Help with new Trek bike
 

Hi guys.

I need help/advice. I bought a TREK Domane SLR9 with a SRAM etap red set and disc brakes. Is a project one and basically has top of the line components. Paid 14,000.
I was quite excited when I picked it up, but then the problems started.

The day after I picked it up, I realized there was hydraulic fluid leaking from both lever (the upper part of the lever). The right side was worse than the left.
Went back to the store, they told me they bled the fluid and might have been an issue with installation. I then took the bike again as the gears were rubbing. They adjusted the derrailleurs and now all good except when cross-chaining (small sprocket with largest sprocket). I though this was expected (right?) even though I also though these electronic sets would trim accordingly.

Anyways. Out for a ride.... After 4 miles, the front brake started making a noise and vibrate after medium or hard breaking. The rear brake would do the same, but much milder.

Again to the store.....

They just emailed me saying "Part of the issue with the noise was just stopping power from the brakes. You were getting a bit of stick / slip going on on the front with some vibration from the fork ( which is normal. You need that fork so absorb energy and flex a bit. I resurfaced the rotors and changed to a harder more powerful pad compound. It has more bite. There is still a little bit of noise in the front end under hard braking but that can be expected. These pads will make a little more noise from cold. So the first few stops there will be a little more noise. However they have more power and stop better creating less slip and noise."

I find quite frustrating that a top of the line brake set will make the fork vibrate with the OEM pads. Something is not right.

I was planning in contacting SRAM and Trek on my own and see what they say. If it's normal, Im likely switching to Shimano and never, ever buy an SRAM set again. But this could be an installation issue or simply a defective drivetrain.

Help!!

Both levers leaking sounds very much like a someone did a poor job of installing them.

Noise after hard braking may be normal, whether Shimano or SRAM - I assume that it's just the rotor heating up and expanding, exaggerating any little bit of out-of-true and making the rotors kiss the pads. This usually goes away within a minute, unless you keep heating things back up with more braking. Noise under braking can be normal, too - water, debris or pad contamination is all it takes. Not sure what you mean by vibrating. Is it a pulsating, like it's possibly out of true? Or maybe something is loose, whether a lockring or thru axle or even caliper bolts? I'd check all of these possibilities.

No idea about the auto trim with SRAM and how effective it is vs Shimano.

It sucks to be having issues when you spend that kind of coin. If the shop doesn't make it right or if it feels like they're dragging their feet, I wouldn't hesitate to contact SRAM and Trek directly - I would think that they'd be motivated to see that you're happy.

Thanks for the answer.
"Is it a pulsating, like it's possibly out of true?" Thats how it felt. Pulsating.
Over email, he said that was now better. But would have to check if that's the case.
My thing is that if it's normal to have a sounds, then fine. But my overall impression as you said, is that they did a poor job installing things and they could be "patching" the consequence of a poor job. This obviously is not acceptable, especially with the amount of money I paid.

Can't help with the issues, but pics? Would love to see the paint scheme selected for the Project One you went with.

Black and blue matte

You go to bad store
 

All of the issues you mentioned should have been checked by the store. After all that's what this supposed to do. Otherwise it's essentially the same as buying from Bikes Direct

Nothing wrong with Sram, I have Red eTap with rim brakes and Rival CX1 with hydro brakes and never a problem with either.

Don't blame poor assembly on the product.

Seems that the issue. Do you experience significant noise from the rim brakes?

Nope, but to be honest I have Bontrager Speedstop calipers since in 2015 Sram did not have dual pivot brakes. I also have Zipp 303 carbon wheels and I clean the brake surface every week when I clean the bike.

:twitchy: I'm a pretty bike Trek fanboy, but that number hurts my brain.

If you haven't already, consider reaching out to Trek directly. My experience has been that they have good customer service and for that much money, they had better make you really, really, REALLY happy with your purchase.

^^^ This.

If you buy a superbike, you better get super service - and that doesnt sound like it. Contact Trek.

Are we allowed to name the LBS?
 

I'm not sure of forum rules, but I'm curious who this bike shop is that ignores customers who pay the cost of a small new car for a bike?

How on earth do they treat the guys who buy entry level bikes!

Disc brakes should NOT do that. My disk Scott bike is fantastic, no pulsating what so ever. You can feel the pad material on the rotor as you make a hard stop but that is normal. Sounds like the shop did a poor job of setting you really really really expensive bike up...

You need to find a real bike mechanic.

You have too much invested for it not to be perfect.

I built my Project One at the shop I bought it at with their lead mechanic.

http://glenn-ring.com/emonda/Emonda1.jpg

maybe you should have bought a Honda Civic instead
 

those bucks, that bike, zero excuses. Trek seems to either own their stores or commands others that sell their bikes. call Trek and sound like you're pissed off. Let them know we are listening.

UPDATE
This was the response from the store after they got a call from Trek (I called Trek to complain)
"We switched both front and rear pads.
We go through the bedding process here. You are going to get a little noise from the brakes under hard stopping. That is normal.
I spoke with SRAM this morning. I went through and confirmed all braking components are tight and torqued to spec. SRAM recommended resurfacing and cleaning the rotors again and to check for any signs of contamination. There are no signs of contamination, everything is torqued to spec, clean and aligned. I don't think this is a Trek issue."

The brakes are indeed making less noice, but not as bad. However, as said here, they seem to be cutting corners and not dedicating the time they should or replace parts.

I picked up the bike today and dropped it at another store (same company). I spoke with the tech manager and they will work on it.

Switching pads? Aren't pads like $30 on a 14,000 bike?

How about new ones that aren't contaminated........

New pads and rotors should be installed.

Is Sram more difficult to set up than Shimano? Or are mechanics often just less skilled with it, or have less patience to set it up correctly? While not "common" there seem to have been a few Sram AXS bikes bought of late with what seem to be serious setup/ installation issues that don't match what I've heard on Shimano, even with more Shimano sold. I'd be spitting fire and blood if I spent $14k on a bike and it was leaking and rubbing the chain. I'd be pissed if it happened on a bike that cost half that... or a quarter.

I took it to mean that they switched with new ones - ie, replaced.

A few things to consider:

First of all, I'm sorry to hear about hour experience. There's nothing worse than getting a high-end bike and having these kinds of issues. I haven't found very many shops, however, that can deliver perfection on a super high end bike. I've had a very hard time finding a mechanic that truly dots all the i's and crosses all the t's.

1) It's likely the first set of pads got contaminated with fluid, leading to poor performance.

2) If the rotors aren't out of true and they've been resurfaced, there is no point in replacing them.

3) Replacing the pads was the right thing to do. I would suggest a softer compound if you don't like noise.

4) All disc brakes/pads have to be bedded before use. This prevents a lot of the shimmy/noise issues from developing after they're used.

I have SRAM brakes on 5 bikes. Two of those bikes have SRAM Level Ultimate (mountain bikes). Three of them have SRAM AXS Red. They all brake very well. However, like all disc brakes, they will periodically make noise. The same is true of my old Shimano mountain bike. The rotors are pretty lightweight and not terribly stiff, so noise comes and goes. For the most part, my brakes a silent, though. This definitely isn't a SRAM issue or a Trek issue. It's a numbskull dealer issue. Cross-chain noise is trivial to fix with an adjustment to the limit screws. These little details, in my experience, are almost never adequately addressed by shop mechanics. I can't think of any high end bike I've ever bought - EVER - that hasn't had some niggling issue right after purchase. And that's the reason I've learned how to do most of my own bike wrenching. You just can't expect a shop mechanic working at relatively low wages to deliver ultra high-end setups.

Regardless, I wouldn't give up on SRAM, and your brake issues should be easy to fix. You should, by the way, put some miles on the brakes. They do break in over time. If you've never owned a bike with disc brakes, you'll just have to get used to the fact that sometimes they will make noise. They will not, however, pulsate the way you described. That sounds like contaminated pads on top of poor bedding. Properly bed a new set of pads (it only takes 15 minutes) on newly surfaced rotors and you're off to the races.

For $14,000 you deserve perfect performance and complete satisfaction.

If the bike doesn't come back perfect from the second shop, call Trek.

I wouldn't put up with that stuff on a $1,400 bike. I pay those guys to do the job right.

I HAVE a $1400 bike and I wouldn't either.

I've got a Domane SLR7 Disc that was a lot of money for me, but not quite as much as yours. I purchased it from a Trek Factory Store nearby. I had a few small issues and the shop took care of each immediately and professionally, exactly as I would expect for a high dollar bike. You should be getting that kind of attention.

See if the shop will swap the brakes out for Tetkro hyd. brakes like the ones on my 5 or so year old Trek Marlin 6 . They may not have that "hey look at me " factor. but they will work just great for the next 5 years and that is obviously something over what you have now.