Ivan6479

Hello everyone. I am actually new to this forum and I am wanting to get a new bike to get in shape and to enjoy some riding around town and what not, but I am having trouble deciding on which bike I should purchase.

The 2 bikes I am looking at are the Trek 7.2 FX and the Scott Sub40. The 7.2 is $550 and the Sub40 is $530. I took the 7.2 for a ride at a local shop and I thought it was a very nice ride for the money and the people at that shop were very helpful. Now the Sub40 on the other hand I haven't had a chance to ride as I saw it online and I felt it appears very similar to the Trek. There is another local shop that carries Scott, but they didn't seem as helpful and they didn't have a Sub40 in stock, but I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to order one. Anyways I was just curious which bike others thought would actually be a better buy. Oh by the way I am 5'10" and about 215lbs and I plan on mostly doing road riding, but I may wanna go on some off road trails every now and again. Any suggestions would be much appreciated, but I am trying to stay under $600 as I am just a beginner. Thanks in advance.

SouthFLpix

It's always preferable to buy a bike you can ride rather then ordering sight unseen. Even if the frames are the same size, there can still be sizing issues because different manufacturers have different geometries for their frames. You might need a smaller frame, or a bigger one, or maybe a longer stem. You can sort of guess, but the best way is to ride the bike and that way you're sure it feels comfortable.

Ivan6479

Thanks SouthFL, I figured someone would tell me that. I was really just wondering about what some people might have thought about either one of the bikes by their knowledge of the components and/or each companies reliability and what not. I'm not really sure how dependable either would be really. I haven't really ever heard any bad things about Trek, but then again I haven't really heard much about Scott at all so that's why I'm here to see what info others can offer from their experiences and knowledge on either or so I can gain a little knowledge myself.

Phil459

I just got the 7.2 myself and I have to say that I love it. One of the main reasons that I kept going back to the store where I got my Trek instead of the other LBS in my area was the way I was treated at the Trek store. Any time I had a question or wanted to try something, it was no problem even though I was not buying anything that day. From what I have learned lurking here, all things being equal at this price point, you buy into the shop more than you buy a specific bike. (Meaning find a place with great service and all the bikes are of comparable quality.) Oh, and my local Trek store also will give lifetime tune-ups for any bike purchased through them, how cool is that?

Ivan6479

Damn lifetime tune-ups!! That is freaking awesome!! I have now also been considering the 7.3 FX, which is about $130 more, which I'm wondering if it's worth the upgrade? I do like the ergonomic grips that it comes with!!

SouthFLpix

I think it's a fair price for the upgrades if you have the cash to spend. Most of the upgrades are things you would probably upgrade on your own given time, such as better grips and flat resistant tires. The other upgrades, like a Deore rear derailer is just gravy.

It's not a huge deal if you don't, but hey if you have the money, why not? The one thing you actually might want is to go with the disk brake version, particularly if you live in an area with harsh winters and you plan to commute during winter. Yes, you can make rim brakes work so it's not something to have a heart attack over, but disk brakes are just a little more reliable in conditions with slush and ice.

Leisesturm

Ok you might be the exception and so might the o.p. but the house is betting that after one or at most, two, free tune-ups the average customer at their store will: a.)lose interest in cycling and park the bike b.)lose interest in cycling and sell the bike c.)join the Foreign Leigon (and lose interest in cycling) d.)get married (and be forbidden to have an interest in cycling) e.)die... ... So, so much for 'awesome'... but I didn't fire up Quick Reply just to be a hard@ss... I just wanted to point out that the premier ergonomic grips going are the Ergon GP series and they run $20+ to $40+ and if the grips are what excites you about the more expensive model you could do worse than buy the cheaper one and upgrade the grips yourself. FWIW.

H

fotoflojoe

Hi Ivan,

Not to muddy the waters on you, but...
Was in the same situation myself a couple months ago, wanting to buy a bike and start riding again. My LBS had me test ride a 7.2 vs. a comparable-level Specialized Sirrus. I went with the Sirrus, it just felt much smoother than the Trek. After a month, putting a couple hundred miles on the bike, I love it and have no regrets. In all honesty though, I almost always stay on paved surfaces, and get more than a bit freaked when having to ride on any rough surface - but then, I currently weigh 265 pounds.
Good luck!

no1mad 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that the grips that come with the 7.3 are unique to the 7.3 and up FX series of bikes. The bar also has been modified. You won't be able to (or at least find it very difficult) in using bar ends with those grips.

Ivan6479

You are a funny guy or girl. The grips are not all that excited me. I understand that it also comes with an upgraded bar that is designed to dampen road vibration, an up graded fork which is lighter than the one on the 7.2, flat resistant tires and and an upgraded rear derailer. I am just new to all this and I was simply asking is it worth paying the extra $130 for the upgrades that's all.

Ivan6479

Thanks for the suggestion. I actually live in Florida myself, so I don't think spending an extra $120 just for disc brakes is worth it for myself. I am considering the upgrade to the 7.3 though.

Ivan6479

I had checked out the Specialized Sirrus myself online, but there are not any shops near to where I live that carry Specialized.

Ivan6479

I just found out that there is a shop that carries Specialized about 45 min away, so I am going to head there tomorrow and give the Sirrus Sport and/or the Sirrus Elite a test ride and see how they feel compared to the Trek. I did go to the shop that carries Scott, but they didn't have anything I was crazy about. I did take out a Giant for a test ride, but it just didn't feel as good as the Trek did. We will see how the Sirrus treats me tomorrow.