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Fun Sustainable Transport

Currently Trek has only aluminum frames available in India, of which the 3700 is the most basic model on offer.

The bike is not flashy, which is good. But if you look a little closely you notice stuff that should get your heart racing, if you are a biking enthusiast in India. Good components have finally made an entrance into a market where the most basic functional component worked as long as it was cheap ! Comfort did not really matter too much.

No longer.

We hope to write up on some of the Trek bikes that we come across so as to try and get people to understand what makes a Trek a Trek and why the hell these bikes cost as much as they do (compared to the BSAs and Heros). I have compared the 3700 with the Firefox Target, which is its equivalent(kinda) in the firefox range of bikes.

Frame – All these bikes come with Alpha aluminum frames which are supposedly a good combination of strength and lightness. This bike feels as light as the Target, though the frame feels much sturdier. I was riding a 19.5” frame, which I think is a little big for me. Im around 5’10” and a 18” frame feels perfect.

Ride – surprisingly the ride did not feel very different compared to the Target. The Shocks on the Trek are MUCH better. But then if you are mainly using the bike on road, I dont see any major difference between the 3700 and the Target. In fact the target felt much zippier and easier to move in traffic ! Although the components on the trek may make a difference years later !

Brakes – The brakes, like all the V-brakes on the Firefox and Treks are simply mind blowing. Adjusted correctly, they stop on a dime. Really really good !

Shifters – The 3700 comes with an integrated Shimano Brake leaver and Fire shifter unit. Im used to the revo shifters on the Target and was a little uncomfortable using the fireshifters which feel like they need a little extra effort. Must be something that you get used to.

Derailleurs – The 3700 comes with the Shimano Acera derailleurs which is a step above the basic Shimano Tourney that is shipped with the Target. The shifting does feels a little better.

Tires – the tires are Bontrager. Look and feel better than the ones that come with the Target! Somehow I was not too happy with the Tires that came with the Target which kinda wore out pretty fast.

Frame sizes available – 16.5”, 18” and 19.5”

Shocks – the 3700 comes with basic RST shocks with 63mm of travel. Although low end they feel much better than the ones that come with the Target.

Price – The Trek 3700 is priced at Rs. 13,500 whereas the Target is Rs. 10,390 (at the time of writing this and in Bangalore)

Components – Unlike other bikes on the market, the Treks come with components which are all branded ( Shimano, Bontrager and Trek) There has been time, effort and money spent in designing these components – which lends to the asthetics, comfort and usability ! Definitely shows on the Trek. And I hope this will also add life to the parts and generally eases maintenance.

Special care ? – as with the other basic models, these bikes really dont need any major adjustments on a month to month basis. Maintaining the drive chain should do the trick !

Paint Job – The paint job on the Trek is brilliant. I loved the matt black finish. Lovely.

Handle bar – its a Bontrager handle bar with really awesome grips which makes it extremely comfortable to ride

Looks – The Target is a lot flashier than the 3700. The 3700 which comes in a matt black finish, does not really catch your eye. Which is good in a way, cause you can park it without it drawing attention to itself.

The Treks do not come with side stand and fenders. These will have to be picked up separately as accessories.

Overall, depending upon the riding that you do, this bike is a good way to get into the biking scene. If the Firefox Target is what you are gunning for, maybe its worth thinking if you can spend the extra bucks and go in for the Trek 3700. The better components on the Trek might be worth it. But at the same time, its worth noting that the Firefox Target is a pretty awesome bike !

updated: Nikhil adds some tech facts about this bike

Frame:

Externally relieved

what this means: Removes internal stresses that are induced in welds, castings with a lot of machining, parts with tight dimensional tolerances and machined parts.

Biaxial down tube – Giving a better weight distribution by varying inertia and center of mass locations.

Front suspension: Coil spring on both right and left side. Cannot control damping or spring rate and has a travel of about 60mm.

What this translates to: Steady state handling. a cush ride, tad on the softer side so performance would be better off road. Transient handling – the damping offered does not facilitate quick changes and the bike takes a bit of time to react to the input.

Brakes: integrated with EF shifters. Robust components give a good braking performance. Enough braking torque produced to throw you off your seat on a grippy surface.

Tyres: knob pattern is open laterally to provide a route for mud evacuation.

Gears: quick shift, no jumps. Nice ratios.