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BIKE TESTS: RBA REVIEW: TREK PORTLAND
Road Bike Action
December 4, 2009
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THE STORY
In fact, for the last decade the running joke inside Trek’s Wisconsin headquarters was that while their OCLV bikes won the big races, it was the expansive, and mostly nondescript line of city bikes that keeps the lights on!
After years of pumping out their bread and butter commuter and hybrid bikes, Trek finally began to take the category seriously by initiating some regional focus groups to see what kind of specific needs commuters looked for in a bike. One thing they learned in the focus groups was how many different concepts defined who and what made a “commuter.” Two bikes that were the direct result of the study were the Soho and Portland. Each of these bikes featured designs that catered to the distinct needs of these regional riders.
THE BIKE
Brown is not a popular color in bicycledom, but if you like the color, the Portland is for you. From the brown Alpha aluminum frame to the saddle and the brown Bontrager bar tape, the Portland definitely has a signature look. Making it all the more distinct are the dual (mechanical) disc brakes and carbon-legged Bontrager Satellite fork. This is not a typical-looking road, commuter or touring bike.
While the Soho had a bit more styling to it—think New York, after all—the Portland was designed as a get-around-town bike for a market known for wet weather commuting. “Credit card touring” is another category the Portland serves. That is, light, not fully loaded overnight trips. While the rear rack mounts are testimony to the Portland’s ability to be something more than a daily commuter, applying the “t word” to any bike should require a third water bottle mount, which the Portland lacks. Speaking of rack mounts, on the inside of the Bontrager carbon fork you’ll find a threaded insert. As a touring bike we assumed the mounts were for front panniers, but they aren’t. Instead they are designed to mount a full-length fender.
THE RIDE
The Portland is available in seven sizes. We liked the roomy 56.5cm long top tube on our 56cm bike. Trek said the Portland was designed with Madone-like performance in mind and it definitely handled faster than we’d expect out of any type of touring bike. In fact, the Portland’s 72-degree head/73.5-degree seat angles are just a tad more shallow than the Madone’s parallel 73.5 degrees angles.
The one part of the bike that put a few riders off were the disc brakes. Not being a common spec on skinny tired bikes, most people were a bit sheepish at the thought of descending with them due to their highly touted stopping power on mountain bikes. Curiously, it was just the opposite level of performance that left a few people uncomfortable on faster descents. We also found a fair amount of “incidental contact” (rotor rub) up front that had to be adjusted out (with a wrench). Although the braking power improved after the pads got worn in, the Shimano discs never provided the sort of efficient, and ultimately powerful level of braking that we find with most dual pivot brakes.
Unfortunately, since we never got the sort of inclement weather that the Portland was designed to endure, we couldn’t pass judgment on how well the fenders (or the brakes?) worked. We did like the easy quick-release on/off attachment. If the disc brakes worked better we might not care that the bike lacked any traditional brake mounts.
THE VERDICT
At $1700 the Portland is an interesting choice of bike. The 23.4 pounds never felt overwhelming on the climbs and the climbing effort was abetted by the triple chainring and nine speed 11-26 cluster that provides all the gears you’ll ever need. Despite its soft touring pedigree, the Portland was still a fast handler. At the end of the day we just wish it were a better stopper.
PRICE: $1699
INFO: www.trekbikes.com
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