Hybrid Bicycles - 7.5 FX, picked up today!

Picked up a '12 leftover this morning. Was about to pull trigger on either a 2013 7.4 FX or a Cannondale Quick SL3. Couldn't get the SL3 in white til April and didn't like the baby blue that was readily available. 7.4 was nice but wanted better than Acera/Deore. Wanted 7.5 but wasn't going to spend $1,000. Decided to search for a 2012 7.5 FX as it had basically the same specs as the '13 except for the IsoZone mono stay. Found one about 30 miles from home and picked it up today. Had them swap the 28c tires for 32c. Just felt too narrow on the stocks.

So far love it. 30's and 40+ MPH do haven't ridden more than the test ride. Picked up the new Serfas tail and headlights for it. MAN are those bright!

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Very nice!

Nice! I like the white color. I can't believe so many hybrid bikes that are popular as commuters are dark colors. Good job finding a 2012 and saving a couple of bucks!

What a great looking bike! I know you will enjoy it!

Great bike.

Definitely a great bike. Congratulations!

The monostay sounds interesting but I wouldn't pay hundreds more for it. The bikes are pretty much identical otherwise so the 2012 is the better deal. I have a 2011 7.5FX that I use as an around-town bike after getting a road bike.

Real nice bike! How are you finding the 32c tires? Any rubbing going on?

ENJOY!!:speedy::cheers:

Real nice bike! How are you finding the 32c tires? Any rubbing going on?
Been too cold to ride since I bought it. I am not well equipped in the clothing department to ride in sub freezing weather....having said that I don't anticipate rubbing. What and where should I be looking for that?

Been too cold to ride since I bought it. I am not well equipped in the clothing department to ride in sub freezing weather....having said that I don't anticipate rubbing. What and where should I be looking for that?
Hi Tsagg,
First of all, congratulations and best of luck with your new bike.
Secondly, you will not have a rubbing problem. The Trek FX series can take up to at least a 35mm tire, as found on the Trek 7.1 and 7.2 FX. I have a 7.4FX with 32mm tires and there is not even a semblance of rubbing issues.

Best regards

Hi Tsagg,
First of all, congratulations and best of luck with your new bike.
Secondly, you will not have a rubbing problem. The Trek FX series can take up to at least a 35mm tire, as found on the Trek 7.1 and 7.2 FX. I have a 7.4FX with 32mm tires and there is not even a semblance of rubbing issues.

Best regards

Thanks for that. I wasn't trying to cause a concern that was unwarranted. I was curious how wide one could go. I like the thought of a FX with a wider tire vs. a DS model with a fork I probably wouldn't need. The 25 or 28 tire size on the higher end just look so fragile to me when I consider the roads and bike paths I'd like to explore. A 7.4/5 with a 32 might be a better choice.

Thanks for that. I wasn't trying to cause a concern that was unwarranted. I was curious how wide one could go. I like the thought of a FX with a wider tire vs. a DS model with a fork I probably wouldn't need. The 25 or 28 tire size on the higher end just look so fragile to me when I consider the roads and bike paths I'd like to explore. A 7.4/5 with a 32 might be a better choice.

I had them switch out the 28's for me because they looked too narrow for me. I wanted a bit more flexibility without going to 35's.

COOL. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one that cares about bike color.

First real ride today. I'm sick, it's 33 degrees and windy, I haven't ridden much in ten years, but I had to head out. I'm running the runtastic pro bike app on the iPhone. Mustered 5.5 miles only but loved the ride. Looking forward to some slightly warmer weather to enjoy it even a bit more.

5.5 miles, 471 cals, 10.6 avg mph. 21.1 mph max speed (downhill). Definitely slowed down on way back up the long hill. Can only improve from here!

First real ride today. I'm sick, it's 33 degrees and windy, I haven't ridden much in ten years, but I had to head out. I'm running the runtastic pro bike app on the iPhone. Mustered 5.5 miles only but loved the ride. Looking forward to some slightly warmer weather to enjoy it even a bit more.

5.5 miles, 471 cals, 10.6 avg mph. 21.1 mph max speed (downhill). Definitely slowed down on way back up the long hill. Can only improve from here!

Woot! The calories burned will be too high. My Garmin 500 is about 2x too high, I'd say. Not that it matters that much. You certainly braved some pretty tough riding conditions to get out there! Keep up the good riding ethic!

Yeah, odd that the app showed 213 cals right after ride but when I went back on it a few hours later to search the stats to post, it had jumped to over 400. I doubt it is close to correct as well.

Going to get a compatible heart rate monitor, blue tooth, to link to the app soon.

Congrats on the new bike! It's a good looking ride. I've always been a fan of the FX series.

Congrats!! I picked up the 2013 FX 7.4 on Saturday. Rode it for the first time today and it felt amazing. The weather has been bad around here ths week but this afternoon it cleared up.

I'm happy with my purchase!

Congrats!! I picked up the 2013 FX 7.4 on Saturday. Rode it for the first time today and it felt amazing. The weather has been bad around here ths week but this afternoon it cleared up.

I'm happy with my purchase!

Enjoy!

I have got myself the younger brother of the FX series at 7.2 with the disc brakes. Probably the best bike I've ever had and that includes my race bike of 20 years ago. Now riding just for fun and fitness. Got the disc brake version as for me it's the better choice. Very heavy on rims blocks but it's worth the extra weight. Wife's getting a ladies stepthrough version later this month and cannot wait.

Trek have some good kit in that series.

Envious. I strongly considered this, but couldn't resist $400 off a Surly Pacer. Still, this seems like a very smart purchase.

Went out two more days this weekend. Definitely liking the bike and not so much my endurance.

one thing I don't yet feel comfortable with is the narrower handle bars on hybrids. Also the seating position on the bike makes me feel a TAD too forward on the bike. I can slide the seat back in the bracket a bit to get a better feel? I'm 6' and got the 20" size bike. I don't think the bike is the wrong size rather something to get used to coming from a mountain bike of an older generation with wide bars and a totally different riding position. Great bike though and fast and smooth!

I'm 6' and got the 20" size bike. I don't think the bike is the wrong size rather something to get used to coming from a mountain bike of an older generation with wide bars and a totally different riding position.

What's your pant inseam measurement? A 20" seems small for a six footer IMO unless you have short(er) legs and need the standover clearance.

I'm 5'9" with and have a 30" pant inseam and I ride a 20" 7.5FX (2011) setup with the seat all the way back on the rails and the stem flipped down. But I do 90% of my miles on a road bike so I like to be more stretched out.

What's your pant inseam measurement? A 20" seems small for a six footer IMO unless you have short(er) legs and need the standover clearance.

I'm 5'9" with and have a 30" pant inseam and I ride a 20" 7.5FX (2011) setup with the seat all the way back on the rails and the stem flipped down. But I do 90% of my miles on a road bike so I like to be more stretched out.

32" pants. I really don't think it's the bike size. I tested out all the sizes from three diff manufacturers. Larger sizes felt unnecessarily big. Only 17 miles in so may just need to tweak the seat, get used to the ride position of a hybrid, or get some bar ends to give me a wider option during rides.

i'm 6' tall and wear with 30" inseam jeans (and ugh, 210 lbs with a 36-38 waist, too many good ales). my standover height barefoot is 31" (79cm), so I have a fairly long torso and relatively short legs for my size. I ride a 'L' in most bikes, M are generally too small. or, 58-60cm if thats how they are sized. and even then, I added 20mm to my stem length of my current hybrid bike (90mm stock to 110mm replacement) as well as switched the riser bars to an almost straight flatbar cut down to 550mm wide.

32" pants. I really don't think it's the bike size.

Then it should work. You may need a 10-20mm longer stem to get the reach to the bars right. Your seat looks low in the pictures though if you wear a 32" pant inseam. My legs are 2" shorter and I run about that saddle height on my 20" 7.5FX (72.5cm from center of bottom bracket to top of saddle.) At your height and inseam I'd still probably go with the 22.5" and put a shorter stem on the bike if need be but either size could be made to work.

Congrats on your new bike! I had a 7.2 and it was a great ride....I can only image what a 7.5 is like!!

You can move your seat back and you can also put a longer or shorter stem on the bike. It's a very easy swap. I'm 5'11" with 30" inseam pants and my 20" 7.2 barely had enough stand-over height. The next size up would have been way too tall for me. Also, the handlebars on my 7.2 were too narrow for me. I sold the bike in favor of an older steel bike and it came with 66cm handlebars which are about right for me (I'm pretty broad shouldered).

Also, don't let your first few rides (especially that first one) affect your enthusiasm for riding. First, riding in the cold and wind sucks. Period. No way around it....even a great feeling bike feels like a dog to me when it's cold and windy. Being sick would make it even worse. Second, It will take a few weeks (or even months) to get decent conditioning but you'll probably see some noticeable improvements in a very short period of time. Once you've been riding for a bit and have your legs under you, go out on a warm, sunny day when there is little or no wind and the ride will be glorious.

I almost forgot to add that I really like the red accented white color. That's sharp!

Congrats on your new bike! I had a 7.2 and it was a great ride....I can only image what a 7.5 is like!!

You can move your seat back and you can also put a longer or shorter stem on the bike. It's a very easy swap. I'm 5'11" with 30" inseam pants and my 20" 7.2 barely had enough stand-over height. The next size up would have been way too tall for me. Also, the handlebars on my 7.2 were too narrow for me. I sold the bike in favor of an older steel bike and it came with 66cm handlebars which are about right for me (I'm pretty broad shouldered).

Also, don't let your first few rides (especially that first one) affect your enthusiasm for riding. First, riding in the cold and wind sucks. Period. No way around it....even a great feeling bike feels like a dog to me when it's cold and windy. Being sick would make it even worse. Second, It will take a few weeks (or even months) to get decent conditioning but you'll probably see some noticeable improvements in a very short period of time. Once you've been riding for a bit and have your legs under you, go out on a warm, sunny day when there is little or no wind and the ride will be glorious.

I almost forgot to add that I really like the red accented white color. That's sharp!

thanks!

Shop gave me a spare longer stem that I may have to give a try.

I've been riding a 7.5 FX since 2006. It's a great bike, I haven't upgraded any yet except for the grips. And the tires. Mine came with 32's. After about 6 months, I switched to 28's, Then to 25's. The 25's make the bike feel much more livelyer than the 28's and a different world from the 32's. It handles much quicker, and feels lighter. I have no problems on either road or unpaved bike paths. The main thing I done like about the bike is the dull grey\silver color.
Think about going with thinner tires, you might like it.
But either way, enjoy your ride!

Sweet bike!