The_DK

I have a Trek 7300 22.5" bike (Circa 2003)
I'm 6'7. The height if the bike is fine, I have the seat adjusted halfway up.

It feels like the bike isn't very long, though. I have the riser bars parallel to the ground rather than having them up like stock. It looks like bullhorns... I'm thinking I need a longer stem and a straight bar, yeah? I don't like sitting up, I like leaning forward 45'


The suspension bits seem pretty useless with my weight (230.)
The seatpost just goes to the bottom of its travel when I sit on it, similar with the front forks.

I know I can get solid front forks - should I? I don't want to break the bank on this bike.

But the seatpost, is there anything I can do about it?

jaxgtr

I sit up on mine, but I have the same yr and model bike. I ditched that suspension fork and went with a rigid steel fork, best thing I ever did. Mine is a 19" version however.

indyfabz

Get a professional fitting before investing in parts that might not make things better. A shop may even give you a basic fitting for free if you buy the parts from them.

The_DK

Jaxgtr, what is the make/model of that fork you have? What sort of improvements did you see?



Indy: That's a good idea, thanks. I think I'll look into that before I toss my stem/handlebars.

jaxgtr

If you have the stock seat post, there is an adjuster bolt on the bottom where you can tighten the resistance, but it never worked for me, so I got rid of the suspension post as well.

It's been about 5 yrs since I put the fork on, could not tell you make or model at this point in time. I was talking to my LBS mech one day complaining about the fork and he started looking around. Since it is a 1" steer tube and needs brake bosses, it was a little difficult to find, I do remember that. However, it did not cost that much, I think about $40/$50.

jaxgtr

oh and one other thing, I just remembered, the only fork he was able to find was a threadless 1", so I had to get a new headset as well, but it was a pretty minor cost.

The_DK

Thanks. I'll check with the LBS I got the bike from.

jethro56 

I have a 2011 7300 and I finally got the seatpost locked by using a pair of channel locks to tighten the adjuster at the top of the post. I'm 6'2" and a 20" feels too small. I'm also 230 and the suspension fork only annoys me.

The_DK

I haven't found the seat tension adjustor.
I cranked the front fork as far as I could, and it handles MUCH nicer now.

FWIW, the LBS suggested Sunlite for the fork, but they will need to see the bike to know for sure.
Though maybe I should just bite the bullet on a road bike and not put a lot of dollars into this one.

jaxgtr

The tension adjuster I had on my original post was an allen wrench type screw on the very bottom of the post. Yea I hear you on the cost, I probably spent more than I should have rebuilding the thing, but I did it myself, so I saved a lot. All the parts I found on BF, craig's list or ebay, except for the wheels. I had the rims from another bike, and then traded some code development for them to be restrung to XT hubs by a friend of mine that works at an LBS. All told, I probably spent about $300 on parts, but it's a great bike and a keeper.

CraigB

Given your statement in the original post about not liking to sit up, and wanting a ride posture with about a 45-degree forward tilt, I'd say this is the best idea.

brianogilvie 

That bolt doesn't adjust the resistance. The resistance is determined by the spring. The bolt adjusts the preload: that is, how much of the spring is already compressed, and therefore, how far the post will travel before it bottoms out. Since the more weight you add, the more the spring will compress, adjusting the preload allows you to set things up so that the rider's weight alone will not compress the spring, causing the seat to bob when you get on. However, this works only if the spring is strong enough to support the rider's weight. Otherwise, it will simply bottom out whatever the preload setting. In this case, the only way to solve the problem is to get a stronger spring, which the manufacturer of the seatpost should be able to supply (or specify).

How do I know this? I'm heavy enough to bottom out the spring on the suspension seatpost that came with my commuter bike. Since the fat tires provide enough suspension for me, I simply replaced the suspension post with a cheap rigid post.

jethro56 

+1

Wolfwerx

I'm 6'7" and have a 36" inseam. That bike would not be fine at all, for me. I am pretty much well-proportioned, re: leg, torso, arm length, so YMMV, of course. Unless you are all torso, though, you would probably be better off looking at something at least in the 25"/64cm range.
It surely could be made to work, but my $.02 is that it's probably not worth it on that particular bike, since you really don't seem to want that type of bike and you would just be throwing away time and/or money at something that is not going to be really right at the end of the day.

I would either spruce that bike up and sell it, or make it passably "rideable" and keep it as a beater. Spend money on a bike that has exactly what you want, and fits you better. "Making" a bike fit you never seems to work as well as you would hope for, in my experience.

The_DK

22.5" 7300 is about an inch under my inseam. I do have a 36" inseam too - pants wise at least.

What's funny is my 2003 7300 is a much bigger bike than my dad's mid 2000s 7100 ... both 22.5" bikes.

Though sometimes I wonder if it's a mislabeled 25" bike.

jaxgtr

Yea that is what I meant, and that is what was happening to me.

jaxgtr

Yea mine is too, I think it is just a nature of the beast with the old hybrids.