Don’t let the name mislead you. This is the ultimate All-Terrain ride for Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall!
While I only got to hit 3 trails in my time with the Trek Farley Winter Edition Fat Bike, my love for it was instantaneous. I started out on the Spring Creek Trail just getting used to the bike. I whipped around the packed dirt paths for maybe 20 minutes and got a feel for how the bike handled prior to endangering my physical well-being. :0)
On the Beaten Trail: The bike rides extremely smooth on the dirt paths. The 4.5 ” Fat Tires provide a ton of insulation for compensating the imperfections in the terrain and other than the pitter patter of the knobbys’ this bike takes to the trails like an old T-Bird cruising with the top down.
Off the beaten trail: My first climb with the bike was a short steep, 40-or-so-degree, jaunt from the canoe launch back up to the paths. I had a little run of compacted sand at the water’s edge but hit deep sand within 15 yards and had to cut through that for another 15 yards or so before hitting the incline. I was in 4th gear going in and quickly downshifted for the climb which was a windy, thick, loose, sand path that took me back up to the groomed trails. I played around with this swath of path for a little bit trying to perfect the climb for I knew the trail and I wasn’t going to find a better place to test it in the 12.3 mile ride than at the Canoe launch.
What I noticed most during that mini-trial was this: The shifting transfer was incredibly quick! Not that I’m accustomed to riding a bike this high-end (Usually Diamondbacks & Priority) but the SRAM GX Eagle – 12 speed clicked in instantaneously every time I asked it to. I’m sure the single chainring setup had a lot to do with the quick transitions. I never knew this until testing this bike but I’m a huge fan of this design and 12 gears is more than enough for me to play on the trails in these parts.
The Dangers: The Trek Farley Winter Edition Fat Bike will give you a false sense of confidence. While I’m a pretty good-looking guy I had to remind myself that the heads turning were “Not” for me! This bike is flat gorgeous and you’re going to have to go off-trail to get any real riding in. The first time you run into a tall pine while looking backward, at the “scenery” that just passed, you’ll realize what I’m saying… :0)
Price: $3999.99
A little story about Trek: So I’ve got a hacksaw in my hand ( Nothing ever good happens when a sentence starts with this). It’s the first day after assembling the bike and I’m about to alter the seat post that I battled for hours after assembly. :0) I tried darned near everything to remove the post as it was maybe an inch or so too high for me to comfortably ride. I’d pulled up on it and it just kept springing back! I felt like Elmer Fudd trying to get Bugs Bunny out of a rabbit hole! I couldn’t find a bolt to remove a spring and the YouTube videos showed a guy removing a contraption like you’d remove a steering wheel from a car.
Flustered and just about to start cutting a light bulb went on. Kind of like frying an egg on the sidewalk in the middle of Winter, but yeah it went on! :0) “Let me call Trek!” The poor lady who answered was absolutely the sweetest woman on the entire planet! She gave me detailed instructions like, “Please put the hacksaw down (Hahaha) – Now go ahead and straddle the bike like you’re getting on – Do you see the shifters to the right?- Now look to the left- Do you see the brake?- Now look below the brake- Do you see a lever? – Push the lever down and press the seat down.” She was trying to cover her laughter as I knew she could see the exasperation flee my body like air from a balloon.
At that point, I couldn’t contain my laughter and she joined in on the fun. The Trek team that runs the show are all Diamonds! You’ll be hard-pressed to find better customer service anywhere.
The Bells and Whistles: For one, It has this really cool seat post that raises and lowers with a lever! :0) The bike also comes fitted with a front cradle, a rear rack, a bolt-on frame bag, a downtube fender, along with rear saddle bags.
I had a great time reviewing this bike and meeting some of the folks for Trek. The Trek Farley “Winter Edition” Bike is a beautiful creation that gives you a smooth ride in dauntingly tough environments. It’s a head-turner that will take you places other bikes just can’t go. More importantly, though, it’s brought to you by a team of people who strive to not only give you the best product available, but they give you the best version of themselves. The link below will take all of you spec junkies to the page you need :0) Hang in there, have fun riding, and know… Falls on the way! _ SGB