Article The new Trek E-Caliber

[Zimmerframe]

Ok, it looks big and beefy at the front but when you get to the back I wondered if they went over budget and had to save on materials ?

No. They started designing it at the front.. Then the new trend for smaller motored, smaller cheaper battery bikes which cost twice as much trend started ... so they had to make the rear look a lot cheaper so they could try to sell it for £12,000.

There might be a refresh next year where they get rid of the rear shock and seat stay, invent "hybrid harmonic suspension" - which is just a chainstay - and sell it for £14,000.

 

[Beekeeper]

No. They started designing it at the front.. Then the new trend for smaller motored, smaller cheaper battery bikes which cost twice as much trend started ... so they had to make the rear look a lot cheaper so they could try to sell it for £12,000.

There might be a refresh next year where they get rid of the rear shock and seat stay, invent "hybrid harmonic suspension" - which is just a chainstay - and sell it for £14,000.

these prices are starting to resemble the outrageous menu items in some restaurants for a breakfast ?

The one below costs £2000

hey it’s just an omelette!

 

[Zimmerframe]

The one below costs £2000

hey it’s just an omelette!

£2000 and they've not even noticed there's a giant insect inside it ??? madness !

 

[Beekeeper]

£2000 and they've not even noticed there's a giant insect inside it ??? madness !

And in case anyone is wondering, they actually manage to sell 12 a year ? ? ? ?????????

 

[Zimmerframe]

And in case anyone is wondering, they actually manage to sell 12 a year ? ? ? ?????????

I wonder what the wealthy people who can afford more than just a basic omelette have for breakfast ? ?

It must be awful for the 12 poor families who visited .. "no honey (none gender specific) , you should just have some toast..."

 

[Mabman]

Looking at how the rear suspension works, I'd say it's designed thin so it can flex - there's no pivot's at the chainring end and it looks like the section round the shock slides in a linear fashion, so it either flexes or something snaps ?

Looks like a pivot at the base of the seat tube to me? The whole rear triangle moves with no Horst link thingie. I didn't really study the one I saw that much but it was an odd looking bike overall I felt.

 

[Zimmerframe]

Looks like a pivot at the base of the seat tube to me? The whole rear triangle moves with no Horst link thingie. I didn't really study the one I saw that much but it was an odd looking bike overall I felt.

Yup, there's a pivot there Otherwise it wouldn't move

It's the top bit, where it connects to the shock - the way they've done it makes it look like that could be fixed to run back and forwards in parallel with the frame, in which case there would need to be another pivot at the bottom of the seat stay or the seat stay needs to flex. It's most likely that where it mounts to the shock there's also some movement/pivot/something as it would be unusual to make a frame section which is designed to flex rather than incorporating a pivot ! But who knows, maybe that's what 12k buys you - Carbon's normally pretttttttyy rigid though !

 

[mark.ai]

Here's a video with them bending - cool tech but scary

Official Trek Caliber Seat stay flex video !

 

[Zimmerframe]

Here's a video with them bending - cool tech but scary

Cool ! So it does flex !! Interesting design - thanks for finding that - makes me look like less of a numpty

 

[Beekeeper]

Interesting video.
I wonder how many times those stays can repeatably flex like that without microscopic cracks forming. Wonder what we would see under an electron microscope ?

 

[RickBullotta]

I’m no engineer but dosen’t that pivotless stay on the E-caliber look a bit thin? It’s the very first thing I noticed when I saw the bike.

View attachment 54456

It’s not pivotless. Look closer. It’s more or less a URT design.

 

[TriciaPug]

Bumping this thread for a few reasons.
I picked up a Trek E-Caliber 9.6 this past week. I was lamenting over my purchase of the Cannondale Habit Neo in a size M, which I had ordered through a shop deal a year ago.(I work part time at a bike shop but am on medical leave for BC recovery).
I was unable to demo the Habit Neo but was riding a Trigger 3 in a Medium so I thought the M was a safe bet. The Habit Neo was significantly larger and not an easy ride for me.
I am a timid rider due to to a bike crash 10 years ago that left me with a long recovery, so I'm not a hard charger or serious downhiller.

FF>> My husband @Philpug encouraged me to find a bike that fits me better, even though we knew the bike world is short on bikes at the moment.

I found a "used" Trek E-Caliber 9.6, 9 1/2 hrs from where I live with a ton of upgrades on it.
I had previously ridden Trek and always seemed to warm up to them ( pre accident) so I got in the car, brought cash and met with the owner.
Dude had bought the bike for his wife, upgraded the wheel set, XTR Brakes.... ( he also switched out the deraileur for sram which I was not thrilled about because I prefer shimano, but that is a different talk show topic...)

Turns out, he did all of this in the hopes his wife would like riding with him but ... she didn't. Her loss = my gain.
This bike is under 40# with the motor!!!
When I handed his wife the cash to count, she smiled and said, "I really don't like mt biking. I tried."

20 hrs of driving, was worth it. I'd bet I have put more miles on this bike in two days of riding than she did since her husband bought it for her.

Now, I'm getting used to the Fazua motor/battery, but I'm having issues with the connectivity of the app. I have to "unpair" it before every ride and re-pair it for it to work.
Is there a trick to this I don't know?


Stoke pics included.
Bike when I picked it up.
White stickers are going away and new pedals will be added.

 

[TriciaPug]

One more thing. The app I downloaded is Fazua Rider.
Is there a different app I should be using?
I understand that Trek was supposed to have their own app for this bike set up some time in April but I can't seem to find it.

‎Fazua Rider

‎English: "Easily connect to your Fazua-driven eBike and turn your smartphone into a powerful dashboard with navigation, system data and controls." Note: "Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life." Note: FAZUA app is compatible with remotes beginning...

apps.apple.com

 

[flash]

Personally, I found Fazua Rider to be a huge disappointment. Apparently they were going to offer an upgrade so you could customise the motor via the app and BT but that never happened (yet..). My current phone doesn't even have the app. I use a Garmin which can read the Fazua system via BT LE.

To update and play with the settings you need the Fazua Toolbox, which is a PC program and you'll also need a mini (not micro) USB cable. It's a cludge connecting the unit via a cable but it works and it's reliable. It's also fast. My last firmware update took 9 seconds to load! Toolbox is downloadable from the Fazua website. Once you have Toolbox you can customise the motor to your hearts content. Toolbox is also what the manufacturers use to do region settings etc, but you don't have access to that part of the program, although you can run the motor diagnostics part if you think you have any issues.

Gordon

 

[TriciaPug]

Personally, I found Fazua Rider to be a huge disappointment. Apparently they were going to offer an upgrade so you could customise the motor via the app and BT but that never happened (yet..). My current phone doesn't even have the app. I use a Garmin which can read the Fazua system via BT LE.

To update and play with the settings you need the Fazua Toolbox, which is a PC program and you'll also need a mini (not micro) USB cable. It's a cludge connecting the unit via a cable but it works and it's reliable. It's also fast. My last firmware update took 9 seconds to load! Toolbox is downloadable from the Fazua website. Once you have Toolbox you can customise the motor to your hearts content. Toolbox is also what the manufacturers use to do region settings etc, but you don't have access to that part of the program, although you can run the motor diagnostics part if you think you have any issues.

Gordon

[sigh]
When I was at Interbike in Reno a few years ago, the Fazua introduction seemed(still seems) promising. I wonder if they pushed it before it was ready for prime time, after all, you'll want the software/apps to be ready if you want to optimize the experience in this kind of technology.

My house is at 5200 ft elevation(1585 M) and we frequently ride up Peavine (8200 ft/2400M). It feels like it will be a big learning curve to do it with the Fazua set up over the Bosch.

 

[flash]

[sigh]
When I was at Interbike in Reno a few years ago, the Fazua introduction seemed(still seems) promising. I wonder if they pushed it before it was ready for prime time, after all, you'll want the software/apps to be ready if you want to optimize the experience in this kind of technology.

My house is at 5200 ft elevation(1585 M) and we frequently ride up Peavine (8200 ft/2400M). It feels like it will be a big learning curve to do it with the Fazua set up over the Bosch.

On a positive the customisation that's possible is fantastic. Personally I was never a fan of the *ride* apps (Fazua or SHimano). I've always used my Garmin and I rarely carry a phone when I ride.

The Fazua motor isn't ever going to feel like the Bosch. Well, maybe in Eco. It's a low powered motor, like the Levo SL. I have other eBikes (based around the Shimano motors) and my eZesty is completely different. It'll never keep up with a full powered bike on the climbs but makes up for that on the descents with less weight. I also like how quiet it is and how good the disengagement feels.

At 95kg I'll never get the range you do. I got 600m of climbing and 24kms out of a battery off road once (but I have 3 batteries to utilise), with two bars left. That was keeping the power at sensible levels and using breeze and river mode only. I get over 100kms and 300m climbing on the road though with my Cairn and semi slick tyres.

Gordon

 

[TriciaPug]

On a positive the customisation that's possible is fantastic. Personally I was never a fan of the *ride* apps (Fazua or SHimano). I've always used my Garmin and I rarely carry a phone when I ride.

The Fazua motor isn't ever going to feel like the Bosch. Well, maybe in Eco. It's a low powered motor, like the Levo SL. I have other eBikes (based around the Shimano motors) and my eZesty is completely different. It'll never keep up with a full powered bike on the climbs but makes up for that on the descents with less weight. I also like how quiet it is and how good the disengagement feels.

At 95kg I'll never get the range you do. I got 600m of climbing and 24kms out of a battery off road once (but I have 3 batteries to utilise), with two bars left. That was keeping the power at sensible levels and using breeze and river mode only. I get over 100kms and 300m climbing on the road though with my Cairn and semi slick tyres.

Gordon

The positives I get out of this bike are way more than any bike I've had in 4+ years. I'm learning how to pace my cadence to optimize the Fazua capabilities.
I'm not sure when/if I'll ever ride up Peavine again, but its a ride my husband has always enjoyed far more than I do. He can do that with his buddy and I can snag my girls to go ride some flowy trails along the Truckee River.

All in all, I'm very impressed with what Trek has done with this E-Caliber. So excited to see where I can go with this bike.
Now, if Trek would actually produce the app they promised in April....
I always ride with my phone, mostly because my girlfriend who rides with me regularly is Type 1 diabetic, and I've been in situations where I needed to call for an emergency.

Thanks for all the information.

 

[TriciaPug]

@flash I reached out to Fazua because I kept getting "drag" on climbs. It almost feels like the motor is cutting out, but I couldn't put my finger on it.
I confirmed that I have the latest firmware.
They advised me to download the Fazua Toolbox basic app to my computer and customize my ride preferences.
I played around with a few test customizations and am going to try the one I think is going to be an improvement on my Saturday ride.
I'll give feedback tomorrow, but when I did a quick test ride up a hill by my house, it felt a ton better on the climb.

If you or anyone who has had experience with this have some insight on customization, I'd be eager to hear it.

Here is a screenshot of the test customization that I'm trying.

 

[Gyre]

Turns out, he did all of this in the hopes his wife would like riding with him but ... she didn't. Her loss = my gain.
This bike is under 40# with the motor!!!
When I handed his wife the cash to count, she smiled and said, "I really don't like mt biking. I tried."

Congratulations and ooof! That hits very close to home. I custom-built a pretty Dengfu a couple years ago and then last year a gorgeous Ibis Mojo HD3 for my wife but they never get any use. I know that an eMTB would make it easier for us to ride together, but yeah... exactly this.

 

[TriciaPug]

Congratulations and ooof! That hits very close to home. I custom-built a pretty Dengfu a couple years ago and then last year a gorgeous Ibis Mojo HD3 for my wife but they never get any use. I know that an eMTB would make it easier for us to ride together, but yeah... exactly this.

We have a running joke amongs my girlfriends that, whenever we want some sweet gear we just need to search words like
Sale
Wife
Girlfriend
Bike
Skis
(Insert expensive toy here)

 

[Gyre]

Perfect. I'll share that with some of the GGR girls. They'll get a kick out of it.

 

[TriciaPug]

The new firmware update and new Fazua Energy We Ride app seem to be helping with some of the drag issues.

FAZUA - Ride 50 Firmware 2.12

fazua.com