Trek Pilot 5.0 WSD road bike - tested

OCLV tubing - Organic shaping and smooth joins

Trek have designed the Pilot range for riders who want a performance ride with a bit more comfort than a standard road bike provides. The WSD bikes have specific geometry to provide smaller riders with a shorter top tube, better riding position and good stand over room. The Pilot range encompasses all this and stills manages to stay lightweight and very attractive in looks as well as price.

Frame

The Pilot's stunning looks are partly due to the striking paint finish and stylish graphics but mostly thanks to the organic shaping of the OCLV 120 tubing and wrapped tube joins. The headtube is quite large for a frame of this size which gives the front end a nice high position for a comfortable riding position, the integrated headset gives a sleek finish too.

The sloping top tube, synonymous with compact frames allows loads of standover height . The rear triangle is small and stiff thanks to the wishbone seat stays, don't confuse stiffness with lack of compliance as the damping in the OCLV reduces road buzz and adds comfort without losing power form the pedals.

Out of the Saddle - Lots of stand over height

Although comparable in price to the WSD Madone 5.2, a race bike for sure, there are some subtle but important differences in the frame geometry, namely the Pilot has a slacker head and seat angle, plus slightly longer rake on the fork giving a longer wheelbase. This all amounts to a more relaxed feel to the geometry and a more stable ride, perfect for longer rides or for riders who do not want to be tied to a low race position on the bike.

Components and contact points

The spec is pretty much the same as the Madone 5.2 WSD, meaning it's race ready should you desire, and why shouldn't non-racers enjoy the benefits of a quality groupset? The Shimano Ultegra derailleurs are combined with adjustable reach Shimano ST-R700 shifter/brake levers designed for a short reach for smaller hands. This allows easier gear changes and controlled braking without any need to stretch for the lever, they work well with the handlebars and their anatomic shape drops. One really obvious point about the handlebars is the width, or rather lack of, according to our ruler they are 36cm wide (center to center), which is pretty narrow. It is true that many women will find narrower bars better suited to our proportionally narrower shoulders but these bars felt just a little too narrow for our taste. That said we hardly noticed any road buzz through the bars and their shape allowed multiple positions on the tops and we especially enjoyed the gel tape for added comfort.

Handle bar shape allows multiple positions

Trek have left a long steerer tube on the carbon Bontrager Satellite Plus fork, this allows loads of adjustment to the stem and bar height with the use of spacers provided. The bike came set up with a high stem position, pointing upwards for a relaxed and quite upright position, by flipping the stem over or reducing the spacers used you can gain a more aerodynamic set-up if preferred.

The brakes callipers are Cane Creek SCR-3L, they functioned well but looked a bit chunky and out of place in black compared with the other sleek silver parts. The crankset is Bontrager's Race Lite, with a 170mm length crank, a good choice for medium height women for smooth spinning and comfortable knees. The triple chainrings are great for hilly rides and offer a wide range of gears for al eventualities.

Bontrager's Race Lite Crankset

Bontrager have provided the women specific Select FIT CRZ+ saddle with hollow chromoly rails and a central cut-away area to help reduce pressure from soft areas. The saddle shape is sporty but not too narrow with plenty of support for the sit bones, a good choice for the performance level of the bike, but as always a saddle's comfort remains a very personal decision.

Wheels

The Bontrager Race wheelset certainly looks the part with the aero shaped double spoke pattern and black finish and neither did they disappoint on performance either. They are a lightweight and highly durable choice of wheelset with smooth rolling hubs and fitted with the folding Bontrager Race X Lite AC tyres with 25c width they were grippy in corners and fast on the tarmac. The slightly wider choice of tyre works with the ethos of the bike, again comfort being the important feature without infringing on performance or speed.

The ride

Being aimed at providing a comfortable ride for day long adventures in the saddle you'd be forgiven for thinking that would affect speed and performance.

OCLV Carbon Fork taking the STING!

But no, the Pilot 5.0 WSD is not a slow creature, in fact it's a lively and sporty bike that feels ready to go at every pedal stroke. The fact that the OCLV frame and fork take the sting out of the road means we wanted to ride it faster and for longer too.

It took us quite some time to get used to the narrow bars, feeling quite twitchy at first, but once we had them dialled our cornering was fast and fluid. The higher bar position gave us confidence in traffic and provided a good view of the road ahead. We found ourselves riding on the drops of the bars more than on more race-styled bikes and we appreciated the better scope of riding positions this allowed us. It is certainly worth spending some time working out the bar position, we tried several stem height and angle positions before the bike felt perfectly setup, a luxury often missed due to short or cut-down steerer tubes.

Fast Climbing

Climbing was not only comfortable but also fast, the bike feels responsive and quick to pick up speed when your increase pedal power. Descending was stable and fast thanks to the forgiving nature of the frame and fork smoothing out road buzz and harshness. We have to agree that it is possible to combine performance and comfort and confirm that the Pilot fits both those criteria with a great looking package too.

Specification