Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - big guy on trek 7000

hi
i am a newbie/lurker researching first bike purchase. i have sorta settled on a Trek hybrid but have some questions. i am a big man 6'2" 300lbs. is this too much weight so that the suspension fork becomes useless? i am also probably going to change to heavey duty wheels. please offwer any advice you can thank you. i hope to ride 3-5 times a week for no more than 1 hour. thats as long as wife and kids will let me go
THANKS for any help

I am not sure about the fork, though I would figure you'd be fine. However, some of the Trek's come with a susp. seatpost. Get rid of that, it will bottom out on you (mine did at 250lbs) and it is useless. Your LBS should be more than willing to swap it out prior to purchase if it has one.

Good Luck!

No your not. My 7300 had the suspension fork and I started riding at 375. The wheels are a bigger concern. Do yourself a favor if you are looking at the 7000, go with the FX equivalent and get a rigid fork, you will like it much better. I replaced my fork with a rigid and it was the best improvement I did on that bike. I would also get rid of the suspension seat post, they suck for big folks, they just bottom out the whole time.

No your not. My 7300 had the suspension fork and I started riding at 375. The wheels are a bigger concern. Do yourself a favor if you are looking at the 7000, go with the FX equivalent and get a rigid fork, you will like it much better. I replaced my fork with a rigid and it was the best improvement I did on that bike. I would also get rid of the suspension seat post, they suck for big folks, they just bottom out the whole time.

^^^ what he said

I'm 5'10" 270 and my 7000 works great.

My Trek 7100 (Pre-suspension fork) worked great for me at 360# when I started. All I needed to do was to get the wheels re-laced to a 4X pattern and I stopped popping spokes.

I put 7,500 miles on my Trek 7200 (suspension fork) and the bike held up nicely under my 350# girth. I'd go with the stock wheels for awhile, but you will bust a spoke soon (I did after 2,000 miles). After that, get yourself some DT spokes and forget about the wheels. The suspension fork sucks, but you can get another forkset when your wife lets you cash the paycheck (This could take some time)

I was better than 250 (quit weighing myself) when I purchased my Trek 7.3FX. I now have 3493.6 :) miles on the odometer with nothing but a tube, new chain and cassette in the way of repairs. I'd go with the FX series myself.

Ask Them. Trek's come with a 1 yr. I think, maybe more warantee on the frame. I just bought one, I should know but I don't offhand.

Ask Them!

I don't care much for these basic forks due to the much added weight of these. They take the hard knocks off, but there are few tunable parts to really make these forks work right for folks much over 250 lbs. I also do not like the suspension seatposts that come standard on these bikes. Here again, it's a tuning thing with me.

Trek Warrenty:

The bicycle frame, except the fork and the Session model, for the lifetime of original owner

5 years for:

Rigid forks
All Bontrager components and accessories, except consumables such as tires and inner tube1 Year

Paint and decals
All original parts, excluding suspension forks, and rear shock absorbers
All original parts, excluding Shimano parts, suspension forks, and rear shock absorbers
All Shimano parts, suspension forks, and rear shock absorbers shall be covered by the stated warranty of the original manufacturerPlease note that most Shimano Parts have a 2 year warranty for the most part.

hello all
this place has been great for ideas and research, it can also spin your head with too much info.

here goes. i am almost ready to buy a trek 7000 and get more clyde friendly tires. i like the rigid fork and this bike fits my budget. i have ridden it. it feels great. i really like the LBS. i guess i am just asking for any opinions
thanks for any help

Hi giantim77, the TREK 7000 is almost identical to my Giant Cypress R and I have put 1000's of km on that bike. From the positive impression you give about the bike I think that you have made your choice. The best bike for anyone is a bike that they will accually ride! The 7000 is a low end bike but if it's looked after it will serve you well till you get the next bike.
My giant has the same size tires as the 7000 and they are quite sufficent for my 230 lb, the only change I made was to go from a 32 spoke wheel to a 36 but only after the hub wore out. I find that generally tires/wheels will carry more weight that people think they can. Remember as you drop some weight riding you will come to want smaller tires so I would be sure that you need or want larger clyde friendly tires.
Buy the bike and enjoy yourself !

Not familiar with the 7000 but, I own a Trek 7.3FX with almost 3500 miles on it. Never a minute's problem and love the bike.

+1 on what cyberpep says about "enjoy yourself".

I'm merging these threads