Is this a worthwhile deal?

[DismalScientist]

So, I decided to do light research on the history of the Trek 7000 series. (And the research is sufficiently light that it may turn out to be completely incorrect.)
Apparently Trek called their hybrid line 7000s with the hundreds digit indicating the level of components, the higher the better. (It probably started as the 700 series, including the 720, which was nothing like the high end touring bike of the early ’80s also called the 720.) Originally, the 7000s had non-suspended, chromoly forks. This is what my wife got. Later, they replaced the forks with suspended forks. Then they offered FX versions of the same numerical sequence that had non-suspended forks. So the 7200 had roughly the same component level as the 7200 FX and, later, the FX 7.2. Better bikes in the FX line get carbon forks and better other components. Two years ago, they no longer have the 7000 nomenclature, but the FXs remain. (Perhaps the Verve line took its place) Judging from another forum member’s Trek, it appears that they have taken a fair amount of weight out of the line over the years.

In Trek-speak, when I suggested a flat bar road bike, I think I am only suggesting the FX line. The internet bike I suggested is roughly equivalent to an FX 7.5 or 7.6. The price premium paid at an LBS for a bike with better components might be substantial. The internet deal seems to be a closeout on a two year old bike and that is why it is a good deal. As there is probably nothing wrong with buying a new, out of date bike, if you want to buy from a LBS, I would look for similar deals, although selection is likely to be very limited.

As far as a rack with a $60 MSRP, racks are always worth $20 to me because that is the price the Amazon sells them for. Installation is not rocket science.

[mstone]

@Crickey7 90095 wrote:

The Cannondale Bad Boy and Quick lines manage to marry front suspension, durability and light weight. I have 37,000 miles on my Bad Boy, and the fork has held up fine. For rear shock dampening, there are several durable, light and effective carbon seatposts on the market in the last couple of years.

Yeah, there are certainly decent suspensions, but they cost more. You may also have an unusually durable suspension because in general they are maintenance items (lube, bearings, seals, etc.) and can be one more thing to watch out for being trashed on a used bike. (Cannondale recommends service every

@cvcalhoun 90093 wrote:

The answer to how often I carry loads is essentially “always.” At a minimum, I have a rack and oversized panniers, because I never know when I’ll need to stop at the grocery store while I’m out. And I have my purse, and a U lock, and foul weather gear, and a reflective vest, and extra lights and batteries, and bike tools. And that’s before I add stuff particular to that trip, like scripts and costumes for rehearsals, food for when I’m rushing from place to place with no chance to stop in between, a briefcase with books and papers, changes of clothes so I can do a quick change out of sweaty bike clothes before a business meeting, etc. I don’t do purely recreational rides, and I’m not commuting to an office where I could shower or leave stuff, so I carry a small apartment with me wherever I go.

I’d suggest looking at some of the “urban” style bikes. Some are really, really heavy with limited gearing that you really don’t want if you have any hills. Others are lighter and have a wider gear range. Think about a fork that has the mounting brackets for a front basket–if you’re routinely carrying stuff it can be a lot easier to throw it up front than worry about strapping it down in the back. Definitely look for the ability to put in tires at least 35mm wide, and wider is probably better. Nice things to have are internal gearing and built in lights, but those don’t come up as often on the used market. (I’d guess the people who buy them tend to know what they want, whereas there’s an endless supply of hybrids from people who thought they were going to bike but never did.) You have the advantage of this not being your first bike, so you have some idea of what works for you already, but there are so many choices out there that it’s never easy to decide on a new bike.

[n18]

What complicates the issue of suspension is that there are “two” types of suspension, the soft, sometimes called the classic type, which compresses easily and designed for small bumps, and the hard type, which is designed for mountain biking. If you are using the soft type, and you jump from a ramp few feet high to the ground, you could hit the limit of the suspension easily, and you would feel a jolt, so these are not desirable for mountain biking. If you use the hard type on a road with small bumps, sidewalks, or gravel, it won’t offer much shock absorption because the suspension doesn’t move much, so it’s more like extra weight in this case. So the reviews that you read could be for either type, and the reviewers usually don’t mention how soft or hard the suspension is to begin with. My “cheap” $350 hybrid bike came with a suspension that is adjustable by a hex wrench, but I never bothered to adjust it. To see how hard or soft a suspension is, lean on the handlebar and press it down with most of your weight and see how far it moves.

I have read that others prefer no front suspension, and they rely on soft bar tape to do some shock absorption, which covers the entire handlebar area, so they have more ways to reduce hand fatigue, as they can place their hand on different areas on the handlebar. I have not tried a road bike, so I don’t know how it feels.

As for bike weight, it might matter if you want to put it on a bus, in case your bike breaks. Other than that, there is basically no difference in terms of weight between a 20 LBS bike loaded with 10 LBS of groceries, and a 30 LBS bike, except for one thing: rolling resistance. To understand rolling resistance, imagine rotating a car wheel by hand, then try the same thing with an 18-wheeler, would they be the same?

Two bikes could weigh the same, but one could have lower(lower is better) rolling resistance than the other. Having lower rolling resistance means you accelerate faster on flat and slightly downhill surface, it also makes climbing a bit easier. The way to reduce rolling resistance is by having lighter tires and tubes. Lighter tires sometimes means tires that can easily get punctured, but not always. Some tires have better reinforcement, so they offer more protection than even heavier tires, but they cost more. If you want better protection from flats, look for “bead-to-bead” protection. These have protection on the entire width of the tire, including the sidewalls. The 7300 comes with Bontrager H4 Hard-Case tires, which I can’t find more details about, but they seem to be decent tires. They might be too slick for riding on snow, but are more aerodynamic than knobby tires.

[cvcalhoun]

Thanks to everyone who responded on this! I still don’t understand why I’d want a road bike, but at least I understand why I’d want a bike without front fork suspension. Unfortunately, that goal will have to remain in the realm of “covet” for now, as the prices being asked even on Craigslist for the comparable model without front fork suspension (the Trek 7300 FX) were at least double what I ended up paying for the one I bought (a 2012 Trek 7300 WSD). Mine was well within what Bicycle Blue Book lists as market value; the FX ones listed on Craigslist have all been well above that.

I didn’t end up buying from the Craigslist seller, as he was out of the 19″ ones by the time I got there. But I did figure out that what he was selling was leftovers from Bike and Roll, and was able to buy one directly from them. And the price was less than what the Craigslist seller would have charged–$250 instead of $290, so it was less even after paying the tax on the one directly from Bike and Roll.

I’m not terribly fond of the saddle on the new one. However, when I get some time, I’ll switch it out for the saddle from my old bike. And once I have finished moving all the other accessories from my old bike to my new one (I’ve got most of them moved already, but a few will require help from my LBS), I’ll donate the old one to Phoenix Bikes. I actually checked them out as a place to buy a bike, but the day I went, they didn’t have a single woman’s bike, so I figure they could probably use the donation.

@cyclingfool 90005 wrote:

The claim that there’s a $60 retail Bontrager rack on it seems off; I think that value is probably overstated. Bontrager have one rack that costs $75; all others are less than $50. (source)

The rack on it may well be the $75 rack; it seems to be very lightweight. It wasn’t a major factor in my purchase, since I don’t know how much it helps to have a lightweight rack on a bike that is always going to be overloaded anyway. But given that the price for the bike including the rack was within what Bicycle Blue Book lists as market value for the bike alone, I figured that having the rack (and having it already installed) was just a bonus anyway.

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[mcfarton]

Nice ride very similar to what my father rides. It will look good with a set of fenders on it.

[cvcalhoun]

Already got the fenders, left over from the old bike. I just have to find time to get my LBS to move them, since the hardware is a bit rusted, and I don’t really have the right size tools for it.

@mcfarton 90655 wrote:

Nice ride very similar to what my father rides. It will look good with a set of fenders on it.

[Emm]

Congrats! I have the verve 2, which is nearly identical except a year later’s model. It’s a super comfy ride. You’ll never go very fast (it takes me the same level of effort to go 13mph on the verve as it does to go 20mph on the road bike), but for city riding, running errands and hauling groceries, its ideal.

[Author]

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