All the cables route along the underside of the top tube out of mud’s way and you’ll find two sets of bottle bosses inside the main triangle. At the back is a wishbone seatstay, with rack and mudguard mounts present and correct. There aren’t any constructional gimmicks, just useful things like a flared down tube, slimmed-down head tube and an open-ended gusset beefing up the join between them. The beauty isn’t just skin-deep, either: the frame underneath is very tidily put together. Trek definitely win the paintjob prize here, with a classy Matte Candy Orange finish that resembles the anodising found on more expensive bikes. Fast rolling, capable and aggresive the big wheeled Phase 29 is a force to be reckoned with. The rubber rolls fairly easily, which helps.įrame: Thoughtfully-designed and well finished chassis The Orange E.P.O program is designed to bring the best in drive assisted MTBs to the trails. Because wheels spin, you have to accelerate them round as well as forward, so weight there and in the tyres is more noticeable than in the frame. Part of that is down to the generally higher gears, but the Trek also carries a bit more of its weight in its wheels.
We build only products we love, provide incredible hospitality to our customers, and change the world by getting more people on bikes. Forty-four years later, we're on a mission to make our world a better place to live and ride. The 3500 isn’t unduly heavy overall for its price (14.2kg/31.3lb), but somehow feels less lively on the trail than the best of the other bikes at this price. Trek started in a small Wisconsin barn in 1976, but our founders always saw something bigger.