Heaven sent - Trek 1.5

Trek 1.5 gets a massive 'thumbs-up' off Bikenut

AFTER six days of hard graft creating the Universe, the Almighty was at a bit of a loose end and, not wanting to get roped into fixing the hinges on the pearly gates by ‘her indoors’, he quickly set about building something else equally magnificent – the Trek 1.5.

Now, this may seem a little over the top for a review about a simple winter bike, but there is nothing ordinary about the 1.5.

Trek’s range has been massively overhauled and re-organised for 2008, with entry-level road bikes now grouped together within the 1 Series.

First impressions count for a lot and the Trek 1.5 is certainly a head-turner – its red and white styling would not look out of place in an aircraft hangar alongside a RAF Red Arrow.

Trek don’t do things by halves and they must have raided a dark arts book store, employed a few dozen witches, warlocks and goblins to come up with their gravity-defying Alpha Black Aluminium frame.

When you think winter bike, most people think of steel or aluminium frames so heavy they’d send a set of airport scales into meltdown.

Not so with the Trek 1.5. Amazingly, the frame is lightweight – not as lightweight as, say, a carbon frame, but still lighter than any winter bike we’ve ever got our hands on.

The 1.5’s Alpha Black Aluminium frame uses butted 6000 series aluminium alloy that's shaped throughout.

Sleek doesn’t even come close to describing how good it looks and the rounded-triangular top-tube gradually shrinks to half its depth between the head-tube and the seat-tube.

Elsewhere, the down-tube morphs from a teardrop shape up front into an oval profile to firmly hold the bottom bracket shell.

What does all this techno-babble mean? Well, the end result is a strong and solid chassis that's surprisingly lightweight.

Despite the Trek 1.5’s frame not exactly being compact, the slightly-sloping top-tube means it’s semi-compact and the difference in stand-over height isn’t noticeable.

Taking the lead at the front, you get a very tidy and nicely-shaped carbon fork with an alloy steerer. Aha, wait, because there’s a hidden gem.

On the inside of the left fork is a housing for one of Trek’s Speed Trap computer sensors. If you’ve got one of their set-ups, then it means no more messing around with cable-ties.

“What about mudguards,� I hear you scream. Well, both the fork and the frame come with mudguard eyelets – adding to the bike's never-ending versatility.

Handling-wise, the Trek 1.5 is stiffer than a frozen Eskimo and doesn’t flex or misbehave even when you mash the pedals while standing up on a climb.

Braking and gear selection comes courtesy of Shimano's entry-level Sora levers, which have been upgraded from 8-speed to 9-speed for 2008.

But there is no need to groan because they now come with a flight-deck to tell you which chainring and sprocket combo you're in – even though hardened cyclist will sneer at the use of these, preferring instead to ‘do an Obi-Wan’ and feel the ‘Force’.

One slight problem is getting use to the gears. The 1.5 comes in either a 50/39/30T triple or double-compact 53/39T ‘sport’ version, but changing gears on the double-version takes a while to get to grips with.

But, like I said, once you get used to all that, even using those annoying, small thumb-buttons located on the inside of the hoods becomes second nature.

The Tigra rear mech is excellent, providing consistent and effortless shifting in both directions – we had to keep looking back to check the gears had changed because the shifting was so quiet. Meanwhile, the dual pivot brake calipers offer strong enough stopping power for when you’re racing down those hills.

All the other bits and bobs on the bike are from Trek's Bontrager brand. The bars have a comfortable, semi-anatomic shape, while the cranks are nice and stiff.

But another nice little touch is the carbon seat post, which has markings on to help determined your preferred height..

Backside-wise, the seat is comfortable and did not cause any discomfort while we tested the 1.5 out on a three hour training ride. Plus the design allows for a bit more comfort at the base of the spine and absorbs some of the bumps on the road.

Trek's Bontrager SSR wheels, complete with 20 plain gauge spokes up front and 24 at the rear, don't flex too much and performed well during testing.

Last weekend, it was raining heavily and the hubs kept the water, while the cup and cone bearings ran smoothly after minimal fettling.

Weighting only slightly more than three kilos, the SSRs are a reasonable weight for a bike at £600.

All in all, you couldn’t go wrong and it's a decent mix if you were looking for a good winter or starter for around the £600 mark.

FINAL VERDICT: Trek have really pulled a rabbit out of the hat on this one. Although it’s not the top end of the market and hasn’t got flashy parts on that would impress keen club cyclists, it’s a decent mix for a fantastic price and, let’s face it, everyone wants a Trek. 8/10

Trek 1.5's secret weapon - housing for the Speed Trap computer sensor

The Trek 1.5's unbranded brakes

Bikenut reviews the 53/39T 'sport' version of the Trek 1.5

The 1.5's rear Tigra mech provides effortless transition between gears

Your backside need not suffer this winter on the Trek 1.5

Bikenut gave the Trek 1.5 8/10

• Post to:
•  del.icio.us
•  Digg
•  Newsvine
•  Nowpublic
•  Reddit