bullhorn2444

Hi,

My wife and I are planning to upgrade our 2009 Trek Hybrid 7.5 FX. We are doing much more hill climbing nowadays. We are looking for a lighter and faster hill climbing bike that has flat bar
Instead of the drop bar. We also like the hybrid because of its wider range of usage.

Two bikes that were recommended to us were the Trek 7.9 FX and the Specialized Sirrus Pro for me and the Vita Elite for my wife.

Which is a better bike between the two? I have asked around and I was told that the Trek bike is basically a road bike with a flat bar slapped on it. Also, there are issues with its rim brakes. This is a lighter bike, apparently, at about 16 lbs.

Specialized Vita, apparently, is a true hybrid design. The disc brake is much better too. My concern is the weight, it is heavier, I am told at 21 or 22 lbs.

We ride flat and climb hills most of the time. We do a lot more hills nowadays though. We prefer the hybrid rather than the road bike because of the more upright stance.

Would appreciate your suggestion.

bikecrate

You might want to go over to the Hybrid subforum. There are already many this vs. that hybrid post that may give you some ideas. I also think the only way to decide is to take some test rides and see which ones really feel right for you.

MRT2

The Sirrus Pro Carbon looks to be an upgrade over the '09 7.5 Fx, as it should be for a $2,800 bike. On the other hand, other than disc brakes, the Vita Elite looks more like a lateral move.

OP, your description for why you want new bikes seems a little vague. Since you already have upper level hybrids, you aren't talking about losing a tremendous amount of weight with a new bike, and frankly, you could lose as much, or almost as much weight off your current bikes by upgrading wheels. Even if a full carbon bike like the Sirrus Pro Carbon might ultimately be a pound or two lighter than your current ride, that is, still less of a difference in weight than, say, the weight of a couple of bottles of water. And, with the triple chainrings on your current bikes, you should have plenty of low gears to get up even really long or steep hills. (BETTER suited for hill climbing than you will with a lot of road compact doubles on some modern flat bar road bikes like the Specialized Sirrus Pro carbon!)

You already own perfectly fine bikes for climbing hills. Maybe consider just tweaking your current bikes.

bullhorn2444

Thank you for your suggestion and advice MRT2. Changing wheels is a good idea. What can you suggest for the wheels for 7.9 FX to upgrade to??

As for the reason for buying a new bike, we were thinking that a lighter (full carbon) and a better crank and cassette group set (11 Speed 50/34 or 50/36) will help make going up the hill easier for us.

Thanks again, MRT2.

demoncyclist

An 11 speed cassette doesn't give you a bigger range, just more steps. A compact double (50-36 or 50-34) is not as low a gear range as the small ring on a triple (usually a 30, sometimes smaller).

MRT2

A 50 - 34 crankset with an 11 - 32 cassette gets you down to 28 gear inches. The 3 easiest gear combinations are 36, 32, and 28 gear inches.
Your current crankset with a 26 tooth small ring, mated with a 12 - 26 cassette gets you all the way down to 26 gear inches. Moreover, the 4 easiest gear combinations are 36, 33, 30, and 26 gear inches.

In other words, your current setup has 4 gear combinations between 36 and 26 gear inches. Your proposed "upgrade" has 3 gear combinations between 36 and 28 gear inches.

Your proposed upgrade is no upgrade at all, and at least for climbing hills, is a slight downgrade.

I don't have a particular suggestion for a wheel upgrade, other than to work with a reputable wheel builder. If such a person happens to work at your LBS, start there.

MRT2

And as far as weight goes, I don't know that a couple of lbs makes all that much difference, even on hills. It isn't just the bike, but the total weight of the rider, the bike, and anything the rider might be carrying. In a nutshell, the difference of a couple of lbs won't make much of a difference in performance. You are talking about seconds, not minutes, up the sorts of climbs most folks are likely to experience.

Here is a short article on bike weight and the difference of a couple of lbs on performance going up hills.
Bike Weight and the Myth of Fast Bikes - usatriathlon.org

obed7

The high end FX is built with the domane 4 series frame with the addition of flat bars, is what Trek says in the write up.
My wife has a 7.5 and she test rode the trek and the sirrus pro and decided neither was much of an improvement over the 7.5 for her...if she want to go faster and climb hills on the road she uses her road bike... and on the muts she just did not feel the price of the upgrade was worth it.