JRD

I am a year away from 50 so I hope it's ok to post here I picked up a new Trek today. My old antelope has seen it's better days. I got the 7.3 FX.



Went for a ride down by the lake today on the bike path. (about 2 miles each way) My saddle is sore Any suggestions for a saddle that would be more user friendly, or will I get used to the stock one?

Looking forward to picking your brains.

John

JRD

Sorry for the double post

Jet Travis

There's really no lower age limit. We're just little kids with graying hair, if we have hair. Enjoy your new ride! RE: the saddle--if you haven't been riding in awhile, most any saddle will feel uncomfortable for the first week or two (Go Easy!). Or if you like the saddle on your old bike, you might want to do a swap. Barring either of those situations, your search for the perfect saddle can provide you with endless hours of entertainment just by searching old BF threads. Many of us turn the search into a highly rewarding second career.

Digital Gee

The penalty for double posting is you have to buy everyone a piece of pie.

littledog

That is a very nice bike! You'll have a lot of fun on that.

jppe

Sweet!

Stevie47

For saddle pain: Make sure you have a quality pair of bike shorts. If you dont like the standard black, there are loose fitting ones that still have good cushion. Also, play with the adjustment of the saddle. Very small changes (less than 1/4 inch) can make a huge difference in the comfort. The height must be right for you but dont forget to work on the tilt of the saddle. Start with it (tilt) as shown in the photo you have there and make a small change and see how that affects the feel. When I get a new saddle I take an allen wrench with me for the first several rides and stop a bunch till I get it dialed in. I had one, once which I rode for a LOT of miles and kept tweaking it but could never get it right. Finally gave up and got another one which was fine.

Nice ride! Enjoy!!

Tom Bombadil

The stock one is not of the highest quality. Some do fine with them, a lot will swap them out. But you should tweak it some and ride it some to see if it is you or the saddle.

There are a lot of stories about people having to go through 3, 4, 5, 6, or more saddles to find the "right" one. There is no sure fire method to finding one ... although fans of Brooks saddles will argue otherwise!

As to the 7.3 FX, when I looked over dozens upon dozens of hybrids, I thought that one was one of the better values. Nice combination of good components with moderate weight for the price.

scottogo

Nice bike.

Terrierman

Nice bike. I found B-17 to be a very comfortable saddle for me. Lots of others like them or other Brooks variants. I'd try one sooner rather than later. Wallbike has an unbeatable return policy that essentially lets you try out a Brooks risk free. How can you go wrong?

SaiKaiTai

Oh that's a beauty. Is it black?

JRD

OK, name the place and we will meet for pie.

John

JRD

Yes, it is black.

Thanks,
John

SaiKaiTai

OK, I'll take it, then!
Seriously, that is one sleek looking bike.
I could look up its componentry but I'd rather hear it from the new proud owner... what's it got?

JRD

Frame-- FX Alpha Hydroformed Aluminum
Fork-- FX alloy taper gauge, straight blades
Wheels-- Alloy front, Shimano RM60 rear hub; Bontrager Camino rims
Tires-- Bontrager Race Lite Hardcase, 700x32c
Shifters-- Shimano EF50, 8 speed
F.Derailleur-- Shimano C102
R.Derailleur-- Shimano Deore
Crankset-- Shimano M341 48/38/28 w/chainguard
Cassette-- SRAM PG830 11-32, 8 speed
Pedals-- Alloy platform w/alloy cage
Saddle-- Bontrager Race Basic Lux
Seatpost-- Bontrager Sport
Handlebars-- Bontrager Crowbar Sport
Stem-- Bontrager Sport, 10 degree
Headset-- Aheadset, semi-cartridge, sealed
Brakeset/Levers-- Avid SD-3 w/Shimano EF50 levers inserts
Size-- 17.5
Color-- Metallic Black

I can't believe how smooth and fast this thing is. It's the fastest and smoothest bike I have had to date. I've never had a roadie, but I hear they are to die for My purchase thoughts was that I would get this to transition into road riding or touring whichever caught my interest once I get back in riding shape. It's a very versitile bike. I like it a lot.

Thanks again for the kind comments.
John

Digital Gee

Is the stem adjustable?

JRD

Yes it is.

jm01

sorry, no brain to pick here...

however, it's funny that you noticed what's happened to Trek saddles..I have a 7.5fx, my wife has a 7300, and my daughter rides a 7500fx...all the original seats are in the garbage (my wife forced me to trade seats 1 hour into her first ride so she could get home)

I use a WTB Rocket V, my daugter has a WTB Speed She Race, and my wife has the Selle Italia Trans Am XO WSB

my wife rides the Opus (flat bar roadie) as her asphalt bike...much better bike than the Trek 7.5fx

good luck

JRD

Thanks for the info. I called my LBS and they have the WTB saddles that you can try before you purchase. So I'll give that a shot!

Thanks again,
John

jm01

ask them about swapping the cog set/big chain ring as well...the Treks come with an 11-32T hybrid cassette, same as on their comfort series and a 48T big chain ring...

...my wife's Opus has a 12-25T cog set and a 36-50T compact chain ring...this bike flys, climbs like a goat...a roadie that's comfortable

JRD

Thanks for that info also! I will ask them when I am there today.

John

LynnH

Love new bike pictures, have fun with it!

bobby c

While the saddle might not be the best, your butt probably isn't either. Whoops - that came out wrong. What I meant to say is your butt needs conditioning as well as any other body part. You can have the best seat designed for you, but it will be uncomfortable until your sit muscles get used to things. So you may want give it a bit more of a chance.

leob1

Before you start swapping saddles, get a good pair of 6 or 8 panel bike shorts, and tweak the seat position, tilt, fore and aft, and height. Mkae you movements small, one or two degrees of tilt, and less that 1/4 inch in height and fore and aft adjustment. and put a few dozen miles on it.
If you feel you can't live with out getting a new saddle, avoid getting one that is big and padded thinking it will be more confortable. The shape of the seat has more to do with comfort than the amount of padding.

Tom Bombadil

I'd keep the gearing as it is. But then again, I need all of the help I can get going up hills. I'd be walking up some hills with a compact double combined with a 12-25. This combo would have more high-end speed, but I'd never use that. So I would be trading something that I do use for something that I don't use. But that's just me. Maybe JRD is looking for maximum road speed. Most people who buy this class of bike are not.

A friend of mine has a bike enthusiast husband. He did this exact swap on her Jamis, pulling off her triple crank and MTB cog for a double crank and road gearing cog. Now she can't climb steep grades and has to get off and walk it over the crest. In your case you would be going from a best climbing ratio of 28:32 to a 36:25. That's a big change.

Seriously, if there is a significant upcharge to changing them out, I'd consider switching off to another bike that had something more like it as standard equipment. Changing out the cranks & cassettes on a $2000 road bike is no big deal, as you are buying the bike because it is doing something for you. But $500 fitness hybrids are very similar brand to brand. If you pay $100 or more for the switchout, then it may well be that you would have bought a different bike if you were going to spend $650 anyway.