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02-21-12, 07:31 AM
I bought my new commuter / fitness bike yesterday. This was an upgrade from my 2008 Specialized Expedition Comfort Bike (big heavy front/seat suspension bike, 26x1.95 tires, big cushy seat, etc)
I started riding it in Summer 2008 off and on at near 400 pounds. Over the last 4 years I have commuted to work 14 miles round trip in the Spring, Summer, and Fall 3 to 4 days a week on avg.
Fast forward to 2012 (and 315-320 lbs) and I want to get a slightly more road oriented bike. I agonized for a month on what I should get and then eventually decided to go the route of the 20" Trek FX 7.3. LBS was concerned about the stock rear wheel. I explained that I kind of expect to wear that out over time and would probably need a new wheel down the line. I asked him if there was any wiggle room on the price and he asked if I had a Presta Bike pump and I said no.. So he threw in a basic Presta bike pump that was $30 plus lifetime basic gear and brake adjustments and a free 30 day spoke adjustment/tightening,truing all for $692 (that is + Tax). It felt like a decent deal to me.
I test rode it there @lbs and a little bit in the parking lot at the office and when I got home in front of my house. I had twist shifters on my expedition so the trigger shifters will take a bit of getting use to for me. It shifted better then my Expedition. It was obviously WAY lighter than my old bike and noticeably faster. The seat was pretty hard and stiff, but I will reserve judgement on that until I ride it a couple of weeks.
I hibernate in the winter for the most part and my stamina is down a bit, so I wont commute immediately again, but will ride after work and weekends to get myself back up to snuff.
My next big decision is whether or not I want to graduate to a bike rack or keep using a backpack on my commutes. The backpack sure does make for a sweaty back in August in Texas.
Here is a pic of it in my office straight from LBS.
238309
I started riding it in Summer 2008 off and on at near 400 pounds. Over the last 4 years I have commuted to work 14 miles round trip in the Spring, Summer, and Fall 3 to 4 days a week on avg.
Fast forward to 2012 (and 315-320 lbs) and I want to get a slightly more road oriented bike. I agonized for a month on what I should get and then eventually decided to go the route of the 20" Trek FX 7.3. LBS was concerned about the stock rear wheel. I explained that I kind of expect to wear that out over time and would probably need a new wheel down the line. I asked him if there was any wiggle room on the price and he asked if I had a Presta Bike pump and I said no.. So he threw in a basic Presta bike pump that was $30 plus lifetime basic gear and brake adjustments and a free 30 day spoke adjustment/tightening,truing all for $692 (that is + Tax). It felt like a decent deal to me.
I test rode it there @lbs and a little bit in the parking lot at the office and when I got home in front of my house. I had twist shifters on my expedition so the trigger shifters will take a bit of getting use to for me. It shifted better then my Expedition. It was obviously WAY lighter than my old bike and noticeably faster. The seat was pretty hard and stiff, but I will reserve judgement on that until I ride it a couple of weeks.
I hibernate in the winter for the most part and my stamina is down a bit, so I wont commute immediately again, but will ride after work and weekends to get myself back up to snuff.
My next big decision is whether or not I want to graduate to a bike rack or keep using a backpack on my commutes. The backpack sure does make for a sweaty back in August in Texas.
Here is a pic of it in my office straight from LBS.
238309