mpete69

So, a mere five days after my first posting, in which I noted that I'd decided to wait until Spring to buy a bike, I walked into my LBS today to buy a pair of gloves and rode out on a new bike! Actually, I'd kind of decided that a Trek 7.3 FX would best suit my riding style, and I really liked it when I test rode it a few weeks ago. The 2008 version of the bike had a MSRP of $569, and my LBS was selling it for $519, which I still felt was too high for me. My LBS is in a fairly robust downtown area of a northern Detroit suburb, and this weekend all the retail stores in town are having their annual "sidewalk sale". As I was walking through the shop, I noticed the Trek 7.3 FX in the "sale" area outside, and I saw that it was marked down to $399! This price, coupled with the fact that the 2009 7.3 FX had increased $90 to $659, told me I had to jump on it. I think I got a great bike for the money, and I'm very pleased. I just wanted to let everyone know...I'm off for my first ride!

Tom Stormcrowe

hehehehe, another addict gets his fix.

jyossarian

Did you get the gloves?

bdinger

Congrats! I had a '07 7.3FX that really, I have to admit, I liked a lot. I had constant rear wheel problems, so make sure you have them keep a close eye on that for you. Really, though, it's a great setup for the money. They get pretty darn comfy with a Brooks B-17 saddle, btw .

txvintage

Congrats on the new Mistress! Now you're going to be sneaking off to spend time with her, spending money you had planned to spend elsewhere, and soon your friends will begin to talk.

Ain't it grand

homebody146

7.3FX here too...got an '07 in september of '06 (my lbs also gave a too good to pass up price)....put a brooks 17 on it and some speedplay Frogs..... and love it. i'm a clyde and that thing is bomb proof! enjoy it.

ScrubJ

I have an 06 and other than two chains and a cassette in just shy of 4000 miles of riding have had no other problems. Given that both of these are wear items I don't really think of them as problems as such and considering I'm still riding the original Hardcase I'm sure not going to complain.

I was over 250 pounds when I bought my bike and most of the riding has been on less than stellar roads and my wheels are just fine.

kenseth03

Congrats on the new ride. Now we need a ride report and some pictures. Thats just how we roll here!

djwright

Great find. I found a Trek Portland on CL and jumped on it.

How do you like it so far?

v1k1ng1001

nice score!

mpete69

Bdinger,

Your posts / blog actually got me focused on the 7.3 FX in the first place - thanks for all the inspiration. So far, the bike is fantastic - a big improvement over the old MTB I was riding.

I'm going to get a Brooks saddle. There is only one LBS close to me that sells them, and they didn't have any in stock. I'm going to try to find one on the net - any thoughts on a good place to look?

gotls1

I got mine new off of Ebay. The prices were much lower than any other place I checked.

Tom Stormcrowe

https://www.wallbike.com/

6 month no questions asked return policy.

bdinger

Whoa, thanks! Glad it was actually able to help someone, and lord knows I had plenty of posts about that bike - good and bad . Overall I'm sure you'll be happy, it's a great value for the money - particularly what you paid for it, that's a steal!

I'm going to echo Tom's suggestion about Wallbike. They are definitely a price premium over others, but that return policy is the best. Remember to give it plenty of time to break in, for me after the first long sweaty ride in cycling shorts it was perfect. Right off the bat it was pretty good, but daily I swear it gets better and better.

wrk101

Nice deal!! Well done!!

Always good to get a bargain on the bike you wanted regardless!

Enjoy.

Harry Stone

It's hard to resist. I went to the local shop the other day to ask about building up a Surly Pacer. They had one built, with parts from a donor bike they got cheap so the price was good too. I managed to resist but it was tough.