Trek XO 1

Price Paid:  $1200.00 at Ernie's Bike shop

Model Year:
2005

Favorite Ride:
towpath in ohio from downtown akron to peninsula

Bike Setup:
Factory, with the exception of a few bolt-on accessories

Summary:
LOVE this bike! It is my 4th Trek bike, and my first CX. This bike has done everything I have asked of it. From inner city commuting to light trails ... and never had ANY major problems. This bike is a workhorse!

Strengths:
Good stiffness when cranking hard and handles well in traffic. Very responsive, whether it is accelerating or corning. Almost 4 years ... 1000's of miles, lots of great memories ... i would say this was a great investment!

Weaknesses:
Like everyone else who RIDES this bike, I have noticed some shimmy in the front end, but nothing that has affected the ride.

Similar Products Used:
None. I will never have anything other than a Trek

Price Paid:  $1600.00 at Paul's Bicycle Way o

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
Aufderhide

Bike Setup:
Stock 2009 bike + fenders and Schwalbe Marathon Tires.

Summary:
The model year is actually an '09, but the review here didn't have it listed. I use this as my winter/rain bike, and ride it primarily on the road. Good selection of components, although I put Schwalbe Marathon 28c tires and fenders on it for road. Ride quality is fine, even for aluminum.

Strengths:
Component choice is great, with 105, Bontrager wheels and a carbon fork. Handles well.

Weaknesses:
No fender eyelets on the seatstays. On the small 47cm frame (which I ride)quite a bit of toe overlap with the front wheel.

Similar Products Used:
Surly Cross-Check

Price Paid:  $800.00 at Trek Store, Cincinna

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
Trek XO1

Bike Setup:
Stock set-up, no changes (yet). I plan to remove the 2nd safety brake levers.

Summary:
Excellent ride in off-road conditions - fairly quick to respond while absorbing moderately rough terrain. On the road it's surprisingly smooth and responsive. It reminds me of a mid-80's classic steel road bike with relaxed frame angles.

Strengths:
I was lucky and got the last 2007 @ a discounted price. It's still a good buy @ $1100. Decent stock set-up including mix of 105 components, gearing, and wheels.

Weaknesses:
I don't like the extra set of hand brakes, plus my knee hits the brake clamp when climbing out of the saddle. The front brake squeals and the fork shakes a bit during aggressive stops off road. I suspected the headset and/or front brake might be a bit loose. I adjusted without fixing the problem, though.

Similar Products Used:
KHS mountain bike; Cannondale R1000 road bike. The Trek XO1 is a good mix of a road bike and mountain bike.

View Comments (1)

Would you like to Comment?
Join RoadbikeReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Price Paid:  $1100.00 at Machinery Row Bikes,

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
evening commute!

Bike Setup:
'06 frame and fork, replaced with '07
Shimano 105 drivetrain and shifters, double chainring, 9sp cassette (stock in '06)
Avid Shorty 4 brakes (also stock)
Cane Creek headset and inline/secondary brake levers (stock in '06)
Bontrager Select stem, seatpost, original wheels (Stock)
Bontrager Race cranks (stock)
Bontrager Race Cyclocross handlebars (stock)
Wheels: custom-built, Velocity Deep-V rims, 105 hubs
Continental Contact Reflex tires
Pinhead locking skewers
Specialized Alias 155 saddle
Shimano PD-324 pedals (great all-purpose pedals!)
CatEye MicroWireless cyclocomputer
Rack, panniers, lights, bell, etc.

Summary:
My XO-1 has been a faithful workhorse for my first year of commuting into DC. I've put about 6,000 commuting miles on it (25 a day) on a combination of asphalt bike trails and city streets full of potholes, construction and traffic, as well as the occasional group ride and my first century. This bike has always done what I asked. When I crashed my '06 hard, I replaced the frame with an '07 because it's worked so well for me. I roll through construction, race taxis and hop curbs in the city, then get out on the bike path and fly past the roadie wannabes - in the grass, carrying my bags. (Safely, of course!) I hope to get a chance to race it soon. I would recommend it to anyone in my situation: loves going fast, mainly on hard surfaces, and covering moderate to long distances, but doesn't want to sacrifice robustness and maneuverability by going all the way to a road bike.

Strengths:
-Tight geometry makes for responsive handling, critical for avoiding taxis, buses and doors
-Simple paint job doesn't announce itself as a nicer bike, thieves haven't gone for it yet
-No carbon fiber to get scratched and weakened on bike racks, gravel, signposts...
-Stiff and fast enough to blow past the roadie wannabes in the afternoon, even with my rack and loaded panniers
-Full complement of braze-ons for mounting racks, fenders, etc. - and durable enough to handle it all comfortably
-Doesn't flinch when I cut through grass or gravel, or hop it off a curb
-Wheel clearance can handle big tires for muddy or snowy conditions

Weaknesses:
-The tight geometry does cause wheel/foot clearance issues, as others have noted; with my size 48 shoes this is particularly a problem. I learned quickly to keep the cranks vertical when turning to avoid problems.
-The included Bontrager Select wheels were a little on the weak side for me, at 200+ lb.; it still took a pretty hard, bone-rattling pothole hit to break them, though. They probably should have included something with a higher spoke count as stock on their largest size.
-Like a couple of the other reviewers, I had problems with the front brake squealing and shimmying. They should check the bolts on the headset, brake arms and pads to make sure they are tight enough. Once I found the bits that had worked themselves loose, the problems went away. Now 40mph descents are no problem.
-The braze-ons at the top of the seat stays (for mounting a rack) are facing inward, making it difficult to get a wrench in there to tighten them properly. I was able to get everything tight once I got a set of ball-head wrenches that I could use at a slight angle.
-The included saddle was was pretty basic and too small for me, but the LBS that sold it to me swapped it out for free.

Similar Products Used:
None, this is my first road or cross bike.

Price Paid:  $1299.00 at Terre Haute Cycling

Model Year:
2007

Favorite Ride:
Trek XO 1

Bike Setup:
Setup by the bike shop.

Summary:
Very nice cyclocross bike. Light weight, fast, and has smooth shifting. I have ridden this bike on smooth pavement, chip and seal, gravel, dirt, and grass and it has handled very well so far on all those surfaces. I got the cyclocross bike because I wanted something that would be fast and would be able to handle the awful road conditions in my area. I also wanted something that I could use for road races as well as off road races. This is my first cyclocross/road bike, so I can't make any true comparisons by experience, but it does come with some good components for the price (Shimano 105 shifters and derailleurs and Bontrager Select wheels). Over all a really good buy.

Strengths:
Light weight, fast, handles well on rough terrain as well as nice roads. It handles well on wet pavement due to its tires.

Weaknesses:
The Bontrager Jones CXR tires that come with the bike do not contain any puncture resistance from my experience. All it takes is a little bit of glass and you will have a flat. Either get reinforced inner tubes (if low on money) or get better tires with kevlar reinforcement.

Similar Products Used:
N/A