sgmetz

Just bought a Trek7500FX that I will be using for road and light trail cycling in Buffalo,NY... probably 20-50 miles on weekends and shorter rides during the week. Good choice of bike? or will I be trading up soon? I'm 23 and in good shape but am new to biking. Also wondering about the clipless pedal thing... pros/cons? and what type/brand of shoe? Don't want to get crazy on the prices!

Jarery

Trek 7500fx is what i bought. For the price range its a fine bike, and it served its purpose it got me hooked. Its well built and has great value for its price.

It didnt take long for me to upgrade though, but...it did take me 4-5 months to know what I wanted to upgrade into. My requirements changed several times as I got more and more hooked and cycling became more ingrained in my life. Im glad i didnt spend more initialy on something that wouldnt suit me now.

Clipless are great, probably the single biggest performance upgrade. I first bought a set of mtn bike shoes I got in a bargain bin for 75% off. the only con for clipless, is if you go on short 1 mile rides to the store. Pain to change shoes, but some pedals can be used both ways.

Best thing to do, is buy nothign immediatly. Ride ride and ride some more. get comfortable with long rides. Then adjust/upgrade what you figure needs it. That gives you time to research too.

alanbikehouston

You have a great bike for the sorts of riding that most people do. I prefer BMX style pedals because they work well with every shoe that I own...tennis shoes, running shoes, dress shoes, sandals.

Your bike can be tailored for the sort of riding you chose to do. If you need to ride in rainy weather, you can add fenders. If you want to do week-end touring or shopping, add a rear rack and saddlebags. If you want to take long, all day rides, put on the lightest slick tires that will fit on your rims. For trail rides, just put on beefier tires with an aggressive thread pattern.

As time goes on, you may want a second or third bike. A mountain bike. A road bike. Even then, you are likely to find many rides for which your current bike is the best choice.

slvoid

I suggest holding onto it for about 6 months before thinking about upgrading. At that point you'll know what you want. What I would get early is a set of clipless pedals.

Nachoman

Great bike. I've got the old version of the 7500 as my beater bike. I got so many good years of hard core use out of that bike.