I ride Trek and have for the past 10 years. My trek 720 gets tons of use each year (300 to 500 miles a month) and it has held up beautifully. I will be a trek customer for life - especially when I hear stories like this.

The neat thing was I wasn't even asking for a replacement or repair (the bike shop pacified most of my grievences), I just kind of vented on their feddback form. To get such a conserned and positive response from that is so cool. The bike I orderd, by the way, was a Trek Soho S, and has to be one of the coolest looking bikes around.
[www.trekbikes.com]

This is why I build by own bicycle out of matchsticks and used condoms. The only hard part is making enough used condoms.

To justify "above Wal-Mart prices" for a any bike, you have to provide a truly superior product and take care to keep a good reputation.

It is a long long fall to Wal-Mart.

The founder of the company i work at was formerly sponsored by Trek (he did triathlons) and he loves the quality of service and the quality of product. He has nothing but good things to say about that company and the people that make the company. It's very rare to hear such good things about a company that cares about the product it sells as well as the feedback for improvement. Kudos Trek!!!

This is why all three of my bicycles are Treks, made right here in the USA in Wateloo, WI. I've toured the factory, and it was pretty cool to see. Not many robots there, except for the ones that true the wheels.

Not all Treks are made in WI anymore, sadly, most under $1000 come from China or elsewhere, but I guess that's kind of the standard deal these days.

My dad still rides his Trek that's from 1981, and probably has around 10,000 miles on it.

I have to echo this. I really do think that Trek makes a good product for the price, in general. Mine has held up really well, better than many other bikes I've had.

I'm glad to hear they were so responsive, as I have Trek as well. We've also had good experiences with Davidson, Marin and Masi.

Trek: You are doing it right. Good job.

Every business that is not Trek: They are doing it right. Follow the example.

@justinph: I still have my Trek I bought in Los Angeles, back in '91 or '92. As for not making them in the USA if they cost less than a grand, that's fine so long as the customer service in the USA is still top-notch. I haven't called, so I don't know.

My feeling is that if & when I buy a new bike, I'd be surprised if it costs over $1,000. I guess I still remember when I could get a perfectly adequate bike for maybe $400 or $500. Granted, for a cross-country bike tour, I'd spring for some extra stuff, and these days I suspect I'd end up spending over $1K.

My trek is well made and stands up to a lot of abuse from an oversized rider. I would highly recommend them.

As a Trek dealer, I have to say that they have, time and time again gone above and beyond for their customers. I have seen them replace bikes that customers have abused, and in one occasion destroyed by dropping music equipment onto it. They are a great company to do business with, and I wish more companies treated their customers with the same respect that Trek does.

Last week a customer broke a $800 bike in a questionable manner, and Trek sent them a $1500 frame to replace the $200 that broke, basically upgrading them to a full carbon Madone.

Sadly people don't seem to flood the internet with stories like these. :(

@justinph:

Actually only a handful of the $3000 and up bikes are still made in the U.S. Anything under that is made elsewhere.

@smakdphat: Same here. I own two Trek bikes (1000 and 7200FX) and couldn't be happier. I've had the 7200 for close to 9 years now-still solid.

@InThrees: Unfortunately, their business model doesn't always work for all customers. I can't tell you how many people I recommended getting a Trek bike to who just ended up going to Wal-Mart and getting a crap bike for a couple hundred dollars less and having it fall apart in a year or two. Sometimes paying more for quality and good customer service can be a hard sell, sadly.

Personally, I'm the type who likes to research major purchases and pick something that will last me a long time. But lots of Americans totally prefer the short-term savings, disposable mentality.

Im in the process of purchasing a bike, and a good friend keeps telling me that the two companies to always trust are Cannondale and Trek. Hearing a story like this makes me lean more towards trek now.

I have owned a Trek mountain bike for over 10 years, and it is still in excellent like-new condition. I should also mention that my Trek is one of their lower priced models (possibly even the lowest priced Trek at the time of purchase). It was only slightly more expensive than a mountain bike from your local sporting goods retail chain, yet it has exceeded all of my expectations with regard to quality. This story only further solidifies my loyalty to Trek.

@Michael King: Your story makes me want to go buy a cheap Trek and break it, too. Perhaps it's a good thing those stories don't get out too much?
In my experience Trek is genuinely good people. I have a friend who used to work in their manufacturing plant, in Waterloo, Wisconsin. It wasn't the greatest job, but she loved the people and made decent money as a high school student. They make solid bikes and really stand behind their product, and I'm always going to talk up brands which continue manufacture domestically.

@TShK: What happened to its gears?

I wonder what capacity Jason works for Trek in. What I mean is, we have heard some stories where a company allows MANY of their employees to handle customer problems. The one I am thinking about is where the engineer who designed a cup/mug contacted the customer to solve an issue. If Trek is like this, and Jason isn't in customer care, if my Jeep Cherokee bike fails, a Trek might be it's replacement, as I like that ethic.

@chuck0008: That's so perfectly disgusting and hilarious, I'm laugh-gagging. Lagging, if you will. Tell me you don't utilize the used condoms for the helmet or the handle bars...

@chuck0008: what do you mean? you can make all the used condoms you want at home.

Trek makes great bikes and they do stand behind their product. Its good to hear stories like this. I havent bought a bike in a while but chances are when I do again I'll spend the extra money since I know the company still believes in their product and good service.

I had a Trek when I was 16 and it was the 2nd best bike ive ever owned. The best was a Haro bmx...which was sadly stolen.

@justinph: You get what you pay for. I'm not a bike rider at all, but it's awesome to see that some companies DO still give a shit. And, from what I know of triatheletes and cyclists (a lot of friends bike, but I prefer my two-wheel contraptions to have at least 800 cc's), Treks are pretty great, though a bit pricey.

I had a temp job at Trek for a day and like other commenters have said, the Waterloo plant is pretty stellar. My parents both bike, they also love Trek products.

Good company, nice story.

@Stephen Schenck:
It's a single speed. Suits me well for what I use it for (I have a road bike as well). I might switch it to the fixed gear side of the hub when I get some confidence.

I am a mountain biker, and in general, most of the major brand quality bike makers have extremely good customer service, this example is one of Trek, Gary Fisher will also do the same (even replacing busted frames that are past their warranty coverage).
I currently have a Niner RIP9 (ninerbikes.com), very happy with it, its sort of a boutique brand, psuedo custom mass produced (well mass produced in small quantities compared to the walmart specials).

@jvanbrecht: If I recall correctly Gary Fisher is part of Trek

in the early 90's i purchased a Trek 2100 (polycarbon tubes), 15 years later the frame broke, Trek replaced my frame for free.

@TShK: Go fixed! It's not as bad as you think. You won't even think about coasting a week in. Keep the brakes though.

I have a 2001 Trek Clyde on which I've put thousands of miles over the years. My own "upgrade every few years" mindset makes me covetously eye newer bikes every now and again, but the fact is that my Trek has been a great bike for me, is still in excellent shape and has a ton of life left in it.

Well, I guess when I purchase a bike, it probably will be a Trek.

Years ago I rented a Trek for a mountain biking trip at Big South Fork, TN, and absolutely loved the bike. My neighbors had a couple of them and loved them too. If I'm ever in the market to buy a bike, Trek will be the first name to come to mind, and stories like this certainly don't hurt, either!

@TShK: Ah - I had heard of single/fixed gear bikes gaining in popularity, but thought it was all hipsters looking to seem oldskool, instead of modern bikes. Is it a cost issue?

I just assumed that having at least five gears (if not 10) was pretty standard nowadays. Don't think I could get by with any less. Geared too low and you can't build up any speed, too high and you have to stand up to get started again after stopping at a signal.

@Stephen Schenck:
It's really the perfect gear ratio. I top out at around 16 mph, and it isn't too hard to get going. It's basically maintenance free and perfect for tooling around flat city streets. If I want to ride long distances or varied terrain, I have a road bike.

@redkamel: But I'm only one man....

My current Trek is, um, 25 years old. Still rides like a dream, but this inspires me to go get a new one.

@smakdphat:

Agreed, I've been using a Trek 720 for years as well, and it's done me well. I've actually used it to demonstrate to friends why its worth paying for a real bike, rather than a Walmart special!

@TShK: Yeah, my city is full of giant hills. I like my gears.

I still don't "get" the fixed gear thing, frankly. I get that it's a simpler machine and all, but I don't see what the point of that is when my well-made regular bike is simple enough and doesn't really require any maintenance that is too excessive. I'm willing to do a little periodic adjustment and greasing in order to have an easier time with the hills around here.

I have a Trek 6000 mountain bike that I bought back in 1999 for $400 (discounted for being last year's model) that I still ride for commute and pleasure...Money well spent.

But I really bristle at how expensive new bikes are nowadays. There's really no excuse for a mountain bike over $1k...Let alone the $5k-$8k.

Good job, Trek. By the way, Trek, Bontrager and Gary Fisher (maybe a few others) are all part of the same company, so customer issues will typically be worked out the same. I've never had a part failure with any of their products (cross fingers), but many have, and they're always good at standing behind what they make.

BTW, those crappy plastic pedals they sell with the bikes will pretty much always break. Buy some SPDs and be done with it. :]

@Sandeep Paruchuri: My Toys R Us bike have been solid for over 10 years. The only problem I've never had was a flat tire in the 7th or 8th year. I've even hit it with my car, they share the same garage.

@Stephen Schenck: Always seemed more of a maintenance issue to me. the derailuers are probably the most worked on part of my bike.

@johnva: Some of us ride / race on a track. Since geared bikes are not allowed on velodromes (the same goes for brakes), my daily ride is fixed.

Trek honors its lifetime frame warranty. My boss has had two frames replaced on his Trek bike he originally bought back in the late 90s.

@chuck0008: They make pills for that.

I have a very very old Trek 7000 mtn bike. About 5 years after I bought it, one of the supports for the seat stay cracked away from seat stay. I took it back to the bike shop who called Trek, who asked to get the frame back. They sent the frame back and a week later I got it back all repaired and in a spiffy new color. It was originally white... but came back black with white splashes. No decals which gives it a nice look too.

When I went looking for a new bike for my wife a year or so ago, we got her a Trek.

Thanks Trek for being a great company and loyal to your customers.

I had a Trek street bike years ago, sadly my ex took it. It was a great bike though. If I ever decide to upgrade from my no-frills, boardwalk-quality, basket-on-the-front, big-assed-seat, pedal-breaks Pee Wee Herman style bike that I use for errands... I'll be getting a Trek.

Actually, the differences between bike of different brands is very small. All bikes are pretty much built with Shimano, SRAM or Campy companents for drivetrain and braking. The bike brands use their frames, mostly their forks, and sometime a few of their own pieces for bars, stem, seat and such. Trek may use more in house parts, as it manufactures the Bontrager brand. However, if you line up two bikes from different companies, they frequently share most parts. It is not like Ford vs GM.

Still, good on Trek.