Trek Demo Review

Trek Demo Day!

Impressions on the bikes we rode have been written.
For our thoughts on the Gary Fisher HiFi Pro, click here.
For our thoughts on the Trek Fuel Ex 9.5, click here.
For our thoughts on the Trek Top Fuel 69er, click here.

Demos are an extremely fun event to do as a mountain biker. Think of it: you get to ride a new bike – professionally maintained, mind you – on a fun trail and you get to do it over and over again.

This Saturday my friend Tim and I hit up the Fullerton Loop for Trek Demo Day mentioned in this previous post. To say it was a lot of fun is an understatement. It was a TON of fun. Tip for you: get to the demo early. If it says it starts at 9, get there at least 20 minutes early and chat up the mechanic. If he’s good, he’s probably almost done getting the bikes ready and if you’re nice, he’ll probably get you going first.

Matt, working hard to setup the Gary Fisher HiFi 29er Pro; Lance, looking on

Matt, the Trek demo dude, is good, real good. Not only was he ready by about 15 minutes til 9am, but he also was extremely knowledgeable and helpful. Tim and I threw out a variety of question to him including questions on weight, specs, prices… a variety of things and he had the correct – as I later found out – answer every time. Matt was also helpful and friendly encouraging us to ride and enjoy our time on the bike. Matt already knew I was interested in the Large Gary Fisher HiFi 29er, so when I got there, on went my pedals and off Tim and I went.

New friends, Randall (Trek Fuel Ex 9.5) & Deb (Gary Fisher HiFi Pro Carbon)

We picked up a couple of new friends who weren’t familiar with the loop, so our pair became a fun group of four. Tim had been eying the Trek Fuel EX 9.5 and got to swing a leg over that for the first loop. He was really curious about the Active Braking Pivot (ABP) and found it to function exactly like it was supposed to (it’s not a marketing gimmick!). Randall also got a leg over a Trek Fuel EX 9.5 while Deb rode a Gary Fisher HiFi Carbon (26″ version). We all had a blast on the first loop and really enjoyed our steeds.

The second time around I jumped on a Trek 69er FS while Tim took the Gary Fisher HiFi Carbon (26″). We both preferred our first rides for different reasons, but that didn’t stop us from having a blast anyway.

Trek/Gary Fisher bikes ready to go!

In the next few days, I’ll post more thorough impressions on the bikes I rode. Check back for them soon.