The word “trek” means a long and challenging journey made on foot.
You probably think this wouldn’t be a pleasant thing to go through. But there’s a bike brand that will redefine what it means to trek: a brand that’s been around since the 70s that builds bikes meant to make long travels on the road faster and hikes on the mountains easier. A great companion during the long winding workdays that will also help you fulfill an adventurous weekend warrior adventure to the peaks—because life shouldn’t be an arduous trek.
Introducing the Trek 6500 Mountain Bike.
The Trek 6500 belongs to the hardtail family of mountain bikes (MTB). Characterized by a medium-sized and angled top tube meant to support any uphill traction, you can also ride this smoothly on concrete roads with comfort. The Trek 6500 trail bike has a built-in suspension on the fork, which is also great for hard bumps on the downclimb, making for a smooth descend. You can sit on the ride down without having to stand up on your pedals to avoid absorbing the impact.
The choice of a paint job, especially on the 2011 model, is easy on the eyes too. The combination of matte silver with blue accents really grabs the attention of passersby and motorists on the road without being too invasive.
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: the weight of the mountain bike.
There’s a long-standing belief in the cycling world that lightweight bikes are good. Common sense dictates that lightweight bikes tend to move faster and cause less drag, as most lightweight bikes tend to skimp on materials or use lightweight (and expensive) ones to get that thinner and lighter frame. This is particularly true with racer bikes, but does this also hold for mountain bikes?
For most mountain bikes, the logic is that if the bike is lighter, it can easily be pedaled uphill. But there’s always a tradeoff to this: less weight means less stability, and less stability means poor handling.
The Trek 6500 women’s mountain bike and the men’s mountain bike both have a weight that’s within the optimum level for a hardtail bike—weighing 12.97 kilograms, the highest point in the optimal weight spectrum for a hardtail bike. That means it’s heavy enough to provide stability but it’s also light enough to provide a comfortable uphill ride.
This lightweight attribute is possible due to the partial suspension feature. The Trek 6500 was built to shave off some weight without sacrificing handling and stability on the mountain trail so you can still climb fast on that tricky dirt path even when your legs are about to give out.
Now that we’ve got the Trek 6500’s weight out of the way, let’s talk about what else this hardtail bike is carrying on and around its body.
The material used for Trek 6500’s frame is aluminum alloy. This material is lightweight and is not prone to rust, making your entire bike adaptable to dry and wet terrain. The alloy tubes are joined together using Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding technology—a skillful and refined welding process.
The whole drivetrain set of the Trek 6500 MTB was sourced from a reputable Japanese bike component manufacturer, Shimano. The rear cog has an impressive 9-speed option, with the smallest rear cog having 11 teeth and the largest having 34. If you’re sensitive to traction control during your trail runs, you’ll enjoy the range of options the Trek 6500 has to offer. Here are the rest of the drivetrain components sourced from Shimano.
Bontrager dominates this part of the Trek 6500 MTB. A reputable brand known for its intense, light, and cheap design philosophy led by Keith Bontrager has been a popular choice for mountain bikers since the 80s. Here’s what Bontrager contributes to the Trek 6500 hardtail bike.
The Trek 6500 hardtail bike has such a wide range of function it defies any label you put on it, butin a good way. It looks like a common MTB at first glance, but if you sit on it and get a feel, you’ll notice the nuances. The lack of rear suspension makes you feel like a roadie. Yet, the front suspension and the straight handlebar is built for the mountain’s gravel and dirt trails. This is a bike you could use on your weekday commute to the office that also turns into a thrill machine for that weekend ride in the woodlands.
On the other hand, please taper your expectations. The Trek will refuse to ride like the full suspension enduro. It feels like a hybrid road and mountain, so the stiff rear (hence the name “hardtail”) will still provide you with enough challenge to learn some new tricks in a short period of time while riding familiar or new terrains. It will compel you to pivot efficiently and do bunny hops on rock obstacles or vertical inclines. This bike will not disappoint.
If your game is getting the most skill and thrill out of a weekend trail ride, the Trek 6500 will be more than happy to oblige.
