trek hilo triathlon bike

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Trek Hilo 2000 Older Triathlon Bike

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Fast Bike, smooth ride, and aerodynamic.

Size 650c wheels are difficult to find.

This is a wonderful bike. It is faster than most newer bikes.

Light wheels, aero design, quick acceleration, great value for the price

although 650 wheels help with steep hills this bike is not the best for climbs.

This bike was an awesome buy for me. I began triathlons in 2003 along with my brand new Trek Hilo. I have won many tri's with it and posted several of the fastest bike splits with it. I have put many miles on the bike and find it very comfortable albeit stiff. The front carbon forks help with the stiffness as well as slicing through the wind. It has taken me from beginner up to an advanced triathlete. The bike is very aero and cuts through the wind effortlessly. The Rolf wheels are light, sturdy, aero and will spin forever if I put the bike upside down and give them a push. It accelerates quickly and the stiff and aero design keeps it moving fast. This bike makes you feel powerful.

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Very light and aero in the right places. Gemoetry is right on. Perfect Welds...absolutely flawless and beautiful. Color (Silver and Black) Solid very responsive ride. Very stable on fast descents. Very stiff if you can ahndle it. Its an aggressive triathlon rocket!

Fork is heavy...it has Steel Steerer (not all carbon) so don't be fooled. Aggresive geometry may require a few hundred miles to dial into. Internal cable routing caps on downtube don't stay on. No big deal..

The HIlo 2000 frame is no joke. This bike is literally a rocket! Mine was purchased frame and fork only then built up to my preference with Dura Ace 56 tooth TT Chain ring and groupo. Reynlolds Ouza Aero Pro and Vision Tech Tri Max Plus bars. My main interest was to get this frameset because it is spec'd wonderfully. Starry Night Black looks fast. Considered Cervelo P3 and Cannondale MS5000 but the Hilo was available to build up to my liking. Plus, I liked the spec's the most. Easily one of the premier Al TT bikes. Too bad they are non longer produced. :-(

the carbon fork takes the sting out of the road and the rear stays unusually do absorb some of the ripples. the syntace streamliner is an altime favorite of mine with a brace. the wheelset is on a par with the new dura ace wheels and are floaty light. also they will take a shimano or campagnolo free hub so no problems there.

mine didn't come with a brace and for a legal tri bike now the aero bars have to be braced. The down tube is either love or hate. the Rolf wheels wernt to confidence inspiring due to the lack of spokes. my bb was too narrow for the chain line to work effectivly. i had to give it back.

an excelent comfortable ride that has got all the tri geometry ie steep seat tube and a quick handler. may take some getting used to as the trend amongst the elite is not time trial in that its crunched up and high where as time trial bikes are long and low. the spec is uncompromised and the whole package comes at good value for money aimed at the triathlete who has alot of expirience but is not sponsored.

the wheel set is definatly worth shelling out the extra money for. dead comfy saddle.

quick responding, good bike for hills with stiff frame, easy to fit into aero positioning, smooth ride, and holds line well, one of the best aluminum bikes on the market, good technical advice from the Trek staff.

With Trek being a big player in the bicycling market, my competition will be buying the Trek Hilo to my dismay.

Great bike for the value, gives a comfortable ride and is easy to control under all conditions.

Cervelo, RRB custom, litespeed

Fantastically rigid, fast acceleration, comfortable aero position. Rapid turning.

Shimano chain began skipping after 30 miles. Stem bolt head snapped off.

Beautiful bike that's incredibly rapid, well built and reasonably comfortable in the aero position. However for 6 foot 1 I have a very weird riding position. Very much over the BB, on the edge of the seat. I don't know if this would effect other riders but the bike suits this perfectly. The bike demands attention because of the blindingly quick steering. Not a bike to relax on or pull millions of miles, but ensured to keep you focused on a tri (or toss you). Beautiful bike that's been well designed for triathalons.

Willier Triestina, Kestral EMS

Excellent power transfer. Very aero

Saddle hurts your behind.

I changed the stem, saddle and tyres to suit my personal preference and this is now one sweet TT bike. Steering is really fast but bike remains stable. Which is handy really as on an island only 10 miles long. Lots of turns. Rolf wheels are great on windy days and climb well too. Disk does sound nicer though! Lack of aero tubing on seat tube makes no difference as it is disturbed air in middle of bike. Worked out cheaper that the 'Dale too as it needed only minor mods. Conculsion? You will like it. Buy one.

Eddy Merckx Corsa SL with (tri bars), Cannondale R1000

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The Trek Hilo 2000 is a triathlon/road bike with an aluminum Alpha SL frame. The frame comes in colors like grey, blue and Metal  Flake  Yellow.

Originally released in 2000, there are 3 versions of this bike. Due to the frame materials and other factors, we estimate that this bike weighs around 25 pounds. The Hilo 2000 is fully rigid.

The Hilo 2000 comes with Road Mix components, including a Bontrager Race ICON Sterling stem, a threadless Cane Creek headset and bar-end Shimano Dura-Ace shifters.

The Hilo 2000 has 9 speeds and has a Shimano Ultegra derailleur.

It comes with kevlar, Bontrager Race Lite, Continental Grand Prix Michelin Axial Pro tires (571mm x 23mm) and Bontrager Race X-Lite Rolf Vector Pro rims.

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TriTech for the Masses

Bontrager Hilo XXX Carbon Tri Saddle – Review

The Bontrager Hilo XXX Carbon Tri Saddle has been a loyal companion here at AeroGeeks HQ. We first received it back in the summer of 2014 and, at the time, we mated it with the Litespeed C1 Race we were testing . Then in 2015 the XXX found its home on a Fuji Transonic we were reviewing. So while the XXX has been with us for quite some time, it wasn’t until just a few months ago that we realized we’d never given this faithful companion its time to shine. Bontrager had mentioned they had an update to the XXX based on a request by the Trek Factory team that was proven and then implemented in the 2016 model. They  wanted to know if we wanted to try it, which made us realize that it was definitely time to give the Hilo XXX it’s time in the sun.

The Bontrager Hilo XXX Carbon Tri Saddle

The Hilo XXX is the lightest of the Hilo family of triathlon saddles from Bontrager. Long-time readers may remember we reviewed the Hilo RXL Speed Dial back in  2013. At the time, we said “This is a very good (though slightly heavy) saddle for those looking to move to a split-nose saddle.” It would seem that Bontrager agrees since the XXX weighs 150g less than the Speed Dial (185g versus 335g). In order to drop those grams, the XXX trades the adjustability of the Speed Dial for featherweight carbon fiber construction.

The Hilo XXX features oversized carbon rails and a carbon-reinforced shell to make it the lightest tri/TT saddle Bontrager has ever created.

The original Hilo XXX featured a proprietary Smart Cover that delivers targeted zones of support for sustained comfort. In a WiR we said: “One of our favorite features is the use of different materials that help to keep you from sliding around.” It would seem that the guys from the Trek Factory Racing team demanded more. The requested a change in cover material gives riders more consistent support and the ability to stay in aggressive positions when riding on the front of the nose – and thus the 2016 model was born.

As is common with the majority of triathlon \ TT saddles today, the XXX features a full-length cutaway to eliminate pressure on soft tissue areas. We measured the channel to be 20mm wide. The saddle itself was 50mm wide at the nose, 140mm wide at the rear, and runs 250mm long.

Our Thoughts

While the majority of our testing of the Hilo was on our road bikes, it also spent a bit of time on our Trek Speed Concept . And most importantly, we never grew tired of the XXX throughout the entirety of our testing. While the shape looks much more road than TT, the center channel does much to relieve pressure. At the same time, the saddle is wide enough to comfortably support the pubic rami bones when in an aero position.

For those unfamiliar with the specific needs of a TT rider, Greg Kopecky of ISM helped explain it back when we reviewed the ISM PN 1.1:

“I wanted to touch on is the issue of sit bones.  This subject gets talked about a lot, but the reality is that – especially on TT/Tri bikes – the rider does not sit on the sit bones (ischial tuberosities).  As the rider’s pelvis rotates forward, the sit bones lose contact and pressure with the seat.  With traditional seats, the weight shifts to the soft tissue area; with ISM seats, the weight shifts to the pubic rami bones.  When a rider is very upright – such as on a hybrid bike – the weight is definitely on the ischial tuberosities.  The more forward you rotate, the less your weight is on the ischial tuberosities.”

And that was one of the reasons we so enjoyed our (significant) time with the XXX. We were just as comfortable riding upright on our road bike protected in the peloton as we were deep in the aero position on our Speed Concept. The shape of the saddle allowed us to easily rotate forward onto the pubic rami or sit back on our sit bones. We often talk about the issues when compromises go wrong, but in the XXX’s case, you truly get a “best of both worlds” saddle.

Bontrager fitted the XXX with Multi-zone density padding that is strategically placed for optimal comfort and performance. The multi-zone padding really helped as the padding up front serves a different purpose than that found at the rear, and regardless of where we sat, it worked for us.  We found the padding to be firm but not too hard throughout the saddle. And the saddle found was comfortable with both standard road bibs and tri shorts. Though it’s worth mentioning that we tend to prefer our bibs with minimal padding to begin with.

The 2016 updates to the Hilo XXX brought a new cover meant to keep Trek Factory Racing’s riders on the nose of the saddle. And while we never found the current saddle’s material lacking (in fact, we found it kept us in place quite well), the new material provides a more consistent hold over the full length of the saddle.

White (2016) – Black (2015)

Our one challenge with the Hilo XXX is that the oversized carbon rails are oval, not circular, which made clamping them to certain frames a challenge. Additionally, not all of the hydration accessories out there may work with it (if they are expecting a standard round rail). Therefore you may want to ensure your frame and seat clamp have no issues before purchasing.

Wrapping Up

At $279.99 the Hilo XXX is priced where we would expect it to be for a top-tier saddle. And to be honest, a price we would be willing to pay for a saddle that we were this happy to ride with. As with all saddles, the final choice will be based on your own individual anatomy. But if you are looking for a tri \ TT saddle, we highly recommend giving the Hilo XXX a shot – your pubic rami bones AND your sit bones will thank you.

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