entshah

I'm in the market for a new bike and am currently considering the 2013 Trek 9th District or 2013 7.5FX.
What I like about the 9th District (by the spec sheet):
1. internal cable routing
2. single gear up-front (less to worry about) and 9 gear cassette in back (plenty of gear ratios for me)
3. minimal Trek branding - just looks cool
4. price is about $200 less than 7.5FX

What I like about the 7.5FX (by the spec sheet):
1. I think it's lighter
2. carbon fork
3. "isozone monostay" in rear part of frame (to reduce road vibrations)

I'm kind of tied to Trek as that's what my preferred local bike shop carries. Anyone out there with either of these two bikes? Do you have a recommendation?

no1mad 

They look good on paper to you, so now it's time for the test rides. Your body will override your brain if there is a clear winner... or loser. There have been times when I liked the specs of something, but then the body didn't like the geometry.

Personally, I like the 9th District for the exact same reasons as you listed. Would make for one wicked urban/suburban commuter

teicher

District. It looks really cool, and cool looking bikes tend to make you want to ride them more.

Dunbar

The 9th District looks like Trek's answer to the Cannondale Bad Boy. The FX and 9th District both have nearly identical geometries so if you're absolutely sure you don't need to climb (not unheard of in FL) I'd say the 9th District is fine. The simplicity argument for a single crank is overblown by many though (front derailleurs require very little adjustment once setup.) Both come with ridiculously wide (IMO) cassettes and the first thing I'd do on either bike is spend $25-30 to install 12-26 SRAM PG950 cassette. The carbon fork and isozone monstay should (in theory) give the 7.5FX a slight edge in ride quality. The subdued looks of the 9th District are a big plus IMO if you plan to leave it locked up outside (less of a theft target.) As I understand the SRAM stuff (on the 9th District) has a version of double tap on the trigger shifters which some people don't like. Shimano uses separate buttons for upshifting and downshifting.

entshah

Thanks for the replies...

I just picked up my 9th District bike, and it looks awesome - the pictures online do not do it justice. Minimal Trek branding, so people will always be wondering: "what kind of bike is that?" The ride is also excellent: a little stiffer than the FX, but a comfy seat solves that problem. The wheelbase is shorter for the 9th District and you can feel it - very quick response but without being jerky.

I had not considered the SRAM trigger configuration. As Dunbar indicated, it is in fact shift-up and down with your right thumb (two different levers for each function). I prefer the thumb-finger configuration of the Shimano trigger (as on the FX), but for me the SRAM trigger is just a minor thing to get used to. The 9 gear cassette in the back is plenty for my purposes - especially here in FL where the steepest incline is an overpass.

For those who are curious the 54 cm size weighs in at 22 pounds. That's about a pound lighter than the 7.5FX 20 inch frame (I thought the FX would come out lighter given its carbon fork). I think the lighter weight and $200 difference cliched my decision in favor of the 9th District.

Overall, I highly recommend this bike, especially for anyone who does not need a double or triple crank. If my LBS actually kept some of these in stock, I'm sure they would sell more of them. I had to "special order" mine, but it did not take long to arrive.

Dunbar

The 20in FX would compare to a 56cm 9th District if you use the effective top tube measurement (which I would if were buying one). Don't know if that would make a difference in the weight comparison. Post some pictures.

entshah

Yes, the top tube seems to be shorter on the 9th District bikes in general - I think its on account of the overall shorter wheelbase. I agonized over which size to order (54 versus 56 cm), but the standover height became the limiting factor for me. Here are some shots (if green is not your color then this bike is definitely NOT for you ).

teicher

Wow, that's a great looking bike! If I were to buy a Trek, that would be the model I'd choose.

giantcfr1

My gosh, does that look right. I'm sure my sram deraileur doesn't look stretched like that.

entshah

Yes, in this picture it's on the largest rear sprocket. It has a wide range to cover (11-32). When it's on the smallest sprocket it has a lot of chain-slack to pull back and it looks much different. More importantly, it shifts and rides just fine.