Thoughts on a used commuting bike!
 

I have been a long time ready of this forum and am thinking of pulling the trigger on a used bike from my LBS. I would love your input and thoughts on this Trek FX 7.5 and if anyone has an idea on what year it might be that would be fantastic! The shop isn't really sure but they think it might be an '08-09' but my gut thinks it's older then that. The shop is asking $425, but with the age of this bike do you think it's worth it vs say something newer? I will be using the bike to commute to work and ride along with my wife and 13 month old son in a trailer! Sorry for all the questions, but I thought I should ask the experts!

Thanks for the input!

Condition is much more important than age so don't get too hung up on that. I'd want higher spoke count wheels for a commuter unless your roads are a lot better than what I commute on.

Great advice on looking more at the condition vs the age of the bike. Since they were only able to hold the bike until tomorrow, I will be taking it for a test ride tomorrow AM. This will be my first expensive bike so any specific things I should look for when evaluating the condition of the bike? I'm sure there are probably hundreds of things I should look for but any tips would be great!

As far as road conditions, lucky for me I live right next to a trail that runs from my house to where my job is approximately 10 miles away. Gotta love Iowa trails!

Looking at Bikepedia it looks like either 2006 or 2008, just because of color. Looks more like the 2006 to me because of the coloring and the chain guard. http://www.bikepedia.com/quickbike/B...e#.UkT_NYZwqSo

But as others say, condition is everything.

I agree on the spoke count also. I'd be worried about any rough terrain.

Yes.. and make sure the bike fits you. Price doesn't seem that bad, considering you can probably get some support for your purchase (tunings, advice, etc,etc.).

I'd suspect the wheels won't get you through a lot of tough commuting, but wheelsets are cheap relative to other forms of transportation.

Is it a used bike the shop is reselling or one that has been on the floor all this time?

If it were me I would try to work a deal to have those wheels swapped out as part of the purchase.

I think $425 is a bit high for that bike. I'd put it at $350. You can buy an equal quality new bike from Schwinn, GT, or Giant for that money and you'll get service after the sale. Usually some free maintenance or 30 day tune up, etc.

Thank you all for the valuable input!

Megalowmatt - The bike is used and was a trade in towards a new bike. I will ask about the wheels and what kind of options they have.

Jag410 - When I started my hunt for a commuter bike, my target price range was $300-$400. So $350 would be nice! I will be swinging by the shop tomorrow AM and hope they will be flexible on the price.

Thank you again for your help.