Recreational & Family - New bike TREK FX ?

Hello,

I'm 35 years old, in good health (swimming regularly) and have practised a lot road bike (old and heavy) when i was young (school, friends, etc.).

Now that I'm living away from big towns and would like to go back riding on roads most of the time for short trips (less than 30 miles) and eventually on dirt roads (little gravel).

I visited my local dealer last week and saw a trek 7.3FX which is awsome and in my price range. The riding position fits me well and the tires are thinner than other hybrid (more like roadies).
I still have questions about the trek line and Giant FCR (sold by my dealer but not available at the moment) :
- As a novice, do i gonna feel big improvements if I strech my budget to the 7.5FX ?
- The 7.5 has Shimano Tiagra components that are generally used on road bikes and the 7.3 has Deore used on MTB. What are the main differences in terms of durability, performance, etc. ?
- The Giant FCR line looks fine, perhaps more like a real Road bike. Do you think they are a good alternative to the Trek FX ? The FCR3 has Sora rear derailleur and the FCR2 has Tiagra. I'm a little confused about names and references in Shimano's line. Is it better to have Deore or Sora ? (i'm really a novice...)
- To finish, the Giant FCR has bar ends which seems to be helpfull is you need a more agressive position (wind, speed, ) Is it easy to add these bar ends to the Trek 7.3 or 7.5 ?

Thank you for advices !!!

Going to the 7.5 FX will get you mechanical disc brakes assuming the 7.5 FX is the disc version, if it is not the disc version you will get a nicer wheelset on the 7.5. I like discs in the rain and snow, but could care less otherwise, this is a topic of much debate. If you are a fair weather rider you may prefer rim brakes as discs are heavier and can get quite noisy when they get any grit on the pads or rotors. I think a good wheelset makes or breaks a bike but I prefer to ride the cheap wheels until they die and then buy good handbuilt wheels as replacements.
That said, it is unlikely to make much difference to you.

Deore and Tiagra components are comparable (assuming this is base level Deore, I think Deore LX and XT are better then Tiagra), Sora components probably compare to Alivio in the mountain bike ranges, Deore would be preferable but either will work. One of the primary differences with the mountain components is the maximum cog size for the rear. Mountain bike rear derailleurs generally shift up to a 34 tooth cog where I think most road ones are up to 27. Quite a few hybrid bikes have a 32 or 34 largest cog on the cassette hence the mountain components. The performance and durability is likely to be similar.

The Giant and Trek look to be fairly comparable, I have owned both a Giant and a Trek over the years (not these models) and there was nothing to choose between them.

Bar ends are a simple add on, they are about $10.00 for run of the mill ones.

In the end it really matters most that you are comfortable riding the thing so you need to try them out.

Good reply Andymac. I have the 7.5 (no disc) and really enjoy the ride. Very light , fast enough , and very responsive. Haven't ridden the Giant so I have no opinion. I primarily ride pavement so the thinner tires are a real advantage and roll well. Bar ends cost me $16 bucks and fit no prob. I did opt for a 2" rise handlebar and think that was a good choice for me.

If you are going to be doing a lot of dirt and/or gravel, i strongly encourage fat tires(mountain bike). Skinny tires suck on said roads.

I have a 2003 7500fx, the forerunner to the 7.5fx. Great bike. 700x35 do okay as long as you aren't racing on gravel or into moutain biking. The deore's work fine for me too. Never missed a shift yet.

Mine has a steel fork. I would pick the 7.5fx to get the carbon fork instead of the alloy on the 7.3fx. Way less road buzz!
You also get 9 speed vs 8 speed.

I was making the same decision last year, I wound up with the Trek 7.5 FX.
The Giant based more on a road bike frame, the Trek on a MTB/hybrid frame. Component wise they are pretty equal by price point.
The reason I got the Trek was availablilty, even thought it was hard to find the Trek.
The things I would change on the 7.5 are the tires, when it is time to replace then I'll get a set of 28's instead of the 32's. The #2's are ok on unpaved surfaces, but a bit unresponsive on the road, and I ride this bike on the road 99.9% of the time. It also should have a 50 tooth big ring(front gears), the 48 is just not enough. It also needs a carbon fork to take some of the road buzz out of the bars, but the 700x32 tires help with that, and to save a few ounces. Thy changed to a carbon fork for the 2007 model.
You will notice a difference in ride between the 7.3 and the 7.5

Thank you for your kind replies.

I think I will ride my bike most of the time on roads. A set of 28's tires are an interesting option, bar ends and 50 tooth big ring for the front gears too. All theses parts are included in the Giant FCR2 package.
But the Trek FX looks so nice.....!

It's hard to decide !

the new model 7.5 comes with 28 tires .At least mine did in march , brontrager race lite hard case.

Finnaly, i've bought a TREK 7.5FX with bar ends !!

Good Job!!. Now get ta ridin!!!

If you are going to be doing a lot of dirt and/or gravel, i strongly encourage fat tires(mountain bike). Skinny tires suck on said roads.

My wife's 7.5FX came with 700 x 32c tires and they do quite well on the dirt roads of LA(Lower Alabama). On the same roads I've ridden my cyclocross with 32c tires and my mtb. with 2" tires. No real difference.

The FX and the FCR are good bikes; get the one you like the best.