Do you remember all those nice things I said about the women's Trek Allant back in March? It turns out they are all true. My lovely wife loves her lovely Allant and she gets this positively radiant smile on her face every time she rides it. And she rides it often. It's a nice riding bike, practical but not sluggish and, as she says, "very fun to ride. It likes to go."Christine's bike got me thinking more about the men's version of the Allant. It's a good bike for this hilly, wet part of the world with its full fenders and wide range gearing. The swept back handlebars and ergonomic grips make for a comfortable ride. It comes complete with practical touches like a rack, a kickstand and bell.
Maybe all the practical considerations are what make the bike add up to something that just makes sense to me. Maybe it is that sense that appeals to my sensibility. But there is something in the Allant that makes me smile every time I ride it, that makes me think, "Yes, this is a very nice, very fun bike. It likes to go."
And my wife, my beautiful, wonderful, wise wife, said "If you want it, you should buy it." So I did. As Christine often says, "I married well."
Keep 'em rolling,
Kent "Mountain Turtle" Peterson
Issaquah WA USA
aw, how sweet, his and hers bikes. We did that with our Dahon Folders. Happy trails to you!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part about your blog and your adventures remains the fact that you do all of this with simple bikes that most people can afford. I think it helps me keep my bike lust at a minimum. My bike is basically a parts bin bike, and I'm always looking at new bikes but reading of your adventures always reminds me that as long as you get quality gear you don't need to spend a fortune to have fun
ReplyDeleteWait a sec Kent this is a bike with more than 3 gears! are you sure its right for you?! ;-)
ReplyDeleteLooks like you two will have a lot of fun on those bikes.
Enjoy
This is why I love you guys, and I love reading Kents posts on the world. Life is truly a journey, and it's all about how we get to where we are going, and how we see who we are and in that where we truly are going. My wife recently went though some life altering decisions which I think will lead her to some amazing destinations, but it's a matter of time till she gets to them and I'll be there waiting with open arms when she does. It's all about the journey we take to get to where we are going and how we get there when we arrive. :) Thanks again for the perspective on life you always offer!
ReplyDeleteHis and her bikes? Very cool!
ReplyDeleteI also love my Trek Allant, but I do wish Trek would come out with a lighter version of this wonderful bike. 25 to 27 lbs would be great...(the Allant is 32 lbs.)
ReplyDeleteThey do have a lighter version of the Allant1 It's called the 7.9 FX full carbon frame. You'll have to add a rack and fenders to make it just like the allant, but otherwise it's essentially the same thing, but much lighter. A bit spendy, though.
ReplyDeleteYes, the geometry of the Trek FX is almost identical to the the Allant. The FX 7.3 is 25 pounds. The stem and handlebars would have to be swapped out to make it more Allant like. The front rack and fenders are not that important to me..especially the fenders as I live in Tucson.
ReplyDeleteOh, and the seat would have to be replaced with the Bontrager Boulevard ...love that seat.
ReplyDeleteKeeping it real and reminding us why we like to ride.
ReplyDeleteI was watching one of the old "Klunker" and it reminded me how things have changed, not always for the better.
Thanks to both of you.
I'm starting to rethink this weight issue. Perhaps one of the reasons the Allant is so comfortable and stable is because of it's weight...
ReplyDeleteI've tried a couple of high end hybrids for long distance recreational use and have found that while the bikes overall are great, the stock wheels are always a weak link. You tend to get machine made Alex wheels and get broken spokes at alarmingly low mileage. My experience most recently was with a Scott Speedster. I pretty much go to hand made wheels straight away. I wonder how the wheels on the Trek look like they'll hold up? Any plans to change them out?
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing inherently wrong with machine-built wheels but they may need a bit of human attention to make sure the tension & trueness is up to spec. A good bike shop will do this when assembling the bike. At the Bicycle Center where I work routine adjustments are free for the first year of ownership including minor wheel truing.
ReplyDeleteI'm a pretty light guy and I mostly travel light so I have very few problems with wheels staying true (knock wood!) once they've been brought up to tension & trueness.
Kent, I think someone from trek hijacked your blog and endlessly wrote about how great their products are. You may want to check to see if they accessed your bank account too.
ReplyDeleteI too wanted a Trek Allant, but the local lake-side bike shop at Green Lake stopped carrying them and I couldn't even find it on their website anymore!
ReplyDeleteAmazing. I went in and I don't think they cater to the Allant style bicycle at all. In fact 98% of their bikes don't even have fenders! Very sensible for Seattle!
This says to me that they don't give a hoot about commuter bicycles. They only care about muscle building road bikes. Not the shop for me..
Hi, just checking in to see if you and your wife still love your Allants. Think I'm finally going to make the plunge next month myself (though can't decide if I want the "her" version or the "his"--though I'm a girl, I haven't had a "her" bike since I was 10 years old and I think the "his" version is more elegant looking, though I like the cork color of the "hers" better--ah, not bad problems to have, eh?)
ReplyDeleteYep Christine & I still totally dig our Allants. I just got back from a 40 mile ride on mine & Christine rides hers back and forth to work every day. Mostly we're doing coffee shop runs now but we've got more tours planned.
ReplyDeleteAs for ladies bike vs guys bike, either one is fine. Christine really likes having the step-thru frame.
Thanks for your comments on the Allant. I was thinking of purchasing this bike and I live in a hilly area of Berkeley and you swayed to the next level.
ReplyDeleteI know this is a very old thread, but I recently picked up a 2011 Allant and really like it. I typically ride older lugged steel frames that I build up into classy commuters, but this (albeit aluminum) bike checked a lot of the boxes unaltered. One weird detail question I have concerns the stock rear rack. There is a small curved prong that hangs down under the loading surface of the rack. It seems like it may have secured a pump (in an end dimple) or something like that. Any information on the function of this bit of the rack?
ReplyDeleteChristine and I are still ridimg and enjoying our Allants in 2021. These bikes certainly hold up.
ReplyDeleteAndrew, you are correct that the nub on the rack is intended to secure a minipump of some kind. I've never used the nub, instead I have a longer Zefal pump that fits under the top tube.
Bontrager is Trek's accessory brand, so I bet they made a pump of the right size to fit the rack peg. There might also be a Topeak pump that fits back there.
Enjoy your Allant. They are fine bikes.
good to see this post.
ReplyDelete