Wow, that is a big difference in speed.

If you don't get use to the bumps over the next few months, you should look at seatpost and saddle options that will help alleviate the bumps.

If you don't already have gloves, get some. They will help alleviate buzz and prevent nerve damage.

Hi all. New to forum. Just got a 2016 7.5 FX. I'll be 57 next week so it's kind of a birthday present to myself. I started riding about 5 years ago when my wife and I got bikes. I've been riding a Giant Cypress comfort bike but the more ride, the more I feel the weight and crave better gearing. So, shopped around and almost pulled the trigger on a Felt flat bar something or other with disc brakes. But, found it rather jarring in the seat over bumps. Then tried the FX and really liked it, seems to handle the bumps much better. Of course, since then (a week ago) I've been questioning if I made the right choice. There's a lot of chatter about "you must ride a road bike" but I find the drop bars a bit too aggressive. The 7.5 seems very close to a road bike with flat bars.

Now, here's my big concern and question. I'm 5'11'' with a 33" inseam, book spine to floor. I tried the 20" model which felt good but a bit cramped in the reach. The LBS folks suggested I try the 22.5" model and it felt better, really could stretch out my reach. I have about 1" clearance in bike shorts standing over the bar, which seems OK to me. But, all the specs say I should be on the 20" bike. I've read a lot of chatter online about the "correct" size frame and I can find opinions at both extremes so I'm pretty sure I'll be fine with this frame but I still have time to exchange it for the smaller frame under the 30 day guarantee. So, thought I'd ask for opinions on this. I'm probably looking to reassure myself but I'm interested in new information regarding this I can find.

Thanks I'll try that! Been a week and still trucking along, hoping to bike at least 3 days a week. New seat and proper gloves are in the cards for the future

Don't worry about chatter, you have 30 day to see it YOU like it. So ride, ride, ride and if it feels good keep it. If it feels wrong trade it in.

Thanks for the advise. I stopped into the LBS last night and explained my concern. These folks are great, very helpful. Said I could exchange for the smaller frame if I want, no problem. Also said we may just need a shorter bar tube, other adjustments, etc. Or, maybe even a different bike. (Something in me wants to like drop bars but every time I ride one I don't like the shifter positions. Much prefer the trigger shifter positions on flat bars.) I did ride the 20" version of the 7.5 FX again for comparison. Even with the same seat height something about it just "feels" smaller, not as "right" as the 22.5", which probably answers my original question. Going to ride the 22.5" a bit more this weekend and give a good workout and see. Been a bit cold here for serious riding lately (midwest).

Iarider, I answered a similar question in another thread:https://www.bikeforums.net/hybrid-bic...-fx-7-4-a.html


I am 5'11'' with average proportions, cycling inseam 33, and when I bought my first "real" bike, I was eyeball "fitted" for a 20" FX 7.4

The bike was fine until I started riding more than 20 or 30 miles, and actually figured out proper seat placement/height. This left the overall fit very aggressive with a drop to the bars - not what I wanted on a hybrid.

I now ride a 22.5 FX 7.9

fits perfectly with about a 1" drop to the bars, with my seat properly adjusted. When standing over the bar, just barely clear it, but honestly, one only NEEDS stand over room on a mountain bike, where you are much more likely to come off your saddle and smash the family jewels.

my $0.02

YMMV

New ride Mainly for short trips (under 30 miles), commuting, getting the groceries, city riding etc.



FYI, I'm 6'1" with long torso-short legs, and 20" fits perfectly.

Wow, that looks gorgeous.

I recently moved to an area with a lot of dirt trails so I decided to put 700x42 continental crossride tires on instead of the stock 700x32 tires on my 2015 7.3. They work great!! I only had to freak the breaks. Still fast with extra grip!

trek 7.3 fx 17.5

Nice! Congrats!

Trek seems to do black & white colour schemes better than it's rivals when it comes to hybrid bikes.

I saw a couple policemen today on Treks and I think they are the FX, in black. How cool is that.

Actually they are specifically made for cops. I have seen them also and kinda look like DS's to me.

Still loving my 7.3 fx wsd. Commuting about 4 of 5 days a week now, it's become really enjoyable

I've done two 25km distance rides so far. 19km/hr and the 2nd was 21.5km/hr. I have had zero training and wasn't huffing and puffing at all. I'm pretty impressed with this bike.

What kind of speeds are you guys averaging?

I think this is the widest tire I've heard of to fit on an FX, please post a few pics to see how the clearance is and demonstrate what "freaking" the brakes looks like

"Freaking" I meant tweak or adjust. I am having troubles uploading pictures with my phone. I only had to make minor adjustments to 1 of the break pads so the pad did not rub on the tire. As far as frame clearance I would guess 10mm of clearance on each side of the tire. I did use a larger tube otherwise the stock tube would have to stretch to fill the tire. I have 10 miles on the new tires and did not notice much loss of speed.
https://www.bikebling.com/Continental...shopping_feeds

Thanks for the pics, it's got me thinking........

Not sure if this is an american forum, but i am in scotland and planning to puchase my first bike. Im planning on getting the allant 7.4. Is there any benefits getting the fx 7.4 over the allant? I picked the allant because of the disc brakes but unsure of the fx 7.4 for carbon forks? I am a complete n00b to all of this havent ridden a bike in about 16 years but looking forward to this planning to use the bike on local cycle tracks and around the town. Possibly to work. Thanks

Congrats on the bike. The carbon fork will dampen some road vibrations.
I've test ridden a bunch of new bikes with carbon, and do like it.
But to me, it isn't a night & day difference.

I just tried a used version of the same bike and frame size today. I'm also 5'11", 33" inseam, about 165 lbs. The frame felt right to me, but the reach was uncomfortable (due to a longtime neck injury). Apparently the handlebar stem can be swapped for a shorter one, and a few spacers added to raise the bar, which would probably solve my only discomfort.

The bike felt very light and quick, and much smoother operating than my heavier comfort hybrid. About like the difference between driving an Audi or BMW vs a 1960s Cadillac. Maybe a bit twitchy, but it's been decades since I had a road bike and probably would need some time to get adjusted.

But I might be looking at the wrong bike for my body too. The neck injury will always be a limiting factor. I'd like a lighter bike but not at the cost of too much discomfort to enjoy riding.