Djworland

Used to cycle all the time. Took some time off to cure cancer and am really out of shape. Anyhow, I broke a near 30 year old road bike and made the mistake of getting a cheap hybrid from a sporting goods store some 5 years ago.

I been on a few 10 mile rides and am working up to commuting to work, 15 mile each way. I'm about 250lbs and was considering the trek fx 7.4 for $700. That's a good price point for me. I have a cannondale/giant dealer as well As the trek dealer near by. I also have a specialized dealer but he's in an old donet shop that not much has survived there in years so I'm not going to consider them.

Any input for me? I heard the carbon forks are a must for aluminum bikes. I ride on rails to trails including the commute to work with maybe 2 miles of bike friendly roads and 1/2 mile of 55mph country road to get on path. I'm 54 years old and don't need the speed and I don't plan on anything longer then 30
Mile rides so I think the flat bar bike would be a good fit for me.

What's important to me is something I won't tire of like my cheap bike. Good quality components that will be maintenance free for the most part. And something that will support my body weight with plenty to spare.

Thanks for any thoughts sent my way.

Wilfred Laurier

The need for a carbon fork is very much exaggerated, especially on a bike with tires wider that 25mm. A properly inflated 35mm wide tire will have 10X the shock absorption of a rigid carbon fork.

Djworland

Really? Ok I haven't been able to test ride either as it's been raining the last 8 days. So would you upgrade to hydraulic disk brakes with aluminum fork with 32mm tires? The Trek FX 7.4 offers both styles. Thanks for the response btw.

bassjones

At 250, you're on the small side of Clydesdale That means pretty much all of the biking world is open for you. Cannondale Quick series hybrids or Bad Boy, Trek 7.3/7.4. Specialized Sirrus (don't let the shop location scare you off. They're a major brand with a solid CS history). Giant, Felt, etc... Pretty much going to all be a wash quality wise and they'll all have similar components within the same $100+- price range. Pick the store you like best (staff, sales, service, etc...) and buy from them. You'll still want to make sure you get 32-spoke wheels and have the shop true and tension them before you leave with the bike. Some shops offer extended free service and adjustments. Some might offer a free or reduced cost fitting. Ask. And yes, I greatly prefer a carbon fork with an aluminum bike. With steel, I can go either steel or carbon.

bassjones

In the same price range though, definitely go with disc brakes/aluminum fork over rim brakes/carbon fork. Shop around. You may be able to get carbon fork/disc brakes in your price range with another brand. Giant and Felt seem to be a bit lower cost in the same component range than Trek, Specialized and Cannondale.

ShortLegCyclist

+1 I have 18 bikes and none of them have carbon forks, no need for them.

Love balloon tires as long as racing/speed is, as OP stated, not the goal.

Don't like completely "flat" flat bars, I like them with a little angle and rise, like Surly Open Bars or Jones H Bars or Origin 8 Space Bars, but I also have no use for drop bars because like OP, I don't care that much about speed or aero or weight (within limits of course)

The Cannondale, Giant and Trek bikes in the $700 range are all going to be comparable and are all going to be factory built in Asia, so just go ride them all, see if any resonate with you and especially see if any of the shop guys resonate with you, Having a LBS (local bike shop) where the people know and like you is a priceless resource for a cyclist IMO. So precious I would even choose a slightly less ideal bike if it meant going with a bike shop/mechanic I like rather than one I don't.

jsigone

carbon forks are not there for show or for shock absorption that the tire can't fix. Carbon dampens or mutes high frequency bumps like chip n seal road, small cracks. This keeps the hand, joints and those small bones happy along with the upper body fresher for longer duration on the bike. Tire size has more shock absorption and increase as case volume increases using ideal riding pressures with smoothing out the ride.

Is it worth the extra $50-$100 buying a new bike? Hell yes!!! Go ahead and look up the price of a replacement carbon fork say if you wanted to save that $50 now from Trek. Most forks start at $125 up to $500 for the best. A cheaper alternative would be a Steel fork but your still looking at spending $80-100 buck more after you already have the bike. The carbon Trek fork will be designed for the frame plus is part of their life time warranty on the bike if you ever need it. After market forks will have different Axle to Crown measurements along with offsets. Each effect how the bike handles and rider's position.

ShortLegCyclist

Raining is the best time to test ride if disc brakes and the difference they make is the question... ride both disc and rim brake models in the rain and then decide for yourself if it's worth it or not. On a non-laden test ride in great weather, frankly any well adjusted rim or disc brake is going to seem just fine.

Wilfred Laurier

I am generally of the opinion that the features found on components of a bike make very little difference when the bike is new. For riding a hybrid on rail trials you really don't need disc brakes, but they are a pretty nifty addition.

If I were in your position and had the money, I would probably get the disc version. But if money were tight, or there was some other item I needed to purchase, I would be perfectly happy on the rim brake version. The extra $130 could go towards a nice helmet or a good new pair of bike shorts. Or a very good bottle of rye.

Wilfred Laurier

...as do wide tires. There is some potential benefit for carbon on a bike with narrow (25mm or less) tires at high pressure, but with normal width (non-racing) tires, the fork will do very little. Unless there is a substantial weight or strength benefit, a carbon fork on a hybrid with 32mm tires will help very little, if at all.

Djworland

Rain test ride is not an option around here. Maybe it's a liability issue or they just don't want to have to clean it up after the rides but the shops around are fair weather only on test rides.

obed7

The FX is a nice bike...ride all the options in your area and pick the bike that feels the best...if you can not tell a difference, buy from the shop that makes you feel the best...
as to disk or rim...personal preference,,,, I can do stoppies with rim brakes, and can work on, adjust them myself, don't have to have any special tools...so all my bikes have rim brakes....

Djworland

Yea I feel the rides in my elbow afterwards. A little tendinitis I think. But my present bike has steel fork so not sure if it's going to be any different with carbon. So aluminum vs carbon is subjective it sounds like.

I'll be heading to check out the cannondales and giants tonight if it stays dry today. I'm in Ohio and it seems like we are never going to dry up.

Wilfred Laurier

Also, I would expect that a carbon fork on Trek hybrid will be different from a carbon fork on a Cannondale racing bike, which will be different from a carbon fork on a Salsa fat bike. Simply knowing that the legs of the fork are made from carbon does not guarantee the presence or absence of any one advantage or disadvantage. The same goes for the ongoing steel/aluminum/carbon frame debate... making statements about the advantages of one material over another is overgeneralizing and overlooking the fact that they are made and designed by different hands using different design inputs.

Djworland

Good point. I've only looked at the treks to date and absolutely love the shop. Non-commission sales, nice and informative and plenty of selection. Been there for decades.

The giant/cannondale shop has also been around forever but has grown to 4 locations over the past 30 years. Haven't been there since I bought my first bike there so I'll scope them out to see if I feel good about them. After sales means a lot to me. I'm at the age and maybe just lazy, I don't want to spend hours trueing wheels and adjusting brakes and shifters like I did in my 20's and 30's.

dr_lha

You don't want a bike with an aluminum fork. Actually I'd be surprised if you could find one outside of the very cheapest bikes. Doesn't the low end Trek 7.0 come with a steel fork for example.

Don't listen to the people on here who tell you frame/fork material doesn't matter for comfort and only tires do, they're full of it. Also don't compare the steel on your Mongoose, which is likely heavy as hell and built like a tank, to a modern carbon or steel fork, they're not the same.

ColaJacket

There's also a Performance Bike store in Dayton. They tend to have Fuji, Diamondback, and GT bikes. And for a LBS, even though they are a chain store, but their only business is bikes, they tend to have good prices.

GH

Djworland

Actually the FX 7.4 disk and the 7.3'are aluminum forks. The standard 7.4 has carbon forks, it's in the mid range of the FX line.

Djworland

I almost forgot about preformance bike shop. So it's like the Walmart of bike shops? But with good service. Like I said, service means a lot to me. I'll have to check them out too.

Wilfred Laurier

Here are some other bikes with aluminum forks. They are out there. This is just to let the OP know how much weight he should give to your opinion, dr_lha. Or you can tell him that you know more than the manufacturers of the bikes and that they are making a mistake.

Specialized Bicycle Components
Specialized Bicycle Components
Specialized Bicycle Components
CrossRip - Trek Bicycle


I like how you indicated how important the material is, then described how the supposedly oft-called-superior material of his mongoose is actually inferior. You are not wrong about it, though. Like I said - it is more important what the manufacturer does with the material than what material is used.

And tires generally do make a much bigger difference than frame material. A tire has almost infinite ability to deflect and absorb bumps or irregularities. Only the lightest or designed-to-flex forks will even come close to the amount of deflection in a medium width tire. I don't know what you have convinced yourself about whatever material your bike is, but it simply does not automatically apply to all bikes of the same material.

dr_lha

You and I both know that not all steels used in bike building are alike. Look how many different grades and qualities even the good companies like Reynolds make. I'm only guessing what the OP's bike is like, but I've picked up a few steel Mongoose kids bikes at Wal-Mart and these are not made of quality steel tubing. They're made of heavy tubing. Heavy steel tubing is going to be less shock absorbent than lighter tubing, because the walls are thicker.



I disagree, you're not going to find an aluminum fork anywhere that gives you the shock absorbing ability of a carbon or steel fork.

It's a pointless argument anyway, any bicycle manufacturer of quality understand this and will put a carbon or steel fork on a bike, and yes, they're usually reserving the steel forks for the low end bikes (unless you're talking about a high end lugged steel frame). If they're putting on aluminum forks it's because they're cheap. The fact that Specialized is doing it doesn't make it OK.

(EDITED because I clicked send before I finished)

mcmoose

The Trek FX 7.4 is a terrific bike. As others have mentioned, most of the major manufacturers have nice fitness hybrids in this price range (and I agree that a fitness hybrid is right bike for you). If you can, test ride several models. One of them is likely to simply feel better to you. Assuming you're happy with that shop (and being happy/comfortable with the shop is an important factor), that's the bike to buy.

Like most of us who come back to biking, you'll love your new bike and will wonder why you didn't buy one years ago. And, maybe, in six months or a year you'll decide you need a road bike (or a trail bike) and the N+1 will begin... and the biking fun will expand.

Have fun!

mcmoose

Oh, and do yourself a favor and get a pair of gel-padded gloves. They both absorb some of the vibration AND save skin in the event of a spill.

ColaJacket

Because they are a chain store, the level of service will vary from store to store. The one that I'm close to has good service. I wouldn't call them the Walmart of bike shops, because they sell good bikes, but normally at a less expensive price point than other LBS's.

GH

Djworland

I didn't mean it in a negative way. I just meant they are a superstore of bikes. Yea I've heard pros and cons from buying there. It's only going to be as good as the people running the location.

I went to a uhaul to have a hitch installed for my bike rack. Used them in the past with great service but not this time. Changed dates without telling me. Hitch didn't come in and no phone call. When they did do the work I never got a call as promised when they were done. I went near closing and found out it's been done for 4 hours. Got in my car and had grease all over my beige door panel and greasy feet prints on my carpet. My point is, it's all about good service and I will pay extra for that.