ricknyc23

Hi all,
I currently own a Trek Series 7000 "comfort" hybrid. While the bike is comfortable enough, I think i would prefer to drop down a bit like the FX series hybrids. I originally purchased the bike for some short rides around town, but find that my weekend rides are longer than 15 or 20 miles. Could I just simply swap out the handle bars and stem for the "Fitness" hybrid affect instead of purchaseing a new bike?

Thanks.

CCrew

You'll probably want to lose the suspension front fork also. Yes, you can certainly change the handlebars, but that will push some weight forward which will compress the front suspension.

-R

cachehiker

I'd look into the stem first. The current 7000 series stem looks kinda funky, it's probably relatively heavy, and adjustable stems tend to start creaking after a while too. The steerer may not be long enough to accomodate a tall steerer clamp though. A flat bar is cheap too. Between the two you could potentially shed the better part of a pound and improve your aerodynamics a tad as well.

Some supple 28-32c tires would probably offer a big improvement but getting rid of the shock will eliminate a lot of wasted energy when you're working hard and starting to "bounce".

ricknyc23

Thanks for the response. Since the series 7000 does not have the suspension fork(7100 and above does) look like I'm good!

cachehiker

The 7000 has a threaded steel fork, a quill stem, and a 21-speed drivetrain. The frame isn't even butted aluminum so you'll have to be real careful about overspending. OTOH, online stores like chucksbikes.com, icyclesusa.com, nashbar.com, and ebay can be of assistance in making a few refinements. Watch the LBS box of take-offs too. A $10 stem, $10 flat bar, and $10 each to drop a couple of boat anchor parts like the suspension seatpost can make a noticable difference but the bike will never approach the performance of a road racer.

Spending a little more on parts like good tires, cyclocomputers, and clipless pedals is less of an issue. If chosen wisely, such parts can always be moved over to the next bike.

Panthers007

In bringing my Trek FX 7.5 to what I considered it's pinnacle of performance, I did not delude myself with visions of a racing bike. I have an excellent one of those tyvm. What I wanted was something that could be the best hybrid that it could be. To do this you need to ask: What sort of riding and terrain is this for? So a bit of off-roading is what it's made for, no screaming down mountains jumping boulders. And it's a comfortable road-bike also, but made to handle cracked, busted pavement without fear of it needing sweeping up into a bag like a carbon-frame in a bad pothole.

So I built it a set of strong, bombproof wheels with Mavic A719 rims and Ultegra hubs. DT DB 14-15-14 spokes. Didn't like the heavy-weight seatpost that was long enough to be a cane - A Ritchey Comp fixed that. Ultegra RD and Ultegra triple cranks ($160 on sale) to replace that thing it came with - some Octalink that felt like it was glued in place. And a Hollowtech II BB - of course. Good Avid SD 7's for brakes...get the idea? I determined that the frame on this Trek was worthy. In fact the 7.5 FX has about the same frame as the second to top FX - which is carbon - why would you want a carbon-frame for something that was going off-roading? Even just packed dirt and gravel? So I'm satisfied this hybrid is as good a hybrid as it deserves based on the quality of the frame.

It doesn't think it's a road-racing bike. Or an all-out mountain-bike. It's a hybrid. But what a hybrid really is is up to one's personal definition. It's a pretty much wide-open field.

Have fun with your 7000.