Trek FX – snow and ice?

[americancyclo]

are the wheels both 700c?
are the brake systems the same?
how many gears on the cassette?

those are things you’ll have to consider before getting in to whether or not the tire clearance is available. Probably best to ask the folks at the bike shop!

[ian74]

@cvcalhoun 142791 wrote:

My LBS is telling me my Trek 7300 is probably not long for this world. I definitely don’t want a road bike, because I like the upright position, flat handlebars, lack of being a target for thieves, and being sturdy enough to need repairs only rarely that come with a hybrid. However, I’ve been told that a Trek FX might be a reasonable upgrade in terms of having advantages that I like, while still being more efficient to pedal.

My question is which FX? The higher end ones seem to be lighter. But in part, that comes from narrower tires. And I’m concerned about whether narrower tires will have sufficient traction on snow and ice. So, a couple of questions:

1. Can you put wider tires, or studs, on a higher end FX if you want to?
2. Do the wheels from a 7300 fit on an FX? If so, I might be able to keep the wheels from the 7300 and put studs on them. That way, I could keep the bike lighter on normal days, but quickly change to studs on a snowy day. (I really don’t want to start the day by changing the tires, but wheels seem a bit easier.)

I can help a little, I have a 2009 7.5 FX, I don’t think the bike has really changed that much since then. It came with 32mm tires. I put knobby wider tires on it for the winter and it currently has 35mm on it. If I’m not mistaken, the clearance is pretty tight with the 35. I do not have fenders mounted on it either. It worked OK in light snow as I rode it a bit last winter during Freezing Saddles. It’s a good bike. Also note, the company 45nrth makes studded winter tires that are 30mm! http://45nrth.com/products/tires/xerxes

Looking at the specs of the current models, it would seem once you get to the 7.5FX the groupsets become more like a road bike, they have compact front cranks (2 rings) and Tiagra level components which are really nice. The 7.4 and 7.3 have triple front chain rings so you get more gears. The 7.4 has a carbon fork, and the 7.3 does not. For me, the 7.4 is the sweet spot, it’s got a triple up front, decent derailleurs (deore on the rear), and the price is not bad. There is a big price jump to the 7.5 and I don’t know if it’s worth it. There used to be a 7.4 disc brake model, but it appears that it is no longer available.

It’s hard to find info for tire clearances on these bikes, I had the same problem last winter.

Looking at the Trek website, there are so many other models that might work for you too, there is the DS series, which has a front suspension fork if that’s something you are used to, there are the Allant series with disc brakes, the Allant 7.4 has very similar specs to the 7.4 FX with the exception of having hydraulic disc brakes. But then again it comes with 32 mm tires. The District series, such as this one which I think looks pretty damn sweet. http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/bikes/city-bikes/urban-commuter-bikes/district/chelsea-9-womens/p/1362001-2016.

OMG, there’s too many options, and this is just Trek! Giant, Specialized, Cannondale, Bianchi, Felt etc all offer similar things. If you are wedded to Treks then you have so many options. Do you have a budget in mind? Any other desires aside from wider tire clearances?

[Judd]

What’s wrong with your Trek 7300 that the LBS is declaring it near death? In my mind as long as the frame is good and you like it, everything else is replaceable.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[cvcalhoun]

@Judd 142800 wrote:

What’s wrong with your Trek 7300 that the LBS is declaring it near death? In my mind as long as the frame is good and you like it, everything else is replaceable.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Just a lot of little things. And when we’re talking about a bike for which I originally paid $250, the question is how many repairs are worthwhile to avoid buying a new one.

[huskerdont]

@cvcalhoun 142810 wrote:

Just a lot of little things. And when we’re talking about a bike for which I originally paid $250, the question is how many repairs are worthwhile to avoid buying a new one.

You could take bike to Hozn and turn it into a $2,000 bike in no time.

http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?10332-Your-latest-bike-project

[cvcalhoun]

@ian74 142798 wrote:

I can help a little, I have a 2009 7.5 FX, I don’t think the bike has really changed that much since then. It came with 32mm tires. I put knobby wider tires on it for the winter and it currently has 35mm on it. If I’m not mistaken, the clearance is pretty tight with the 35. I do not have fenders mounted on it either. It worked OK in light snow as I rode it a bit last winter during Freezing Saddles. It’s a good bike. Also note, the company 45nrth makes studded winter tires that are 30mm! http://45nrth.com/products/tires/xerxes

Looking at the specs of the current models, it would seem once you get to the 7.5FX the groupsets become more like a road bike, they have compact front cranks (2 rings) and Tiagra level components which are really nice. The 7.4 and 7.3 have triple front chain rings so you get more gears. The 7.4 has a carbon fork, and the 7.3 does not. For me, the 7.4 is the sweet spot, it’s got a triple up front, decent derailleurs (deore on the rear), and the price is not bad. There is a big price jump to the 7.5 and I don’t know if it’s worth it. There used to be a 7.4 disc brake model, but it appears that it is no longer available.

It’s hard to find info for tire clearances on these bikes, I had the same problem last winter.

Looking at the Trek website, there are so many other models that might work for you too, there is the DS series, which has a front suspension fork if that’s something you are used to, there are the Allant series with disc brakes, the Allant 7.4 has very similar specs to the 7.4 FX with the exception of having hydraulic disc brakes. But then again it comes with 32 mm tires. The District series, such as this one which I think looks pretty damn sweet. http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/bikes/city-bikes/urban-commuter-bikes/district/chelsea-9-womens/p/1362001-2016.

OMG, there’s too many options, and this is just Trek! Giant, Specialized, Cannondale, Bianchi, Felt etc all offer similar things. If you are wedded to Treks then you have so many options. Do you have a budget in mind? Any other desires aside from wider tire clearances?

In terms of budget, I know that if I wait until November, I can get a year-old Trek 7.3 FX from Bike and Roll for probably half the MSRP of a new one. On the other hand, I may be regularly commuting 25 miles or so all winter. Thus, if there is something that would make that noticeably easier, I’m willing to go up a lot on the budget. The real limit is not so much dollars as not wanting to have a bike that’s an obvious target for theft in downtown DC. And the question is whether any of the higher end models has advantages for me that outweigh the extra cost.

And you’re right, part of the attraction of the Treks is that I’ve been riding first a 7200 and then a 7300 for over 10 years, so I am used to them and know the geometry works for me. The attraction of the FX is primarily that I’ve been told that the absence of the front fork suspension makes it a lot more efficient–that a lot of my energy now goes into up and down movement instead of forward movement.

But I also know that there is a limit as to how efficient any bike I own is going to be. I use it as a workhorse. I ride it in all weather, and definitely need fenders and Bar Mitts. I carry heavy panniers so I can stow a change of clothes, bike repair stuff, a U-lock, and a purse in there while still being able to stop on the way home for spontaneous grocery shopping and the like. I sometimes attach a trailer so I can haul my grandchildren around, or just so I can carry even more stuff than the panniers will allow. I regularly put it in a bike cage with a bunch of other bikes and a wheelbender rack, so it’s got to be able to take a lot of getting banged around. My reflexes are slow enough that I prefer an upright position in which I can see as far ahead as possible, plus my wrists can’t take any position in which I’m supporting much of my weight on them.

And if the FX will work for me, I’m not inclined to spend a lot of time finding another brand or model that might be just a little better.

[cvcalhoun]

@huskerdont 142811 wrote:

You could take bike to Hozn and turn it into a $2,000 bike in no time.

http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?10332-Your-latest-bike-project

Umm, yeah. Leaving aside the cost, do I really want to be regularly leaving a $2,000 bike in downtown DC?

[huskerdont]

@cvcalhoun 142814 wrote:

Umm, yeah. Leaving aside the cost, do I really want to be regularly leaving a $2,000 bike in downtown DC?

Perhaps not–was kinda joking (and hijacking the thread). Sounds like the Trek is for you, and a new bike is always a nice thing to have. Don’t know how much space you have, but you could perhaps keep this one as a beater and still get a new one. Ride this one in lousy weather and the n+1 when the weather is nice. The bonus would be the new one would stay new longer. (I have a bike a few years old and with 3000 miles on it that has never been in the rain; looks brand new.)

[cvcalhoun]

@huskerdont 142816 wrote:

Perhaps not–was kinda joking (and hijacking the thread). Sounds like the Trek is for you, and a new bike is always a nice thing to have. Don’t know how much space you have, but you could perhaps keep this one as a beater and still get a new one. Ride this one in lousy weather and the n+1 when the weather is nice. The bonus would be the new one would stay new longer. (I have a bike a few years old and with 3000 miles on it that has never been in the rain; looks brand new.)

Yeah, the issue for me is that I don’t really have storage space for more than one bike. And while I realize the prevailing view is that I should have N+1 bikes, even if that involves buying a new house to store them, my priorities are a bit different.

[ginacico]

@cvcalhoun 142810 wrote:

Just a lot of little things. And when we’re talking about a bike for which I originally paid $250, the question is how many repairs are worthwhile to avoid buying a new one.

That is precisely the question. For $250 you can do a fair amount of routine maintenance stuff to keep the existing bike rolling. Before you go hunting for a replacement, I’d at least find out what “little things” bring it back to acceptable working order.

It’s in no way a personal judgment, just a passionate peculiarity of mine that dislikes when things get tossed aside because it’s inconvenient to maintain them. As Judd mentioned if the frame is still in good shape, there’s nothing else that can’t be fixed. Go with the same level of components that you’ve got now, and it’s like you’ve doubled its lifespan. If your LBS seems unwilling to give it the effort (or are they hoping you’ll buy a new, more expensive bike?), maybe someone can recommend a mechanic who likes to tinker so you can get a real estimate for the overhaul.

Just not sure it makes sense to go replacing it with a new or somewhat used version of exactly the same bike. I just upgraded the drive train on a 15-year-old road bike that might have cost more than the original (NEVER add up the receipts!), but I still love and ride it. Bought the parts on eBay and Spokes was happy to assemble it for me.

(My “reduce, reuse, recycle” mentality also keeps me maintaining two cars I rarely drive — one had an engine block replacement $$$, and the other got a new hybrid battery pack $$ — because they’re paid for and I still find them useful. It eases my environmental conscience but doesn’t necessarily make economic sense.)

Whatever you decide, good luck — the bike sounds like a real trooper!

[huskerdont]

@ginacico 142828 wrote:

That is precisely the question. For $250 you can do a fair amount of routine maintenance stuff to keep the existing bike rolling. Before you go hunting for a replacement, I’d at least find out what “little things” bring it back to acceptable working order.

It’s in no way a personal judgment, just a passionate peculiarity of mine that dislikes when things get tossed aside because it’s inconvenient to maintain them. As Judd mentioned if the frame is still in good shape, there’s nothing else that can’t be fixed. Go with the same level of components that you’ve got now, and it’s like you’ve doubled its lifespan. If your LBS seems unwilling to give it the effort (or are they hoping you’ll buy a new, more expensive bike?), maybe someone can recommend a mechanic who likes to tinker so you can get a real estimate for the overhaul.

Just not sure it makes sense to go replacing it with a new or somewhat used version of exactly the same bike. I just upgraded the drive train on a 15-year-old road bike that might have cost more than the original (NEVER add up the receipts!), but I still love and ride it. Bought the parts on eBay and Spokes was happy to assemble it for me.

(My “reduce, reuse, recycle” mentality also keeps me maintaining two cars I rarely drive — one had an engine block replacement $$$, and the other got a new hybrid battery pack $$ — because they’re paid for and I still find them useful. It eases my environmental conscience but doesn’t necessarily make economic sense.)

Whatever you decide, good luck — the bike sounds like a real trooper!

I like this mentality. Even when I broke my Felt frame, I just bought an $80 Nashbar frame and moved all the parts over. Is it the same bike? I dunno, but it makes me happy. However, it’s not a mindset that is for everyone. It’s too bad the poster doesn’t have room for two bikes. Having more than one bike is great because you don’t worry so much if one breaks down; you just ride the other until it’s fixed.

[TwoWheelsDC]

One thing to consider is that swapping wheels on a rim-brake bike (as in, swapping snow tires in and out) can be tricky unless you either get the same exact wheelset, or one that is exactly the same size and trued the same, because the calipers may not line up the same on whatever rim you’re swapping in. Discs offer a bit more flexibility in this regard, but they’re not necessarily going to swap in and out perfectly either.

[Crickey7]

I’m pretty sure I spent more in the last 12 months rehabilitating the Bad Boy, with roughly 40k miles on it, that I would have spent on buying a relatively decent closeout model, and that’s with me doing most of the work. If you’re paying a shop to replace major components while leaving others on it with a fairly limited life expectancy, it really is more sensible sometimes to bite the bullet and get a newer bike.

[ginacico]

@huskerdont 142829 wrote:

Having more than one bike is great because you don’t worry so much if one breaks down; you just ride the other until it’s fixed.

That is exactly how I wound up with two cars. (The engine block incident was particularly traumatic, but in retrospect I have no regrets.)

I’ve also got (only?) two bikes. I just keep modifying them to make me happy.

Not sure I could define what makes some old bikes “vintage” and others junk, when parts are almost infinitely replaceable.

[Judd]

@huskerdont 142829 wrote:

I like this mentality. Even when I broke my Felt frame, I just bought an $80 Nashbar frame and moved all the parts over. Is it the same bike? I dunno, but it makes me happy. However, it’s not a mindset that is for everyone. It’s too bad the poster doesn’t have room for two bikes. Having more than one bike is great because you don’t worry so much if one breaks down; you just ride the other until it’s fixed.

This exactly why I have four bikes. Just in case three of them experience mechanical issues on the same day.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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