Hybrid Bicycles - Goodbye Trek 7.5FX, hello Marin Muirwoods 29er...

Dunno why I bought the FX in the first place...guess I thought I was getting a good deal on Craigslist. Anyhow, I picked up a new old stock Marin Muirwoods 29er 2009. Components are lower grade, but given the original prices of the 7.5FX and the Muirwoods, it's understandable. It took me all of a 15 min test ride to leave me grinning from ear to ear.

I love the lower gearing for these San Francisco hills and the bigger tires are more comfy. I'm stopping or slowing every 300-500 ft in most of my riding anyway. I feel way more comfortable plowing through the rough roads, sewer grates, subway vents, train tracks, and going off the pavement when need be. The subway vents are 50-100 ft long grates in the middle of the road to vent the tunnels. I used to march in parades along Market Street and remember the girls would sometimes get their heels stuck in those grates.

Might be selling the 7.5 FX...maybe a bit short sighted but I'm not entirely sure what I'd need the 7.5FX for. I only ride for transportation.

Pay it forward (I'll PM you with my address)! :D

But seriously, congrats on the new ride! Out of curiosity I looked it up in the Marin archives and that is one sweet ride. I'd prefer it over the 7.5 for my commute as well. I hope you got a smokin' hot deal on it.

You can always use the 7.5 FX as a platform to try your hand at wrenching..

For instance, the 7.5 FX can be modified to have even LOWER gearing than the Muirwoods very easily. All you have to do is swap out the cassette for an 11T-32T on the 7.5FX and add a few links to the chain and it will give you a granny gear combo of 26T front / 32T back. The Muirwood's granny gear combo is 28T front / 32T back.

Throwing on a set of wider tires on the 7.5 FX is not hard either.

Who knows, you might like a modified 7.5 FX even better than the Muirwoods, considering that it's a lighter bike (less load to huff up a hill). :D

The bike was marked down about 40%. It was hard to say no.

I had not considered changing the cassette. I've gotten my hands dirty with cars, but bikes are completely foreign to me. About all I know how to do is adjust the deraillers and change out a flat. And I know to put Triflow on the chain and cables every couple weeks...

The wheels on the Marin have 32 spoke wheels compared to 20 my 7.5FX wheels; won't that make the wheel more robust for thrashing on city streets?

Regardless, the Marin is far more comfortable whether due to the fatter tires and/or steel frame.

They're both fine machines, and while I would have liked the Marin to have more Deore or better components, similar to my Trek FX. Worn and broken components are probably several years off though. From what I find browsing the Interwebs, Deore is about the best value for recreation which is why I initially picked up the Trek. The disc brakes I'm not too crazy about but not entirely against either.

Appearance wise, the matte black Muirwoods looks kick butt too :D The silver 7.5 FX is nice too, but there's just something about that matte black paint job.

The Trek definitely feels faster off the line, but I don't know that there's a huge difference afterwards. My travel time is dictated by traffic lights and such anyway. My commute is still slower than car, but believe it or not, I'm about 5-10 min faster than bus. And I only started riding a few months ago.

Parts swap?

I don't have the tools nor skill to do that swap. I'll probably just upgrade as stuff wears out.

Yo! Hows that Muirwood?!

Thanks to this thread, I had to go to my LBS and test ride one of these 29ers. And because of this thread, I found my steel 6 months earlier than I figured on... :D

The most amazing thing about this bike is that I didn't need to change a thing. (I didn't need to change the grips either!) I just went out and started riding. And it's a really sweet ride. Who wouldathunk?

Here's a few pics for you guys...

http://www.mikenchell.com/images/mw1.jpg
http://www.mikenchell.com/images/mw2.jpg
http://www.mikenchell.com/images/mw3.jpg
http://www.mikenchell.com/images/mw4.jpg
http://www.mikenchell.com/images/mw5.jpg
http://www.mikenchell.com/images/mw6.jpg
http://www.mikenchell.com/images/mw7.jpg
http://www.mikenchell.com/images/mw8.jpg

cont...

a few more pics

http://www.mikenchell.com/images/mw9.jpg
http://www.mikenchell.com/images/mw10.jpg
http://www.mikenchell.com/images/mw11.jpg
http://www.mikenchell.com/images/mw12.jpg
http://www.mikenchell.com/images/mw13.jpg
http://www.mikenchell.com/images/mw14.jpg
http://www.mikenchell.com/images/mw15.jpg

Mikey

:love:

Thanks to this thread, I had to go to my LBS and test ride one of these 29ers. And because of this thread, I found my steel 6 months earlier than I figured on... :D
...

Wow, that's a fantastic looking bike. Even though mine isn't a 29er, I'm guessing the ride is very similar. Are your tyres 32mm? Risebar 18mm/20mm rise and 660 wide and stem 110mm?

i test rode one....I like them disc brakes...Its a pretty baller bike....so you guys like yours? i kinda like it has a street tire on it....Im still debating this to other 29ers in the same price rang.e....

That looks like a hybrid to me... personally I associate the term '29er' with a mountainbike. I see road tires and I can't tell for sure from the angle of your chainstay picture, but I suspect it can't fit a 2.2" MTB tire under there and you have a rigid fork. (I realize there are some who do like rigid MTBs, but the vast majority ride hardtail front suspension bikes.)

Anyway, verbiage aside... NICE BIKE!!! :D It looks really great.

thanks mikeschn for the pics - makes every thread much more attractive! And yes, that bike looks cruel - any performance report? More urban than road?

its considered a URBAN bike....

Sweet looking bike !

That looks like a hybrid to me... personally I associate the term '29er' with a mountainbike. I see road tires and I can't tell for sure from the angle of your chainstay picture, but I suspect it can't fit a 2.2" MTB tire under there and you have a rigid fork. (I realize there are some who do like rigid MTBs, but the vast majority ride hardtail front suspension bikes.)

Anyway, verbiage aside... NICE BIKE!!! :D It looks really great.

It is a hybrid bike, just more towards the mountain bike side of hybrids, as opposed to something like my Trek 7.5FX that is more towards road bike. The 29er portion of it is just marketing, just like 29er MTB is fancy talk for 622mm wheels. :p The tires that come with the bike are 700x42 or 29x1.6 as Marin likes to call it.

I like that it's rigid so there is less stuff to maintain. The ride is fairly comfortable despite the rigid fork. The bike is like a tank. It takes some abuse on poorly maintained roads but it's not the quickest thing out there either.