Yesterday I probably made the best purchase of my life. I got a Trek 7.2FX, and to celebrate I took it out on an 8 mile ride (my longest yet) and 3 of those miles were my time trial for Jumbo's challenge. I'm really starting to come into my own! Anyways, here's a picture:

http://iampix.bmezine.com/y/n/cbv53m/vc33981k.jpg

After my ride, I noticed some wrist pain however, so I'm getting bar ends put on it Monday. Other than that, this bike is great and makes riding so much easier and faster. :)

Yesterday I probably made the best purchase of my life. I got a Trek 7.2FX, and to celebrate I took it out on an 8 mile ride (my longest yet) and 3 of those miles were my time trial for Jumbo's challenge. I'm really starting to come into my own! Anyways, here's a picture:

http://iampix.bmezine.com/y/n/cbv53m/vc33981k.jpg

After my ride, I noticed some wrist pain however, so I'm getting bar ends put on it Monday. Other than that, this bike is great and makes riding so much easier and faster. :)
http://img215.echo.cx/img215/5241/bouncingsmilie33nk5wp.gifhttp://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_1_75.gif

Outstanding! Nice rode, Bro! Great job on the 8 miles too! http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/8399/thumbsup4kk.gif
http://www.comicguide.net/images/smilies/rad2.gif

Sweet ride! I think you will have a blast on it.

All these new bikes are making me want to get a new one...and I just got one. Congrats on the new steed.

What are you going to name her, Joe?;)

All good bikes deserve a name!:D

Hmm.. I hadn't thought about naming her... Right now I'm thinking Catherine.

Congrats on the new ride. Theres nothing like getting that new ride. Enjoy it and great job on the 8 mile ride.

Very nice looking bike. I am considering Trek so its good to hear positive reports. And I also have some wrist problems. Question: What are bar ends that you referenced? Are they the normal solution to people with wrist pains? Or would front shocks be the answer?

I have no idea if they are the normal solution, but the LBS and I decided that I'm having them because my arms are almost always extended so the road bumps get absorbed by my wrists. The bar ends will allow a different hand position and it also allows me to bend my elbows, so not as much strain is being put on my wrist.

I found this picture on Google:

http://gianni.bianchiusa.com/2003/site/bikes/images/bikes/26_Strada.jpg

The bar ends are the little things on the end of the handlebars that make it look like bull's horns.

Front shocks would probably help a lot, but I wanted to stay away from them because I know that on my old bike with front shocks, a lot of energy was being wasted compressing the shocks.

Yesterday I probably made the best purchase of my life. I got a Trek 7.2FX, and to celebrate I took it out on an 8 mile ride (my longest yet) and 3 of those miles were my time trial for Jumbo's challenge. I'm really starting to come into my own! Anyways, here's a picture:

http://iampix.bmezine.com/y/n/cbv53m/vc33981k.jpg

After my ride, I noticed some wrist pain however, so I'm getting bar ends put on it Monday. Other than that, this bike is great and makes riding so much easier and faster. :)

Very nice bike. As far as the wrist pains, the bar ends will help, but if you are still having them after a couple of weeks, you might look into a new stem that will move the handle bars up just a little. I did that on mine and it made a world of difference and made it a much easier transition to a more aggressive bar position.

That is the same thing my LBS said. We are going to try bar ends and if that doesn't completely fix the problem, then we're going to start messing with the stem.

"Front shocks would probably help a lot, but I wanted to stay away from them because I know that on my old bike with front shocks, a lot of energy was being wasted compressing the shocks."
Smart choice IMO.
http://www.bti-usa.com/pictures/WT/WT5961.jpg
I picked up some "riser bars" for $12 at my LBS. You MIGHT need to extend your cables though. I was BARELY able to get by without doing so, but I have a different set up.

The bars I have now aren't flat bars, but aren't quite as dramatic as those. We'll see what happens after the bar ends.

In other news, I set another personal record today on this wonderful bike and rode over 10 miles, and I did it in just under an hour. :D So not only am I riding longer, I'm also riding faster. My old pace was somewhere between 8-9 mph. I know this isn't all due to the new bike, but I know a lot of it is! For those of you who want to go more than 2-3 miles, I HIGHLY suggest a bike such as this.

It appears we have a new Cycling addict!:beer:

Oh yeah. I'm hopelessly addicted. Actually, I don't have my bar ends yet, so I probably shouldn't have gone out with nothing, so I rode to Target less than a mile from me to get Ace bandages to wrap my wrists up so I didn't have to go a day without a significant ride. :p

My wrists feel fine right now, by the way, so the wrap worked.

excellent job. you'll be doing 15 mph avg in no time

Nice ride.

Oh yeah. I'm hopelessly addicted. Actually, I don't have my bar ends yet, so I probably shouldn't have gone out with nothing, so I rode to Target less than a mile from me to get Ace bandages to wrap my wrists up so I didn't have to go a day without a significant ride. :p

My wrists feel fine right now, by the way, so the wrap worked.
Are you using padded gloves when you ride? Since wrapping helped, that sounds to me like a set of riding gloves cold well fix it if you aren't currently using them!:D

I don't wear gloves now, but I will be getting some when the LBS puts my bar ends on tomorrow. I know that gloves won't be a full remedy though since I had to wrap my wrists pretty tight in order to make them not hurt. Gloves would definitely help though.

Another thing that helps. Try consciously not to lean into the handlebars....it puts too much pressure on the Carpal region of your wrist and the meat of your palm. This is where the padded gloves help too, but it's also an issue of using your core muscles for stability and posture on the bike.;)

The bar ends are helpful especially as they add more hand positions.

The gloves help. As well as not tensing up on the handlebars and changing hand positions periodically, shaking them out, etc.

JM, congrats on a really nice bike. That model is very popular at the LBS I go to. Have a ball.

Nice choice Joe. This was one of the bikes I test rode more than once. The problem was the dealer did not have one in stock that was my size. I think you will enjoy it quite a bit.

Nice bike!

As far as the wrist pain goes, did you have the shop fit you to the bike?

That bike looks beautiful! Looks all fast and silvery, like a there should be about 30 of them in a "school"!

BTW, about that wrist pain....

I was hit by a car and screwed up the tendon in my wrist. Now that I'm riding again, I try to imagine thumbtacks under my hand where it contacts the handlebar. Makes me aware of how much I'm using my hands instead of my legs....

Joe,

Good choice in a Bike! I really like the FX line in the TREKS and if I had thought about it, would have bought one of these before I built my Clyde Bike. Great Frames, Good Parts, and upgradability down the road makes these such a nice deal.

Good Luck!
Chris

Yesterday I probably made the best purchase of my life. I got a Trek 7.2FX, and to celebrate I took it out on an 8 mile ride (my longest yet) and 3 of those miles were my time trial for Jumbo's challenge. I'm really starting to come into my own! Anyways, here's a picture:

http://iampix.bmezine.com/y/n/cbv53m/vc33981k.jpg

After my ride, I noticed some wrist pain however, so I'm getting bar ends put on it Monday. Other than that, this bike is great and makes riding so much easier and faster. :)

Nice choice of bike ;) & well done on the 8 miles PB :)

i picked up 2006 7.2 not so long back:
[img=http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/4816/45067931tp6.th.jpg] (http://img235.imageshack.us/my.php?image=45067931tp6.jpg)

Your right about the 7.2 making riding so much easier, in the month or so i've had mine i have racked up 180 miles and today i set my own PB of 20 miles, although it wasn't to fast 4-5mph some bits damn those hills :D

What kind of handle bars do you have - mine came with Bontrager Crowbar kinda like the ones Bill Kapaun posted, i aslo notice different grips as well

NIIICE ride! Welcome to the Trek FX clyde club! :D

I'm sure you will be racking up plenty more miles, they are easy bikes to put plenty of miles on. If you get any knee pain, consider replacing the suspension seatpost, I know some love 'em, but some run into problems with them. Aside from that, the barends are a great idea, and eventually you may just get rid of the pain naturally. You never know, I had some hand issues that went away seemingly by themselves! Weird.. but they did! :D

rizla_green: The handlebars are the Bontrager Crowbar, and I'm not sure what kind of grips it has, but I know they're comfy. :)

bdinger: I have bad knees, so I'll probably replace the seat post my next paycheck now that I've heard that. I also think that my wrist pain is also due to the fact that my core is having trouble supporting my whole body; that's why I put so much weight on my hands. The bar ends will give different wrist positions, so that will hopefully keep the pain off until I build my core up. It looks like I have some cross training to do.

Joe,

You might want to try a set of Ergon Grips before you buy the Barends.
http://www.ergon-bike.com/us/grips/index.html
A few of these grips come with built in bar ends and then the grips LOCK ON the bar. They are very adjustable and comfortable too. I have thought about puttin them on the wife's bike to help her wrist pain.

On the seatpost, check and see if the pre-load is set high enough. Some folks forget this adjustment and wind up either being a pogo stick on the seat post or have a non-effective suspension post.

Chris

ang1sgt: The LBS is putting the bar ends on as we speak, so it seems as if it is a little late for these grips. I'll make sure to keep them in mind if I'm unsatisfied with the bar ends. They look damn comfy.

rizla_green: I found out that this bike has Bontrager Satellite grips (http://www.bontrager.com/Mountain/Components/Grips/7105.php)

I put bar ends on my bike in a spot that is a little different than what you usually see. I thought they were way too wide for comfort out on the ends of the bars. I had to turn them over to avoid interference with the shifters. Turning them over left the fastener hardware in contact with my hands, thus the bar tape. They are really comfortable in this position, you might like something like this too.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a340/Huntmoor/DSC03080.jpg

I put bar ends on my bike in a spot that is a little different than what you usually see. I thought they were way too wide for comfort out on the ends of the bars. I had to turn them over to avoid interference with the shifters. Turning them over left the fastener hardware in contact with my hands, thus the bar tape. They are really comfortable in this position, you might like something like this too.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a340/Huntmoor/DSC03080.jpg

Hay now that is cool. I never liked the wide arm stance of bar ends. But I could see myself using them closer together like that.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a340/Huntmoor/DSC03080.jpg

I could see doing something like that in addition to the Ergon grips I'm about to install (the ones with the built-in barends).

Recently bought a 7.3 with discs, stops on a dime and gives change. I ride in NY so a lot of traffic pulling out in front of me. Enjoy it!
Johnny

I have no idea if these are useful of would be workable for different hand positions but I just saw them tonight when I was searching for something else.

http://www.endless-innovations.com/mall/more.asp?ProdID=167

I tend to ride with my hands on the shifters/brake hoods as one way to get a different position.

Joe,

You might want to try a set of Ergon Grips before you buy the Barends.
http://www.ergon-bike.com/us/grips/index.html
A few of these grips come with built in bar ends and then the grips LOCK ON the bar. They are very adjustable and comfortable too. I have thought about puttin them on the wife's bike to help her wrist pain.

On the seatpost, check and see if the pre-load is set high enough. Some folks forget this adjustment and wind up either being a pogo stick on the seat post or have a non-effective suspension post.

Chris

I have these and they are fantastic. I went with the GC2 model. I would be careful when you are riding with the bar end close to the inside of your bars, stability might be a little harder to maintain in some situations, but otherwise I can see where it would be more comfy.

Nice Ride!!!!
Gloves may help......get good ones.

http://www.bfw.org/articles/pinsand.php

If you do suffer from intermittent wrist pain while on a ride, there are some things that you should try in order to alleviate the pain. Well padded cycling gloves are a necessity. Gloves will help absorb the relentless shocks that are transmitted from rough roads or trails to your hands during rides. Even for short rides, wearing gloves may be important if you are prone to wrist pain.

hi Joe thanks for the link
mine are the 'select' grips - i'm not to keen on them as they leave little bits of black rubber on my hands:(