Commuting - Upgrading wheels on Trek 7300fx

Hi all, some advice needed. I purchased a Trek 7300fx several months ago for commuting and bombing round town. Fantastic bikel but I've been recently thinking of some upgardes to improve ride quality and for general bling factor. So far I've done the following:

Carbon bar ends
Trek wireless CPU
Bontrager race stem
Bontrager race lux saddle
Toe clips

My next ambition is to upgarde the wheel set to the Bontrager Selects found on the 7500fx and 7700fx. I have three questions:

a) How big a difference will this wheel set make to the stiffness and speed of my rides?
b) Can these rims take 700x35 commuter tires? Someone said the rims would only accomodate up to 28's. Can anyone confirm this?
c) Does anyone know the cheapest mail order site I can pick them up?

Any other upgarde suggestions appreciated. But before anyone suggests it, no, I don't want a road bike :)

Many thanks in advance.

My dad rides the same bike (I helped him pick it out after much research) so I'm curious as to why you want to upgrade certain items. Bar ends, that's fine if you want some and like carbon (I do too). I don't see the CPU as an upgrade so it doesn't count, and I couldn't imagine riding without one. The stem is an item I really question. If you only want it for just the looks, then that's fine. If you expect to feel any difference from adding it then I suggest not getting it. If your current saddle doesn't suit you, then trying some other out to find what you like is a good idea. Toe clips are something your LBS might just give you (they gave my dad a set). He used them for a while but has since started using a Performance house brand clipless pedal that I also use for commuting. Very few people prefer toe clips over clipless in my experience.

Now for the wheels. I hate to disappoint you but while saving weight on the bike can make you faster, for the average person it's not going to make a meaningful difference. Unless you've mangled your current wheels, you're probably better off saving your money for when you actualy need something for your bike. To put it in perspective, I have a 24 lb. and an 18 lb. road bike. Over a course I've ridden many times, the difference between my two best average speeds is 0.3 mph. The price difference between the bikes was substantial. If the wheels will make you enjoy the bike more and you can justify the cost, then there's no good reason why not to get them. I can't help for an online site to buy Bontrager products but Ebay would be a good place to look or, if you don't mind straying from Bontrager, there are plenty of online bike stores with wheels that will work on your bike. Just look for ones designed to take wider tires (usually marked as ATB or touring wheels).

I found I wasn't taking my 7100 off road and killed the rear stock wheel. I got a set of road wheels from Sheldon Brown's site that I've been very happy with.

The Selects will take a pretty wide tire as the 7700FX has those very wheels and comes with 700x35c on it. I'm pretty sure it would even take up to a 38 without issue. Whoever told you they'll only take a 28 is incorrect for sure. Also, the 7500FX without disc brakes comes with that wheelset... the disc-version uses the WTB SpeedDisc wheelset. :) As a side note, the Dual Duty wheelset that comes with your bike weighs 2030g and the Bontragers weigh 1890. That saves you about 140g. Not a WHOLE lot of weight savings there. Granted, the Bontragers are nicer looking but not all that much lighter. According to the Bontrager site, they retail at $199 so they're not terribly expensive. Might as well just have your LBS order a set for you.

Don't worry about your wheels, get a set of decent clipless pedals and shoes. You'll get better bang for you pound that way.

Has anyone done the swap or know if you can use the same rims from the 7.6fx or 7.7fx models which are "9 speed" on the 7.3fx which is "8 speed". Is it a simple swap or do you have to change the cassette or something? I have no idea.

If a freehub on a wheel currently has a 8, 9, or 10 speed cassette (assuming Shimano and non-Dura Ace), it can take any 8, 9, or 10 speed cassette (same caveats apply). Cassettes do not come with the wheel so if you got a new set of wheels, you'd either need a new cassette or move your old one to the new wheels (simple job but requires special tools although these are cheap too).

The simple answer to your question is that yes, you can use the wheels from the 7.6FX or 7.7FX. You cannot use a 9 speed cassette on your 8 speed bike though (your shifters are not indexed properly).

I have the 7200 fx. Can these go down to 23s? Anybody know?

bump.....anyone know if the 7200fx can take a 700x23 tire? What is the smallest size that can be used on the factory rims?

I have the Bontrager selects on my bike--I use 35's all the time and even mount 42's for off-road. I was told that wider tires aren't usually a problem, it's too narrow a tire that causes problems.

bump.....anyone know if the 7200fx can take a 700x23 tire? What is the smallest size that can be used on the factory rims?

I can't remember what the inside rim width was on those wheels so you'll have to measure that one for yourself. After you find that out, go to http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html#width and see if 23's are recommended for your rim width. Probably not though so 25's may be your best bet.

At 23 & 100-110 psi bike does feel a bit stiff, to me 25 are a good compromise on my 7200FX:

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/3150/7200fxnj5.th.jpg (http://img134.imageshack.us/my.php?image=7200fxnj5.jpg)


Additionally I upgraded stem, saddle, saddle post, a light weight flat bar & clipless. As I await for parts for my other 2 broken bikes (BB, Front derr. & rear wheel) I am sort of forced to ride this one, but not complaining here. It is a fun ride so far no problems with the wheels, I wish I could say the same about my cross bike's far more expensive 105/mavic wheelset (stock) which my LBS wants to rebuild because of 1 broken spoke.:(

I really don't think the new wheels will do much, however you should definately put some thinner, slicker tires on there, if you haven't already done so, which is just what I did for my wife's bike. I chose 700x28 Continental Ultra Gatorskin tires since they are renowned for being long lasting and flat resistant. They have suited her well.


I have the 7200 fx. Can these go down to 23s? Anybody know?

Since I put 28s on the WTB Dual Duty rims, I can attest to 28, which is as low as I would go.