Ride Quality is a complex topic that incorporates many elements of a bike’s feel and user experience.
Beginning with sizing, the FX+ 1 is available in two frame styles: a high-step and mid-step design. The mid-step option comes in three frame sizes, with a recommended height range of 5’1” to 6’1”. The high-step we tested is appropriate for a wider range of riders, with four sizes that accommodate those from 5’1” to 6’6”.
I specifically rode the large high-step frame, which is designed for riders between 5’9” and 6’1”. At 5’11”, I am right in the center of its target height range. As I’ve come to expect from global legacy brands like Trek, I found the bike’s proportions to be ideally suited for me; its 6.5” of saddle height provided proper leg extension, while its reach felt balanced between sportiness and comfort.
Like many of the best city and urban e-bikes, the FX+ 1S has a forward-leaning (but not too aggressive) riding position. With a rigid fork, wide handlebars, and some of the rider’s weight distributed to the handlebars, I found its handling to be appropriately crisp and its steering to be expectedly precise; these factors make city e-bikes one of my favorite styles.
I liked the saddle, the handlebars, and the grips, but I do want to mention that you’ll probably want to plan on upgrading the pedals. The bike comes with plastic pedals that work fine, but they don’t have the best grip. Trek offers a slew of options to choose from (and a guide to help you sort through them), so most riders should be able to find something that fits their style.
As I referenced in the Brake Test section above, its tires added a welcome layer of stability to the ride. The Bontrager GR-Zero tires have a relatively square cross-section with a central smooth band for efficient rolling on paved surfaces and knobby shoulders for dirt and gravel use.
I tested the bike on all three surfaces—even some chunky gravel that felt slippery on many other e-bikes. The FX+ 1S’s tires handled all areas extremely well, maintaining great stability and traction while also adding an appreciable amount of cushion.
The bike’s motor engagement is also superb, with smooth power delivery and quick adaptation to changes in pedal pressure. Its motor is remarkably quiet; in most cases, I heard the normal clicking of the rear wheel hub more than the motor itself.
Out of the box, the FX+ 1S is relatively simple; its cockpit is filled with its display/control panel, throttle lever, and shifter. The color display itself was functional and readable, while its buttons were large and unmissable. Overall, I found the layout practical and straightforward, with all controls within easy reach.
The FX+ 1S doesn’t have many bells and whistles—aside from the integrated lights and turn signals, which I have to say I was pleased to see for the sake of safety. There are a ton of optional accessories that can be added to expand the bike’s use cases, but without getting into Trek’s app, the bike is completely suitable for those who prefer a low-tech experience.
The app, however, makes the bike well-suited for tech junkies. It’s extremely feature-rich, and perhaps one of the most useful I’ve encountered. In addition to customizing the motor output, users can track ride data (manually or automatically), access turn-by-turn navigation, receive tire pressure recommendations, and even control the battery and its lifespan.
There are four unique battery features:
- The Charge Alert function will send your phone a notification when the battery reaches your desired charge level.
- The Extended Life Mode reduces range and the maximum charge level slightly to extend the number of charge cycles and reduce wear.
- The Optimized Charging feature makes trickle charging standard for those who keep their bike plugged in.
- Finally, the Long Term Storage mode will place the battery in a “sleep” mode to preserve its charge.
Another feature I loved was what Trek calls a “range cloud.” When looking at a GPS map (which can be downloaded to show your location when off-grid), the app shows two boundaries that represent the bike’s range: a thin red line that marks the point at which the battery reaches 50%, and a thick red outline that represents the distance you can ride before reaching 0%.
The app generally worked quite well, but I occasionally encountered pairing issues when I opened the app before turning on the bike. Restarting both the app and the bike solved the problem, but hopefully, Trek’s development team can work on improving the connectivity.
Otherwise, the FX+ 1S’s ride quality was and is excellent! We found it to be comfortable, well-sized, responsive, stable, and high-tech while also being approachable.
