QuartzPoet

Hey there! New member here. Definitely a Clydesdale type: 42 yrs old, 6'1", 290#. Looking to start cycling to generally improve my fitness and lose some weight, Making dietary changes as well as starting to exercise.

I stopped in at a local BikeLine shop and asked for recommendations within my budget (the $400 area). The fellow suggested the Trek 7000. I wasn't able to ride it, since they don't have a test track. However, there is a BikeLine closer to my home that does. I am hoping to be able to take one for a spin. I'm gun-shy about buying a bike before having the chance to even ride it a little bit.

Has any other Clydesdale ridden one of these? I don't plan to do anything off-road; I'll be tooling around the bucolic back roads of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Good roads, the occasional hill, beautiful scenery.

Any experiences with this bike would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

CraigB

Welcome!

I'm not familiar with those particular shops, but I've never seen a bike shop that wouldn't let you test ride, regardless of whether they have a "test track" (something I've also never seen). Some might limit you to runs up and down their parking lot, some will suggest a short loop in the neighborhood. The shop I patronize has "unlimited" test rides - they've let people take them out for metric centuries. Regardless, there's no way I'd buy a bike without test riding unless the bike I was interested in was only available from a web based outfit. And that's a whole different animal.

jethro56 

I have a 7300 which is a more expensive version of the 7000. I'd recomend the FX series. The front suspension has no real value for you (or me either) as you're riding roads. I would like to see you upgrade to a Fx 7.3. If I was buying a bike like this again I'd go Fx 7.5. The better componets are really worth the price difference.

zoste

I'm a little surprised that they wouldn't let you test ride it. My first "real" bike was a Trek 7300 that I purchased from Bikeline a little more than 3 years ago. I got great service and advice from them. I also did my first organized ride on it, which happened to be the Lancaster Bike Club's Covered Bridges.

TrojanHorse

The local shop near me doesn't allow test rides either... although when pressed they mumbled something about letting you try it if you were going to buy it, which makes no sense to me. I get that you have to spend a little time cleaning them when they get back but... their policy convinced us to go elsewhere.

CraigB

As well it should have. Good for you.

freighttraininguphill

I have one. It's the WSD version. I've had zero problems with it so far. I did replace the stock "comfort" seat with a Serfas Terazzo women's saddle for comfort reasons. I also replaced the power-robbing, heavy suspension seatpost with a normal one. That made quite a difference on climbs, but I really feel the weight of this bike on climbs. My Sirrus climbs much better. Here's a thread with a picture of mine, plus a ride video of me doing long climbs on it. It was a sufferfest!

unabowler

I have a Trek 7100 and the main difference between it and the 7000 is that the 7100 has front suspension. I enjoyed this bike a lot before I got my road bike and still ride it some, around the neighborhood with the kids mostly. Since I've really only ridden it on the road I figured out that I could do without the front suspension and the suspension seatpost (the 7000 has the suspension seatpost I believe). If I were buying this kind of bike now, I agree with much of the things the other responders have said and would consider the FX series or a comparable line like the Specialized Sirrus rather than the 7000 series.

wolfman79

I have a 7000 that I use as my primary bike. While it does have it's drawbacks (the more I ride, the more numerous they become) it has also gotten me back in the saddle, literally. It has been a great (re)starter bike for me; new and shiny so I took pride in the purchase process, inexpensive enough to not be a huge drain if cycling had not exerted the draw on me that it has, and well rounded enough to never be truly out of it's element. While I have added a mountain bike to the fold and am currently seeking a road bike the 7000 will most likely stay with me as it is a great commuter. However if I had to do it all over again know where I am now in regards to cycling I probably would have gotten an FX.

QuartzPoet

Thank you all very much for the feedback!

I pulled the trigger and got the Trek 7000, and I'm glad that I did. I've been out riding three mornings, adding distance each ride (2.25, 3.25 and 4.25 miles). I know that these are baby steps and are nothing compared to what the experienced riders on the forum do, but it's a huge leap for me since I haven't done any exercise worth noting in over ten years.

I'm really encouraged by how it's going and the bike is working out well for me. Thanks again!

FutureHero

Sort of off topic, but I also live in Indianapolis and was curious as to what bike store you're talking about. I'm looking to buy a bike in the very near future. Thanks

CraigB

Sorry it took so long for me to respond. For some reason this thread fell off my radar. The shop in question is Nebo Ridge at 106th and Michigan Rd.

JohnA42

Missed this thread somehow... I have a Trek 7000 that I bought last year when I started riding. If you're going to be riding on MUPs, hard trails, etc. then it's an okay bike and a good buy for the $$$. It's not so great for longer rides, but that's true of any bike with a position that upright. For me, 20 miles was about the limit -- anything beyond that and it started to get painful. You will almost certainly have problems with the stock wheels, the rear at least. I replaced the saddle on mine with a Terry Liberator which I liked very much.

If I had it to do over again... I'd probably do what jethro56 said and buy an FX. Or a road bike, though you couldn't have convinced me of that at the time.

jethro56 

The 7300 has gotten me to the point of wondering how many different road bikes I want

jgjulio

+1
Totally agree!