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Trek Sawyer

434K views 1K replies 291 participants last post by  Co-opski 
#1 ·
Seriously considering one, however, I wish I could learn more about it before I throw down a deposit on one. Has anyone heard any gossip about this bike? What assumptions can you extrapolate from the info that's already out there (see trek's website)?

It look's heavy but maybe all the extra tubes are throwing my off. Will it be vertically compliant and laterally stiff? for some reason it looks like it would be a little noodlish to me but I just don't have a ton of experience (only been in the game for 1.5 yrs).
 
#764 ·
Good Rigid Fork Option

Thought I'd post about a fork option I recently tried. OSbikes has a 475mm / 51mm offset chromo fork they sell. That's almost identical to the Sawyer fork geometry (I measured the stock fork at 472mm long and Trek claims an offset of 51mm as well). The OSbikes fork is a curved design and is thinner and lighter than the stock fork. I took a quick spin on pavement and I can say it definitely rides nicer than the stock fork. I always felt like this bike had a great ride, but even with my 2.35" Tubeless Big Apple tires I always felt like the fork was too harsh and didn't match the ride characteristics of the rest of the bike. This fork solves that in a hurry.

Aesthetically I think it's a good match to the Sawyer. The OSbikes fork comes with a cool three-color paint job that doesn't so much match the Sawyer... so I got some paint that is close and re-shot the fork. The camera flash makes the color match look worse than it is. In person it looks pretty good. Once I get a good coat of dust and dirt on it I'm sure it'll be fine. The only thing this fork doesn't have that the Sawyer fork has is fender mounts. I'll figure out a way around that and post pics back up when I get the fender on.

This is not only a good option for this bike but for anyone running a Gary Fisher offset bike that wants to go rigid. It is the only stock fork I'm aware of with the 51mm offset. Also note this fork is available in 455 and 445 mm lenghts as well... but the 475mm is obviously the closest to the stock dimensions. Here are some pics:

Wood Hardwood Line Wood stain Metal
Wood Line Musical instrument accessory Hardwood Metal
Line Hardwood Bicycle part Composite material Metal
Tire Bicycle tire Bicycle wheel rim Wheel Bicycle frame
 
#765 ·
Looking to get some perspective from current or previous owners of the Sawyer.

One of my LBS currently have a new, old stock 2011 Sawyer available. They have it currently listed at a shade over $800. For those who have owned one of these, would this figure be a bit more than what you'd be willing to pay for a bike that's two model years old by now? If so, what would you be comfortable purchasing this bike at?

I'm intrigued by this bike given the different set-ups it would allow me but at it's current price point here I don't know if I can justify paying slightly less over going with a new '13 Kona Unit from my go-to LBS. Any thoughts on this would be helpful. Thanks!
 
#766 ·
I paid a tad more than that out the door around 4 months ago. The frame obviously is what makes the bike desireable. Go for it, I really enjoy my Sawyer. With a seat bag and two water bottles it's a tank , but handles nicely on the trail. I've changed out most of the components to suit my needs.
 
#767 ·
Ended up pulling the trigger on it. Walked out of the store with it for even less than I thought. Love the potential for versatility on this bike. Have a few things already on the way for it to be a 1x9 as well as a single speed. Can't wait to get more time on the saddle in it. Quick pictures of immediately taking it out of the truck from the LBS.



 
#768 ·
Guys,
We all knew the Sawyer is a cool frame. Check out the fitment of the new Knard 3.0 tire. Just picked up for another frame I am building. Thought I'd try on the Sawyer. There is clearance. But these are stock wheels. I'm building up Blunt 35's this next week... Well see if they still maintain clearance.

This would be awesome if it works.
 

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#775 ·
I'll put more info/pics up soon from my pc. I honestly haven't logged into mtbr for several years & only very recently began following threads on my smartphone..so bear with me. Typing this on a phone sucks.

We mocked up the setup yeasterday & got it to fit, which I wanted to verify before I threw down the money for the tires. I'll bring the bike home tonight to finish setting it up, take a shakedown ride & get pics.

The chain rubs the tire on the little ring & top 4 cogs. I'll probably just run it 1x9, or just be very conscious of my gear selection. I also need to do a minor reroute on the front brake line. And, like I said above, you need to slide the rear dropouts all the way back.

Stay tuned.


Sent from my ADR6325 using Tapatalk 2
 
#777 ·
Are you running a Fox suspension fork instead of the stock rigid fork? I tried a Knard on a P35 rim and it didn't fit the stock fork due to the welded-on fork brace (I suppose one could cut/grind the brace off but I'm not sure what it would do to the structural integrity of the fork).
 
#779 ·
impressive... I know that on the surly blog about the krampus they talked about running the bike as a 1x10 to prevent the chain rubbing the tire... if you want a 2x or 3x they said you can deal with minor chain rub or you can remove a gear or two from the cassette (when is the last time you used the 44-11 combo in the woods?)

I suppose you could also go the super kewl route of running a cut down cassette on a SS wheel like Jones does on his bikes... but that is not an inexpensive proposition
 
#782 ·
Knards, final setup

OK, got the bike home today for the final setup with the Surly Knards. These are the stock Duster rims. I pulled the front derailler/shifter and made it 1x9. I also rerouted the front brake line. The front fits like a charm (once you reroute the hose up the back of the fork and not thru the arch).

The rear clearance is very finicky, for several reasons. (1) Air pressure. Too much pressure and it doesn't fit. I was running 10-15 psi when I set this up. So, this is probably a low pressure/snow setup. (The clearance is so tight that I don't think it will tolerate mud well anyway). I am running tubes. It's too cold up here to mess with Stans right now. I may try tubeless in the spring. (2) Big fat tires are not perfectly round. Put a big fat tire on a perfectly trued skinny rim and you will have hops and bobbles from the tire itself. I actually trued the rim a little bit to the tire while on the bike to pull out the big rubs. The tire had a lot of side to side slop.

The shakedown ride. It's raining so I didn't ride far and this was on the road. It works. There is occasionally a hint of rub on the rear. Nothing major, kind of like the occasional disc brake rub. If that kind of thing bugs you then this isn't for you. As the outside knobs wear I'm sure this will disappear. Good enough for me. I'm satisfied.

If I'm motivated I may find a local frame-builder to see what I can do for a little more tire clearance on the seat stay. If you could somehow put a small dent on the inside of the seat stays (kind of like the indent on the inside of the chainstays) you'd be golden.

I can't wait for a real ride in the snow, maybe later this week.

Sorry the pics aren't better. My garage isn't that well lit and the flash really made the pics worse.

Tire Bicycle tire Wheel Bicycle wheel rim Bicycle fork

Wheel Tire Bicycle tire Bicycle wheel rim Bicycle frame

Bicycle tire Wheel Tire Bicycle wheel rim Automotive tire

Bicycle tire Tire Wheel Bicycle wheel rim Spoke

Floor Flooring Synthetic rubber Black Grey

Brown Photograph Bicycle accessory Iron Bicycle tire

Bicycle wheel rim Bicycle tire Bicycle part Bicycle accessory Rim

Fender Bicycle part Black Bicycle accessory Bicycle tire
 
#787 ·
If I'm motivated I may find a local frame-builder to see what I can do for a little more tire clearance on the seat stay. If you could somehow put a small dent on the inside of the seat stays (kind of like the indent on the inside of the chainstays) you'd be golden.
Your Sawyer looks great! I made a mistake not getting one when I had the chance. FWIW, I had a local builder indent the inside of my chain stays on an old GF Ferrous. He used a giant ball bearing, a special C-Clamp, and some rubber to protect the frame. He did a nice job not chipping the paint, but the drop outs got pinched and made changing the rear wheel tough. Overall tire clearance didn't increase that much. I was hoping for more.

If you don't mind my asking, what type of mud guard is that? I'm not very happy with my SKS Mud X. It's small and I don't like the mounting mechanism.

Enjoy your new Knards.:thumbsup:
 
#784 ·
I mounted the Knards on a set of 35MM Blunts. I find also the seat stays are the issue not the chain stays. Seems to be adequate clearance there.

I am taking the cast aluminum drop outs to a machine shop to see if they can remake these pieces basically 1/2" longer and 1/4" lower...and hopefully more roubust...these things are cheaply made.

If I get them done and properly working...there may be a bunch of sawyer owners interested.

With these mods... the rear tire should fit swimmingly.
 
#791 ·
Alright guys, who's gone with larger chain rings on their sawyer?

I was looking at touring bikes for commuting and really I just don't see a reason not to go for it with the sawyer, I have "skinny" tires for it already but what's the largest we can go on the chainrings?

I have a 35T running on the frame side of the outer mount of the stock crank from when it was 1x9 and that's pretty tight, the chainline doesn't look like anything can be run on the outside of the stock crank (wide-ish bottom bracket puts it pretty far out on the cassette in stock position)

so what do you commuters have set up?
 
#792 ·
Lookey here!!! Knard on a Sawyer!!!

I had a set of much more HD drop outs made. 7075 aluminum. 0.5" set back moving the tire away from the seat stays. Perfect bolt on and sliding action.

Kiss my butt Krampus!!!

Any interest. I can have more made up now that tweaks are out. I can email you more pics if you need them.
 

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#800 ·
I had a set of much more HD drop outs made. 7075 aluminum. 0.5" set back moving the tire away from the seat stays. Perfect bolt on and sliding action.

Kiss my butt Krampus!!!

Any interest. I can have more made up now that tweaks are out. I can email you more pics if you need them.
Do want! The Rig and Marlin SS have the same dropouts as the Sawyer. I also have a Rig with P35s that I can try these on.
 
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