Thoughts on Trek FX bikes?

[Crickey7]

It looks pretty solid to me, though I personally would never buy a commuter without disc brakes.

For the same price, you can have that,too.
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/multi-use/sirrus/sirrus-sport-disc

[vvill]

Agreed ^

I think flat-bar hybrid/road bikes are great commuters though. My first 700c bike was a flat-bar road bike with fender + rack mounts, and I still enjoy riding it.

If you’re set on buying new from Rev I would consider Raleigh/Felt models too. Looks like Trek has a 7.2 Disc but no 7.3 Disc. I am always a bit surprised what the a big brand like Trek charges for hybrid bikes with steel or alu forks and entry level components though! I think Raleigh is a bit better value wise (the Cadent range looks about equivalent?)

[Jason B]

@Emm 109801 wrote:

I also own a road bike for long distance riding and commuting on days the weather is nice, so I don’t need a second one of those.

Blasphemy!

[Emm]

@vvill 109814 wrote:

Agreed ^

I think flat-bar hybrid/road bikes are great commuters though. My first 700c bike was a flat-bar road bike with fender + rack mounts, and I still enjoy riding it.

If you’re set on buying new from Rev I would consider Raleigh/Felt models too. Looks like Trek has a 7.2 Disc but no 7.3 Disc. I am always a bit surprised what the a big brand like Trek charges for hybrid bikes with steel or alu forks and entry level components though! I think Raleigh is a bit better value wise (the Cadent range looks about equivalent?)

Thanks! I will check those brands out too. I think Revolution just doesn’t carry as many options for those brands, although I did see the Raleigh Cadent i2x8 is on sale, for /almost/ my size (I think I’m a 52 and they have a 54…which might work). I don’t /have/ to buy from Revolution though. It’s just so far they’ve had the best service plan I’ve seen, which is important for me when buying a bike I plan to abuse.

[Emm]

@Crickey7 109806 wrote:

It looks pretty solid to me, though I personally would never buy a commuter without disc brakes.

For the same price, you can have that,too.
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/multi-use/sirrus/sirrus-sport-disc

I agree, it looks like a really good bike. I can’t find that bike at any of the Alexandria/Arlington shops that carry Specialized, but I reached out to Bicycle Pro shop to check since they don’t list their stock online. Hopefully they do.

[Anonymous]

I have a FX 7.5 purchased new in, I think, 2008. It’s been pretty reliable. I have no particular complaints about it. I took it for rides up to 30-40 miles prior to getting my first road bike, at which point it mostly got delegated to errand-running and grocery-getting, which it does just a perfectly fine job of.

Also, it’s never had a flat. I am not sure that is a feature of all FXs, but it’s been a pretty nice feature of mine.

[Raymo853]

There are disc versions of the FX series that look good to me. The 7.4 Disc that is about $220 more than the 7.2 Disc than is $70 less. For commuting where you may leave the bike outside locked up, I suggest the cheaper one.

[vvill]

@Emm 109817 wrote:

Thanks! I will check those brands out too. I think Revolution just doesn’t carry as many options for those brands, although I did see the Raleigh Cadent i2x8 is on sale, for /almost/ my size (I think I’m a 52 and they have a 54…which might work). I don’t /have/ to buy from Revolution though. It’s just so far they’ve had the best service plan I’ve seen, which is important for me when buying a bike I plan to abuse.

Yeah I guess if they don’t have a model on the floor you wouldn’t be able to test ride.

Bikenetic (not that close to you, I think?) and Performance Bike both offer lifetime free basic service on new bike purchases (derailleur, brake adjustments and I think basic wheel truing). I think Performance has pretty good value options for a commuter/hybrid with some of the less boutique mass market brands (Diamondback, GT, Fuji, etc.). Not quite as nice as a chain/cassette replacement service though!

[ebubar]

I ride my trek 7.2 FX hybrid as a winter/rain bike. I have put on a rack and fender and it works good enough. I can’t say I noticed a big difference between the 7.2 and 7.3 when I test rode. I might go for the cheapest possible bike that’s still serviceable if it’s a bad weather/lockup at metro bike like mine.

I notice that the bike isn’t nearly as comfortable as my road bike though. For short rides its fine, but I’m pretty exhausted after a couple days of my 25-30 mile roundtrip commute. That never happens on my road bike.

[PeteD]

@Emm 109818 wrote:

I agree, it looks like a really good bike. I can’t find that bike at any of the Alexandria/Arlington shops that carry Specialized, but I reached out to Bicycle Pro shop to check since they don’t list their stock online. Hopefully they do.

Spokes Etc. should have the Sirrus in stock, just not sure at which shop.

–Pete

[Emm]

So I ended up going above my budget and skipping the FX line and treks altogether. I got the Raleigh Cadent i11. It was on sale for $999 from $1750 at Revolution. It’s got disc brakes, and an 11 speed internally geared hub. I went to Spokes and tried the Specialized Vita (women’s version of the Sirrus), and wasn’t hugely impressed. None of the stores around here carried it with disc brakes, but they could order it at least. After trying it I felt like the FX was a better bike overall, but the Vita had the option for disc brakes…so I was a little stuck. I also tried a few other Treks, but they were all over $1,000.

The last commuter bike I bought was not a great bike for my needs, so I’m really hoping the Cadent works out better. I test rode it a bunch though (I was nervous about how the IGH would work on hills) and was happy. It has solid tires, I liked the disc brakes, and the bike has a clean look to it. It’s seemed to be a little heavier than the Specialized Vita or Trek FXs due to the IGH, but not hugely so.

The only thing I am NOT looking forward to is getting a flat on the back wheel of the Cadent since with the IGH, it won’t be easy to remove. I’m ordering a new bike tool on amazon now that has the right tools for this since my mini-tool does not.

[Harry Meatmotor]

@Emm 110579 wrote:

So I ended up going above my budget and skipping the FX line and treks altogether. I got the Raleigh Cadent i11. It was on sale for $999 from $1750 at Revolution. It’s got disc brakes, and an 11 speed internally geared hub. I went to Spokes and tried the Specialized Vita (women’s version of the Sirrus), and wasn’t hugely impressed. None of the stores around here carried it with disc brakes, but they could order it at least. After trying it I felt like the FX was a better bike overall, but the Vita had the option for disc brakes…so I was a little stuck. I also tried a few other Treks, but they were all over $1,000.

The last commuter bike I bought was not a great bike for my needs, so I’m really hoping the Cadent works out better. I test rode it a bunch though (I was nervous about how the IGH would work on hills) and was happy. It has solid tires, I liked the disc brakes, and the bike has a clean look to it. It’s seemed to be a little heavier than the Specialized Vita or Trek FXs due to the IGH, but not hugely so.

The only thing I am NOT looking forward to is getting a flat on the back wheel of the Cadent since with the IGH, it won’t be easy to remove. I’m ordering a new bike tool on amazon now that has the right tools for this since my mini-tool does not.

Awesome choice! that’s a great deal on that bike. You’re also right about the IGH – I’d suggest you might try practicing rear wheel removal quite a few times to get the hang of unattaching and reattaching the shifter cable. That’s by far the most difficult part (even I find them a bit tedious, and I’ve been wrenching on bikes for 20 years now!). Another smart option is to carry a can of Green Slime or similar (the type that has a built in C02 charge) just to get you home, should you get a flat. Then, once you get home or to a shop, properly replace the Slimed innertube. One other thing I’d recommend is to carry an actual 15mm box-end wrench to loosen/tighten the axle nuts. Any multi-tool small enough to fit in a saddle bag is probably not going to give you enough leverage to loosen/tighten the axle nuts. Surly makes the Jethro Tool that could work in a pinch, but is still a little too short, IMHO.

[Crickey7]

Looks awesome. Should be lots of fun and relatively maintenance free.

[dasgeh]

@Harry Meatmotor 110586 wrote:

Awesome choice! that’s a great deal on that bike. You’re also right about the IGH – I’d suggest you might try practicing rear wheel removal quite a few times to get the hang of unattaching and reattaching the shifter cable. That’s by far the most difficult part (even I find them a bit tedious, and I’ve been wrenching on bikes for 20 years now!). Another smart option is to carry a can of Green Slime or similar (the type that has a built in C02 charge) just to get you home, should you get a flat. Then, once you get home or to a shop, properly replace the Slimed innertube. One other thing I’d recommend is to carry an actual 15mm box-end wrench to loosen/tighten the axle nuts. Any multi-tool small enough to fit in a saddle bag is probably not going to give you enough leverage to loosen/tighten the axle nuts. Surly makes the Jethro Tool that could work in a pinch, but is still a little too short, IMHO.

Also, I’d invest in great tires – not now, necessarily, but after you get a flat. There are some that will take crazy amounts of abuse, to the point where flats just won’t happen (think <1/year). And remember you can take your bike on a bus, so with a bit of figuring out where the closest bus stops are to your route, you can starting relying on a bus ride home/to the bike shop in the rare chance you get a flat, instead of fixing yourself on the side of the trail.

[Emm]

@Harry Meatmotor 110586 wrote:

Awesome choice! that’s a great deal on that bike. You’re also right about the IGH – I’d suggest you might try practicing rear wheel removal quite a few times to get the hang of unattaching and reattaching the shifter cable. That’s by far the most difficult part (even I find them a bit tedious, and I’ve been wrenching on bikes for 20 years now!). Another smart option is to carry a can of Green Slime or similar (the type that has a built in C02 charge) just to get you home, should you get a flat. Then, once you get home or to a shop, properly replace the Slimed innertube. One other thing I’d recommend is to carry an actual 15mm box-end wrench to loosen/tighten the axle nuts. Any multi-tool small enough to fit in a saddle bag is probably not going to give you enough leverage to loosen/tighten the axle nuts. Surly makes the Jethro Tool that could work in a pinch, but is still a little too short, IMHO.

Very good ideas–thank you! I ordered a 15mm box end wrench off amazon, so I should be able to toss that in my pannier bag. I’ll also practice removing the tire a few times this weekend. I’ll look into the slime stuff. It appears it’s not compatible with presta valves without some serious work though, so not sure how it would work in an emergency.

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