2018 Trek Boone Disc owners

[shorelocal]

I recently picked up a 2018 Trek Boone 5 Disc complete bike after a couple years of checking them out. After picking it up and bringing it home, I gave it a thorough inspection and noticed a couple oddities.

- the port opening where the cable route under the BB doesn't have a cover, so there are literally 5 exposed openings in the carbon frame that I imagine will pack up with mud and dirt during a race.

- the seat tube bottle cage bolts are offset towards the drive side of the tube which leaves the bottle cage sticking out to one side. It's visually noticeable without a cage mounted, and even more so with one mounted. I measured it and there's about a 10mm difference on either side from the edge of the bottle cage to the inside edge of the crank arm.

I checked with a teammate who owns a 2018 Boone 7 in a different size and he has the same results. I'm curious if our frames are simply missing an underside port hole cover? As for the offset, I'm guessing the bolt stud locations are a part of the mold, and if so, how this would make it through QC.

Curious if there are any other 2018 Boone Disc owners here who can confirm if their frames have these same oddities.

[rnhood]

I would think the dealer could tell you. Trek also is very promp answering questions via chat on their website. I don’t have a Boone but I do like them. I doubt anyone here has a 2018 model.

[tuscanyswe]

Is it possible they designed the cages to be off center as not to be in the way when sholdering the bike or something similar?

Seems weird both of your frames have the same off center bolts if it were not designed that way.

[Gummee]

I have a 2016 model that things are centered on. I haven't looked lately, but IIRC there's channels in the under the BB 'plate,' I just ran the cables thru some plastic tubing.

Never seemed to have a problem with dirt/grunge in mine.

I'll second the 'call your LBS and have them take pics and talk to Trek.' May get a frame out of it.

M

[zap]

I'm heading to a Trek shop later this morning. Will check out the Boone's there.

[shorelocal]

Yes, planning to talk to a dealer this week when I can get over there.

Attaching a few pics I took that should show what I'm describing.

Variance from side to side is more like 5mm than the 10mm previously estimated.

[d_douglas]

The bottle cage mounts seem intentional to offset the position of the bottle if you were to shoulder the bike (though you don't carry water on a CX race).

The underside does seem like it should have a cover, though no big deal if it gets gunk in it, as it just manages to flow out over time if its open.

This coming from a person who has never owned a bike so fancy :) - I am only making guesses!

[tuscanyswe]

The bottle cage mounts seem intentional to offset the position of the bottle if you were to shoulder the bike (though you don't carry water on a CX race).

The underside does seem like it should have a cover, though no big deal if it gets gunk in it, as it just manages to flow out over time if its open.

This coming from a person who has never owned a bike so fancy :) - I am only making guesses!


Pff yr desalvo is pretty fancy! ;)

[Clean39T]

Single piece of helicopter tape under the B.B. would work, but I think it’s supposed to come with a cover.. My Emonda is less open than that, but similar.

[zap]

Just checked with my Trek shop.

Bottle cage offset is by design.

BB openings look identical to my Emonda except for the cable guide which the Emonda has. My shop has a '17 Boone and that one has a full cover which covers all the holes. So op check with your shop to see if the '18 should have one.

[ltwtsculler91]

Just checked with my Trek shop.

Bottle cage offset is by design.

BB openings look identical to my Emonda except for the cable guide which the Emonda has. My shop has a '17 Boone and that one has a full cover which covers all the holes. So op check with your shop to see if the '18 should have one.


I'd check with the shop on the cable guide cover. I have a '16 (same as '17 frame) and it does come with a cover over the cable guide.

[Gummee]

The underside does seem like it should have a cover, though no big deal if it gets gunk in it, as it just manages to flow out over time if its open.

Yeah, there's a cover missing on that BB.

M

[shorelocal]

I'd check with the shop on the cable guide cover. I have a '16 (same as '17 frame) and it does come with a cover over the cable guide.

When you remove the cover, does it look the same as what I posted (ie. 5 openings)?

[shorelocal]

I contacted Trek and received the following response:

Thanks for the email. Those are some great questions. The bottom bracket holes do not get a cover. The product team designed the bike as such and did not spec or design a cover for that hole.

As far as the bottle cage bolts, there is a bit of an optical illusion, but not really, going on. You are correct in that on the seat tube, the bottle cage bolts are not centered to the center line of the tube. But the center line of the seat tube is not centered on the center line of the frame. Wait, what?!?

Why...A wider tube has better lateral rigidity. So Trek engineers made the seat tube wider at the bottom bracket to improve power transfer in the bike. However, a bicycle still needs a drive train. To make room for the crank/chainring and chain, Trek engineers pushed the drive side of the seat tube in just far enough for 2x drive train clearance. But they left the non-drive side of the seat tube wide at it's base to help increases bottom bracket stiffness.

Thus, you have bottle cage bolts that are in the middle of the bike, but not the middle of the asymmetric seat tube. Let me know if you have any more questions! Happy riding.

I'm following up on the underside BB cover ... seems odd that the 2017's had it but the 2018's don't. Perhaps the 2017 cover will fit.

[shorelocal]

Trek's response to the question if a 2017 cover will fit a 2018 frame:

the BB guide was changed as well as the opening, so it won’t work. The BB didn’t keep enough grit out. By having it open, some will still collect in the frame, but the cables can shed the grit better and will go longer between servicing.

Gaffer tape it is.

[CMiller]

I always liked the small touches on the Boone. The bottle cage is not for the OCD, but that seatube treatment is neat!