. If you spec crap, you'll get crap; if you pay for higher quality, that's what you'll get.
And since this is my first post, here's a legit rat rod/cruiser I threw together with a US-made Trek lugged frame:
My local shop said it appears to be one size only. It was about a month ago I asked and the bike's weren't ready for orders, so maybe they didn't know yet. I planned to ask again this month when I was advised they would start shipping. Maybe someone else knows for sure.
I like it the moto 3 in white is killer. The blue na. I have 35,000 mi or more on a Diamond Back Topanga Comp with some Colorado trails on that its still going strong many chain rings ,cassettes and bottom brackets later . With a rigid fork it's my daily rider.
$550 for the single speed and $660 for the 3 speed per this link:
http://bicycletimesmag.com/first-look-electra-moto-cruiser/
Sad to say Electra/Trek!!!! I finally had a look at the Moto in person and it has poor frame fit and finish and the parts are all low end junk. I am surprised Trek didn't do a better job than this, and yes it is made in CHINA. Way overpriced for what it is. Needless to say I changed my mind on buying one.......
My Moto 3 came in, I assembled it last night. Here in southern Maine, we have way too much snow and ice on the ground for any kind of true ride review, but I spent some time riding it around in the shop...
Fit: I am 5'7" with 29" inseam and standover is... cozy. Also, slightly long in the tt for me, but probably perfect for others. Only one size, so if you are shorter than me, forget it. It does come with an exceptionally long seatpost, but I fear taller riders will feel cramped because of the reach issue. 5'8" - 6' is probably the sweet spot for fit, maybe 6'2", but a longer stem will be necessary.
Ride: Surprisingly nimble with what feels way more like standard 29r mtn geometry than slacker cruiser angles. Feels lighter than it looks -- comes with chunky stem, no-name bars, BMX steel cranks, aluminum pedals, Electra knobbies, no name rims which look fairly beefy.
Quality: Meh. The frame seems decent, although the welds are hardly top notch. No doubt stong, but not the best aluminum welding I've ever seen. Acceptable. All the ancillarieis--crank, bb, hs, stem, bars, seatpost, saddle--are generic, serviceable, nothing to write home about; not junk, not bling. The wheels seem slightly downscale, but time and miles will tell -- if they hold up, great, if not, awesome time to upgrade. Never owned a SRAM i3 hub before, but I've heard they are fine. I actually like the Hayes MX-5 mechanical disk brakes better than just about most other mechanicals at the same level. And the grips are nice.
Subjective: The paint is actually pretty decent, right out of the box, but it's matte. And cream. Which means it will be dirty in no time, and never come clean again. Wish it was gloss. Otherwise, I think it's a pretty sweet bike for the money. Other co-worker cancelled his order for a Moto 1 previously, but after riding the 3 through the shop, now wants to get one for use as a SS offroad bike. Based on how sturdy it felt, he's not hesitating to get one for offroad use.
Of course, I get it together and the first thing I think of is upgrades. Easiest will be tires, depending on what I do with it -- lighter, real knobbies for offroad work, or I have a pair of Schwalbe Big Apple off another project to fit for road use. I imagine pounds of weight to be saved vs. the Electra knobbies. And I think just tire swap for the time being, but of course if I go nuts with it, pretty much everything else is up for grabs, too -- rims/spokes/front hub, hs/stem/bars, crank, seat and post. Alfine 8/11...
I've always lusted after a klunker/cruiser designed bike like this, just missed out on the Sawyer and other of its ilk; can't justify a Retrotec. So this will do for a while. Just a bike to mess around on, no serious on or offroad excursions. Lunch/shop bike. May end up with a basket on it... Basically bought it as a cool frameset which just happens to come with enough components on it to make it rideable out of the box.
Yes I did peel the Made in China sticker off it...
Fit: I am 5'7" with 29" inseam and standover is... cozy. Also, slightly long in the tt for me, but probably perfect for others. Only one size, so if you are shorter than me, forget it. It does come with an exceptionally long seatpost, but I fear taller riders will feel cramped because of the reach issue. 5'8" - 6' is probably the sweet spot for fit, maybe 6'2", but a longer stem will be necessary.
Ride: Surprisingly nimble with what feels way more like standard 29r mtn geometry than slacker cruiser angles. Feels lighter than it looks -- comes with chunky stem, no-name bars, BMX steel cranks, aluminum pedals, Electra knobbies, no name rims which look fairly beefy.
Quality: Meh. The frame seems decent, although the welds are hardly top notch. No doubt stong, but not the best aluminum welding I've ever seen. Acceptable. All the ancillarieis--crank, bb, hs, stem, bars, seatpost, saddle--are generic, serviceable, nothing to write home about; not junk, not bling. The wheels seem slightly downscale, but time and miles will tell -- if they hold up, great, if not, awesome time to upgrade. Never owned a SRAM i3 hub before, but I've heard they are fine. I actually like the Hayes MX-5 mechanical disk brakes better than just about most other mechanicals at the same level. And the grips are nice.
Subjective: The paint is actually pretty decent, right out of the box, but it's matte. And cream. Which means it will be dirty in no time, and never come clean again. Wish it was gloss. Otherwise, I think it's a pretty sweet bike for the money. Other co-worker cancelled his order for a Moto 1 previously, but after riding the 3 through the shop, now wants to get one for use as a SS offroad bike. Based on how sturdy it felt, he's not hesitating to get one for offroad use.
Of course, I get it together and the first thing I think of is upgrades. Easiest will be tires, depending on what I do with it -- lighter, real knobbies for offroad work, or I have a pair of Schwalbe Big Apple off another project to fit for road use. I imagine pounds of weight to be saved vs. the Electra knobbies. And I think just tire swap for the time being, but of course if I go nuts with it, pretty much everything else is up for grabs, too -- rims/spokes/front hub, hs/stem/bars, crank, seat and post. Alfine 8/11...
I've always lusted after a klunker/cruiser designed bike like this, just missed out on the Sawyer and other of its ilk; can't justify a Retrotec. So this will do for a while. Just a bike to mess around on, no serious on or offroad excursions. Lunch/shop bike. May end up with a basket on it... Basically bought it as a cool frameset which just happens to come with enough components on it to make it rideable out of the box.
Yes I did peel the Made in China sticker off it...
Transition is a trek brand so they have the klunker
http://www.transitionbikes.com/2013/Bikes_Klunker.cfm
You sure about that? I have never heard of any association between Trek and Transition....
Thanks for the review. I've been interested in this bike since the pictures were released. I've been waiting on a kona humuhmu, but I'd like to check this bike out before I pay for the kona. I really like the looks of the electra.
I guess it's possible, but if so, they're definitely keeping it on the low....
Where did you hear or read this?
This is the latest I can find:
- The Trek Bicycle Corporation consists of several brands:
- Trek Bikes.
- Electra Bicycle Company.
- Klein Bikes (discontinued)
- LeMond Racing Cycles (discontinued)
- Gary Fisher Bikes (now Trek's "Gary Fisher Collection")
- Diamant Bikes (Germany)
- Villiger Bikes (Switzerland)
- Bontrager parts Trek's in-house parts and accessories.
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