Crossrip 2. I find it remarkable that I was ultimately able to get the FXs6 Domane/carbon with Shimano 105 group for about $100 more than than I paid for the Crossrip 2. The FXs6 certainly seems like a lot more bike. I put 30 miles on it yesterday and found myself having to consciously slow down to keep my heart rate in the 140 range. That bike just wants to roll. Ergon saddle and (finally) the 40 degree/120mm stem and I could ride that bike all day.

I find it remarkable that you average faster on a flat bar vs a drop bar. What do you attribute the difference to? What is it that makes the FX-S6 so much more lively? More road-oriented geometry? I'm not sure I understood what tires you used to run on the Crossrip and what you have now on the FX...

The Crossrip had 700x32c, compared to the FX with 700x25. The FX is lighter and stiffer, and its geometry makes it a quicker and better-handling bike for me...substantially more fun. As to the bars, I never rode the drops on the Crossrip, always rode the hoods or the bars, so the drop handlebar did nothing for me except give me an extra hand position that was just too uncomfortable to sustain for long rides - it certainly didn't give any speed advantage.

What I've noticed is that when I'm riding a course I usually ride, same paved terrain, I find that riding at a heart rate of 145-150 just feels like putzing along on that bike compared to the Crossrip, so I up the speed, and find that on Cylcemeter and iCardio, my average heart rates on the FX are higher because I choose to ride that bike faster because it just feels like that bike wants to go faster.

Most flatbars will give you more torque than drop bars, a wider bar gives you more power, especially on climbs. The FXS6 is basically a road bike with flat bars.

I have a FXS6 and I ride around 25 miles almost everyday, and I’d say that 99% of the drop bar bikes I see the rider is always on the top bar.

Just sold my 7.3 for 1,600 riyals with a few accessories (water bottle and cage, inner tubes, saddle cushion, cheap pump) thrown in. Between the 7.6 - which I also have up for sale - and the two Dahons, it was just sitting there gathering dust. I'm eyeing a couple of other Dahons (a Mu D8 and a Vigor D9) at a local sporting goods shop; just waiting for them to announce an end-of-year fire sale. That's where I found my groove: the 20" wheel.

I guess it's true that the FX S6 is more of a road bike and the Crossrip is more of a light off-road machine. Handlebar style can be misleading nowadays. If you don't use the drops or the hooks much, I guess you wont see much of a benefit. On a long downhill however or in a strong headwind, the Crossrip would probably smoke the FX.

Probably, but I don't care about how fast my bike goes, and don't enjoy drop bars anymore. I have probably10,000 miles on my Paramount Series 5 over the last 25 years, but I've moved on. And if I want to ride off-road, I'm going all-out and taking my Farley EX8, which is also a blast to ride, and head for the singletrack.


Bottom line, that carbon FXs6 (flat-bar Domane) is a joy to ride, whereas that drop bar CrossRip was always a kind of a chore.

Could one say that the s6 is more of a single purpose bike while the crossrip is a bigger compromise? Two very different directions in hybridization...

Who knows? All I know is that whatever my CrossRip was trying to be, it wasn’t working for me. My dealer was willing to switch that bike over to flat bars, which was my main attraction to the FX series, for $400 or so. I thought about that until I had an opportunity to ride the FXs6, at which point I realized that no amount of lipstick was going to make that CrossRip into a bike that met my desires as well as that carbon FX.

Anyway, the only thing that separates that 2017 FXs6 from being a top-notch gravel bike is its tires. I’m ok with it as a road bike. It meets my current needs better that any previous road bike I’ve ever owned.

haven't been on this bike in several months. time to give it some winter miles

Hello guys! Glad I found Bike Forums and this Trek FX thread. I just ordered a 2018 FX S 6 Saturday. Having VP-69 pedals swapped on. And, I'm having Jagwire Brake Pads installed to upgrade the Tektro HD-R310 brakes. I'll see how the Montrose Comp seat does for now.

Changed my mind on the pedals. Going with the Shimano Saint MX80 . Great reviews. They will go with my all Shimano components theme too. I will eventually swap in Shimano brakes. Haven't looked at those yet. May do that next Fall.

Got an email today that the FX was ready for pick up! So, I went to pick her up right from work. She's a fine machine. First thing I did was remove all the reflectors and stickers. Now, she looks right. They weren't able to swap on the Jagwire brake pads so, I'll be running stock Tektro until I decide on which Shimano brakes I want. The Shimano Saint pedals are really nice. They look great and the cleats hold my foot in place very well.

look forward to seeing it!

Thanks! 4 more posts.

Looking forward to your FX S 6 review! I'm looking at the FX S 5 myself.

The S 5 is a great bike. I like the color scheme with the splashes of red. The S6 scheme is a little plain. You can't go wrong with a Tiagra set either.

Thinking about doing an indoor trainer. Might be able to get outside a little bit on Sunday. It's going to warm up some but then, snow.

Now, I can get some pictures posted tomorrow. I think.

i went from 32c tires to 25c tires on my fx 7.4 and it was a night and day difference. i definitely got the same feeling that the bike wants to roll forever - this definately makes the ride so much more enjoyable. the fatter tires, in my opinion, are great for rough roads but if you are riding on smooth roads, the thinner tires with higher psi are a dream to ride on.

I've said this in other posts. I think trek's marketing makes it so they dont put thinner tires on their lower # trek fx bikes. this way, they get to perpetuate "want a faster bike? get a higher end fx model" and unfortunately many people fall for this (myself included when i was starting out in the fx series).

sure, there are tons of other differences between for example the fx3 and fx6 BUT the thinner tires contribute probably a majority in the difference in speed at that price point.

having said this, my fx4 with 25c tires is my favorite bike now - especially since i ride the same 5.5 mile loop that has 85% buttery smooth roads. i love my 7.4 fx more than my 16 pound $3,400 carbon emonda. please dont tell the road bike forum i said this haha

LOL We won't tell sh00k. Needless to say, I am also a huge Trek fan. My 7300 gave me 6 years w/o a single issue. Not even a flat or a tune up. But, I love all the Cannondales, Felts, Giants and Specialized bikes too. I was going to buy a Felt Verzaspeed 3 but there were none to be found in my size. So, I went with the 6. Glad I did. Got a great bike with a great frame and great components for a lot less. Did I say how great my 6 is?

I just placed an order for a 2018 FX S5. I should have it in about a week. Can't wait to put some miles on it, building up my endurance for my mountain biking!

Congratulations! I'm sure you're gonna love it. Don't forget pictures!

I'm contemplating converting the tires on my 2017 FXs6 to tubeless.

- wheels/tires...Bontrager AW2 Hard-Case Lite, 700 x 25c

Bontrager sells a TLR rim strip I see...https://www.trekbicyclesuperstore.co...e-258688-1.htm . Not much sizing info...it's 17mm wide. Is this the rim strip I need for my wheels?

I've been looking at tires also. The tubeless seen pretty tempting. Which ones are you looking at? I have AW2 now. Thanks for the link to the rim strip.

The AW2's and the wheels that came on my FXs6 are tubeless-ready. IIUC, all you need is the rim strip, the valves, and a couple of ounces of sealant. No tape required.

I talked with my Trek dealer this afternoon...he said that TLR Road rim strip that I linked is the correct one for my 700x25c, along with the 32mm silver road valve stems.

Conversion to tubeless has quite the rabid cult following (like a lot of bicycling trends) - so much so that it makes me suspicious. I've been resistant to the trend, but recently succumbed and converted my Farley EX8 to tubeless. It's cheap to do and is reversible if it turns out to be a big PITA. I'll get out and ride it if and when the temps get above 0F. I couldn't care less about the static weight savings but I'm hoping that the decrease in rolling weight will make it worth the effort.



,,,