Trek Soho 2010

[PBancroft]

So I went out for a few test rides yesterday, and as a Trek Soho was in stock, I had to give it a spin. You know the Soho - this is the bike with a belt instead of a chain. It was slightly out of my budget at £799, but I went for a ride anyway.

I was rather pleasantly surprised. It was light, smooth, quiet (obviously) and really rather comfortable. The gear changes were quick and the brakes responsive. If I had one bad thing to say I would have to note that there seemed to be a little resistance when I first started peddling, it just didn't feel as instantaneous as a chain. Now, to be fair this was much of a hindrance, and it was a bike which had never been ridden before - once the belt flexes up slightly that problem might go away.

Allegedly the belt shouldn't need replacing within the usual lifetime of the bike, and what with internal hub gearing and roller brakes there's no real need for a whole lot of maintenance either.

If I'd had an extra £100 to spend, I might have gone for it. As it is, later today I will be the proud owner of a slightly more traditional Giant CRS Zero with a proper chain and proper brakes - with a tasty discount too. Who needs the Cycle to Work scheme?

 

[Alan Whicker]

Great looking bike, the Soho. I like the idea of the belt, but I wonder about the longevity of the belt despite Trek's claims. It sort of puts me in mind of the stuff Muji used to say about the shaft-driven bikes they did. What ever happened to them?

 

[Norm]

Looks similar design to the belt on my motor bike, although it's thinner. The one fitted by BMWs, Buells and Harleys does take a good deal more power than I could put through a transmission system.

Should be fantastic , just from removing the oily bits, never mind the noise benefits.

 

[Brain_biter]

I have been using one for about 2 months now and apart from some initial problems changing the tyres to a more reliable pair, Schwable Marathon Plus, I have found it to be a great bike. So far I have had no problems with the belt, once I got the rear wheel spaced right and enough tension on the belt.

My only advice is before you take it out, and after you own it, make sure you can remove the rear wheel as it is a bit of a faf and not something you want to try for the first time at the side of the road if/when you get a puncture. I found some good videos that helped guide me but I can't remember where now, they were from a different bike manufacturer but they showed how to remove the Nexus hub and I figured out how to deal with the hub brakes myself. If anyone wants links to the videos let me know and I will dig them out. Also the cable for the rear brake causes problems when removing the wheel due to the way the end cap was put on the cable but a quick squeeze with a pair of pliers fixed the problem.

Oh and when you are turning the little bolts to adjust the rear wheel distance make sure and loosen the clip that holds the rear hub brake arm on the frame otherwise it will not move the rear wheel at all and you may cause some real damage to your bike.

Overall though I really recommend the bike for commuting, of course I got mine through the cycle to work scheme so I saved a few pennies on it too. I splashed the cash and got a pannier rack from Topeak and a Lifeventure thermal mug as the on supplied by Trek only keeps your coffee warm for about 30 minutes.