Greatest American Hero

Reviewer Comments: Playing Ralph Hinkley for a day was one of the best days of my life. I wish the suit came with an instruction manuel though.” I mean I could kill the guy that designed this suit. Why couldn’t it have… narrow lapels and a cutaway jacket? Why’d it have to be long johns and a cape?” The only thing is, I haven’t learned to fly and landing is not as planned every time.

Originally posted at 80sTees.com (legalese)

Not what I thought it would be

Reviewer Comments: First off, I thought this kit was goin gto be a good size. Well, it’s not. The inflatable heads are about 6 inches at most. The hanging ghosts that look great in the instructions are small pastic bags with a silly face on them. The footprints and eyes are just pieces of green cardboard. And the crackle pad is just a sheet of bubblewrap. The only things I found useful were the door clings and the spider web. So buyers beware, your buying a kit of junk.

Originally posted at Spirit Halloween Costumes (legalese)

Great, not perfect.

Reviewer Comments: To begin, let me state that I do not own a car. My bike is my transportation as well as a leisure thing. I received my Soho in early July and I’ve ridden it a minimum of ~45 miles a week, rain or shine; on sidewalks, grass, road, smooth/semi-rough gravel trails and a lot of hills. This means I have somewhere around 675 miles on my Soho if I only count my trips to and from work. I don’t use a rack, panniers, the fenders or even the bottle cage. Just me, the bike, and a back-pack.

Brakes :
I would have chosen disc brakes over the drum brakes that are installed on the Soho, but I don’t have any real complaints. I do usually have to make quick stops going downhill and they definitely do not perform as well in those situations. An emergency downhill stop could have the potential to be dangerous. I will be looking into replacing the front brake with a disc brake. Though, the brakes do seem to function just as effectively regardless of the weather conditions, i.e. dry, wet, muddy etc.

Handling :
The Soho handles fine for the most part. Due to the difference in the weight from the rear to the front, the front can seem wobbly or not as stable when riding in a standing position or hitting bumps. I wouldn’t really say it is a problem, as I don’t feel less confident riding it, rather, it just took a little time adjusting to it. Friends who have ridden it have made similar remarks. It might partially be due to the handle bars being swept back.

Belt Drive :
The belt drive has been great so far. It is smooth and quiet and I have yet to run into any serious problems. The belt did come off once while on the road, but after tightening the tension of the belt a little and aligning the rear wheel, it hasn’t happened again. I believe Trek should have shipped a tension-testing tool with each bike though, as even the manual states that setting the correct tension on the belt is critical to achieving optimal performance and avoiding possible damage.

Shimano Nexus 8 Internal Hub :
This is my first bike with an internal hub, so I was a little interested/concerned about the gearing ratios. There are 8 gears and the ratios appear to be paired; e.g. there is a low ratio going from 1 & 2, 3 & 4, 5 & 6, 7 & 8 – with a larger jump going from one “pair” to the next. In my opinion the gearing is really well done. It isn’t perfect, so if you’re a fanatic about always “finding the right gear”, well, I don’t know why you would even be considering a bike with only 8 gears. There are moments I find myself thinking it would be nice to have a gear in between 6 and 7, but, seriously, the Nexus hub performs far better than my expectations. I rarely even go below 5th. The shifters are good and easy to use. I don’t know how common it may or may not be but, the bike will shift gears automatically on occasion if I hit a large enough bump. Not something I really worry about though.

Summary :
I am happy with my Soho. It isn’t perfect and I’ve had problems, but I don’t have any regrets buying it. I wish it was set up for a little more of an aggressive riding style, but that is just personal taste. The bike is still quick, a joy to ride, and hands down, the quietest bike I have even ridden. Before you buy though, do take in consideration that the belt drive is new and there are not a lot of bike mechanics out there that are at all familiar with it. So if you are uncomfortable with the idea of doing some of your own tinkering with the bike, you may want to skip over this until, hopefully, belt drives and internal hubs become more common.

Take care and ride safe.

Originally posted at Trek (legalese)

Greatest American Hero

Reviewer Comments: Playing Ralph Hinkley for a day was one of the best days of my life. I wish the suit came with an instruction manuel though.” I mean I could kill the guy that designed this suit. Why couldn’t it have… narrow lapels and a cutaway jacket? Why’d it have to be long johns and a cape?” The only thing is, I haven’t learned to fly and landing is not as planned every time.

Originally posted at 80sTees.com (legalese)