I recently went into a Trek store here in San Diego to see about getting a bike to commute to work. It'll be about a 25 mile round trip. They fit me on a bike but the only bike I seemed to need was a Trek 7.5 FX which is a little more than I planned on spending. I had a budget set for 750.00. I then asked if there was something I could get to use both on/off road since they were a little bit cheaper and he directed me to the 8.4 DS and said it was the equivalent to the 7.5 FX. Is this true? Is he just trying to make more off of commission? What should I look for in a bike? He said this would be considered a long commute and steered me towards buying shorts for my commute along with shoes and everything else? I'm just not looking at getting ripped off. Thanks.

I love my 7.5 FX disc brake, it is a great commuter bike. The DS is a dual sport bike with a shock front fork. The question is at a 25 mile round trip commute do you really want to peddle the extra weight of a dual sport type of bike around? Those shock front forks do weight a little extra. The 7.5 will give you a good solid bike in which to commute with, but so will other brands of bikes. You really need to determine which quality is most important for you (ie. commute or off road) and then test ride many bikes to see which one you like the best. And while I know it is possible and many do commute on off road bikes, I personally prefer a non suspension bike with 32mm wide or less road tire.

So would you say the FX type bike would be the bike to go with? And does it have to be the 7.5? I was told with that long of a commute I would need AT LEAST the 7.5 that comes with the ISO on the rear and the front carbon fiber front fork? What would be a comparable bike made by another manufacturer like say Cannondale or another brand?

If you want something that will handle both on and off road but doesn't have the weight of the front shock maybe a cyclocross bike is for you. Possibly something like this, https://www.performancebike.com/bikes...551_1094122_-1___

As a whole cyclocross bikes tend to be a little more expensive than a flat bar road bike like the 7.5fx but they also are more versital.

The FX was the bike model my wife and I choose, I looked at and test rode the DS and it was a nice bike, but in the long run I needed a bicycle to commute on hard surface with. I am very glad I went with the 7.5 FX disc (which they do not offer in 2013 line up it is now a CrossRip) and the disc version has an aluminum fork. I have a rear rack and panniers and I load them up and the 7.5 handles it well. I also test rode Giant's and Specialized bikes but kept coming back to the 7.5. The main thing is you need to test ride as many bikes as you can so you will know which one has the best feel to you, and try to keep it light as you can. As far as the other brands you mentioned, I do not have a local dealer that carries them.

Some similar bikes to the Trek fx line would be Specialized's Sirrus line,Fuji's Absolute line, and Cannondales quick line. Personally I think that you get more for your money from the Trek 7.4fx because it has disc brakes, and it still has the carbon fork. The 7.5 has a few upgrades but I really don't know why you wouldnt be able to do a 25 mile ride just as easily on the 7.4fx. Now myself personally I have ridden a Trek Fx bike and also a Specialized Sirrus and I much prefer the Sirrus. I recommend test riding a few different bikes from each brand and let your body tell you what you like not a salesperson. I'm not saying that a salesperson is just feeding you crap but he isn't going to be the one riding the bike you buy you are and your idea of what is fun and comfy may not be the same as his.

Okay, first off, that sales guy was trying to sell you what he would use if he were you. And most of the advice you'll get here will be biased upon our own tastes and experiences.

You don't NEED carbon anything, nor clipless or the shoes. You may want the shorts, but you could start out with compression shorts and gym shorts over those. You don't really need disc brakes or fenders if you don't have to deal with too much rain. San Diego is a large enough town that there are other brands available. I'd suggest looking at entry level performance/fitness bikes.

That $750 budget of yours... is that just the bike or bike and accessories? I'd suggest giving a look at the Giant Escape City and add some bar end extensions to give you a change of hand positions. Ergon grips if you don't like the stock ones. You'll need decent lights- look to the Electronics forum here for that- a lock (possibly two), gloves, pumps (both on the bike and floor for the house), patch kit, spare tube. Helmet and mirror are strongly encouraged.

Take some time and visit as many of the LBS' that you can, find one that gives you the warm and fuzzy, then buy something from them. Virtually every brand will have something that will be of similar price.

Agreed, especially the bolded stuff.

I know I pointed out the Giant Escape City, which is generally my default 'what bike' for new commuters due to the value... but a quick test ride revealed that the geometry is a bit off for my body. The Specialized Sirrus and the Trek 8.1DS (rigid fork) felt much better to me. Test rides are crucial- the geometry specs can be used as a guideline, but let your body be the final judge.

Sweet ride it is: https://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/...ty/8910/48611/

+1. The Escape is a great value.
If you'd prefer a bike with a steel frame, look into the KHS Urban X... Reynolds tubing, disc brakes, fenders, rack and msrp is $569... street price is considerably less.

I'd look at a 7.2 Disc. It's at a great price point for commuter with disc brakes. The components are good as well.

What is ****ty, is that Trek doesn't add the easiest/best attachment points for a rear rack/fenders into all of their frames. You can still add the items, but it's more of a hassle. If that happened in Germany, the consumer would go somewhere else.

Not that it helps you (based on location), but for similar money over here i'd go with a 2013 Cube LTD CTS Pro, which comes with a reasonable urban front suspension, disc brakes, and all of the mounts for fenders/racks.

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Cube-LTD-CLS...Bike_55810.htm

OK, my reponses:

1. No. You do not need carbon anything.
2. Be aware that a flat bar/hybrid type bicycle has just one hand position. Your 25-mile round-trip commute means probably 90-120 min/day on your bike. A cyclecross bike might be better - it just depends on you.
3. Bike fit will be important if not absolutely critical - if you're uncomfortable on it, you won't ride it.
4. Gel saddles may feel great when you tool around the parking lot for three minutes. After an hour, they probably won't. They also don't last if you ride a lot. 8-10 hours/week will probably kill one quickly.
5. For commuting - you need things like spare tubes, tools, pump, etc. That will add to the cost (although the cost will probably be less than a week of gasoline....)
6. Don't be so sure you can ride without bike shorts. Your butt will tell you what you need. You may even need to go through several saddles before you find one that works.
7. Will you be riding in the dark? Is there ANY chance at all? Good lights are really mandatory for safety. The little $20 light set is not "good" - it's not even "decent".
8. Clipless pedals may or may not be for you. An hour+ on platform pedals can be hell on your feet if your shoes/socks aren't good.
9. What are you going to do when you get caught in bad weather?

Quote:

Originally Posted by no1mad

Okay, first off, that sales guy was trying to sell you what he would use if he were you. And most of the advice you'll get here will be biased upon our own tastes and experiences.

You don't NEED carbon anything, nor clipless or the shoes. You may want the shorts, but you could start out with compression shorts and gym shorts over those. You don't really need disc brakes or fenders if you don't have to deal with too much rain. San Diego is a large enough town that there are other brands available. I'd suggest looking at entry level performance/fitness bikes.

That $750 budget of yours... is that just the bike or bike and accessories? I'd suggest giving a look at the Giant Escape City and add some bar end extensions to give you a change of hand positions. Ergon grips if you don't like the stock ones. You'll need decent lights- look to the Electronics forum here for that- a lock (possibly two), gloves, pumps (both on the bike and floor for the house), patch kit, spare tube. Helmet and mirror are strongly encouraged.

Take some time and visit as many of the LBS' that you can, find one that gives you the warm and fuzzy, then buy something from them. Virtually every brand will have something that will be of similar price.

The 750.00 was just for the bike and necessities like helmet, lights, rack etc. Wasn't really thinking about shorts and shoes and what not. He ordered both the 7.5 FX and the DS for me to test ride next week. In the meantime I'll check out a few other stores and keep my options open. I can come up on the budget if need be just planned on spending around 750.00 because I still need to get my car out to SD from FL which will be another $1,000.00+. But I appreciate all of the inputs from everyone, I even compared the 7.4 FX to the 7.5 and didn't see very many differences minus the rear ISO. So if it comes down to it, I think I'll test the 7.4 as well. At least going to the store got me to know what size bike I need.

I will be leaving for work around 4:00am and returning home around 6:00ish pm give or take an hour. So I planned on getting a decent light, the one I looked at was 125 lumens I believe? As far as shoes go, the salesman said I should be good to go in my New Balance trail shoes as they should provide enough support and comfort for the somewhat lengthy ride. I'll try some gym shorts for the first few trips to see how it feels, I suppose the same goes with the seat? I'm almost positive that the test ride in the parking lot will not be enough to decide on how I will feel after 25 mile day.

LBS here tends to stock the lower ranges of Trek
because the customers are not looking for the upper end.

Redline and Felt are also good companies .
I'd look into a hub dynamo upgrade.. Wired LED Head and Tail lights .

light will be generated by your riding, relieving you of worrying
if the battery capacity, will last out the ride.

Unless you're getting a really good deal on some older models... both of the Trek FX models are already out of your intended budget at $799 and $1,099.

Also, what light are you considering? If you are going to mainly on a MUP or dedicated bike route away from cars, 150 lumens may be enough for you, but if you're gonna be on the road in traffic- you will want more powerful lights. Cordless systems from Nite Rider and Cygolight can be had for under $100; you can get even more power out of some flashlights that are cheaper.

So should I not even consider the 7.2 FX Disc that was mentioned? I checked it out and it MSRPs for 599.00 which is well within what I set aside, I can always use more if it comes down to it, that's just what I had set aside for right now.

My bad- I thought you were looking at the 7.4 and 7.5...

Since you're interested in disc brakes, you might also see if you can locate a KHS Urban X. MSRP is $30 less than the Trek 7.2FX Disc, but also has a kickstand, rack, and fenders already- which saves you at least $50 in adding those to the Trek. Which will give you more funds for the rest of your gear. Ultimately, the decision is yours.

My main concern is comfort not necessarily weight of the bike or disk brakes. I'm already very in shape, just looking to add some extra "cardio" to my day and figured why not bike? I just want something that will last a long time if well maintained and nothing cheap. I looked at the Urban X and I am just so confused as to what would be best. Lol. I don't necessarily need fenders but would want a rack for my belongings needed for work so that's a must. Is the 7.4 and 7.5 worth the extra cash to fork out?

Are the 7.4 and 7.5 worth the extra money? Sure, but as a noob you may not be able to tell looking at the specs or when riding.

Perhaps the best thing for you do at this point is to head over to your nearest REI and talk to them- at least they have an excellent return policy.

My wife loves her 7.2 and has been commuting 7 miles daily for the last 9 months and just had her first flat last week. The 7.2 has worked flawlessly. You do not need disc brakes, but if you do get disc at least get hydraulic disc over cable disc due to hydraulic require no adjustments. The higher up you go in the FX line the lighter the bicycles get. Not sure if you are going to an actual Trek owned store or a privately owned Trek dealer, but when I bought my 7.5 I was given a little discount off the MSRP. You might want to check other dealers in your area. Plus you can also look for last years, 2012, models left over.
We have Magic Shine headlights on our bikes and really like them, I have actually had cars flash there high beams at me when I have had my light adjusted to high(pointing to high), puts out a lot of light!
Have fun looking at and test riding all those bikes!