Good Points
Reliable
Comfortable (well, as comfortable as any hardtail ali frame can be!)
Versatile
Top cable routing, full outers would be even better
8-speed cassette (more reliable and less fussy than 9-speed)
Shielded front hub bearings


Bad Points (that wouldn’t cost anything for Trek to address)
Silly Trek sales policy made it very hard to get this delivered as a present
Why are the ladies models more expensive?
170mm crank arms; should be able to select 165mm length on a ladies bike of this size at no extra cost (if all the bikes manufactures did this, 165mm cranks wouldn’t be a special item, and wouldn’t be more expensive than 170mm or 175mm ones)
Aluminium frame! We want steel for it’s far better longevity, and softer ride.
Clicking freehub, very annoying! Shimano make the same model but silent, as used on my Specialized
Octalink bottom bracket/chainset; square taper would be more reliable
Bottle mounts too close to seat tube
Top swing front derailleur; I’d rather they went with a much more reliable conventional derailleur
Ridiculous 11-32 gear spacing, with a 24% jump between some gears! Shimano’s 11-30 has an 18% maximum, their 11-32 20% maximum.


Bad Points (I’d gladly pay more to have addressed)
No reusable chain split link! C’mon Trek, we’re talking mere pennies here, no excuse really!
Combined shift/brake levers; for a couple of pounds more let’s do the job properly
Useless ‘cosmetic’ fork; Marzocchi MZ Supercomp (or similar) should be minimum spec. on any ATB/MTB
Needs to lose a couple of pounds (but then don’t we all!); the new fork would help a long way here
No shielding on rear hub bearings, inexcusable on an off-road bike!


Summing Up
A good general purpose mount that with the benefit of a little thought and some extra investment could be a 28lb extremely good general purpose recreational mount


Mods Thus Far
SRAM Powerlink Chain Connector
USE SX Shokpost
Specialized Women's BG Windie XC Sport Saddle
Crud Race Pac Mudguard Set
Tacx Tao Ultralight Bottle Cage (one of the very few cages that will clear the seat tube on this frame)