ddpaltro

I'm trying to figure out which bike to buy. I've researched Hybrid/Fitness/Gravel/Adventure/Dual Sport bikes and I'm not sure which bike to go with. I'm 51, 5'7", and 133 lbs. I expect to get up to speed fairly quickly (though maybe I'm deceiving myself... this can be a trick to get me "out there" again). Here's what I'm looking for: I would like a bike I can grow with and has versatility and is relatively light. I live in Los Angeles and would like to have a bike that can do pavement and dirt roads. In terms of dirt roads, I hope to be able to do fire roads, and some light mountain biking (maybe). I do not expect to do single track mountain biking nor do I expect to race at this point. My budget is up to $1000. I've been curious about the Trek FX2, the Cannondale Quick (I don't know which one), Cannondale Quick CX (again, don't know which one), and the Specialized Sirrus (I don't know which one). I'm leaning toward the Trek FX2.... but I don't know. Any guidance would be appreciated! Thank you in advance.

Speedway2

dispaltro...after a 30yr hiatus it's great that you want to return to cycling. I took some time off too (life stuff happens) but not 30yrs. TBH you need to be realistic as to what your riding will entail. Nothing would be better than getting one bike to do it all (think Swiss Army knife) but there's going to be some compromise.
The Trek FX2 looks like a nice bike. I'm not a fan of fork suspensions on Hybrids (but that's me). If you want more out of your Return to Cycling bike you can always change a few things...tires, seat, pedals etc. On the other hand you can buy another bike to add to the herd....never a bad thing

ddpaltro

Spoedway2, Thank you so much for your reply and encouragement! I‘m excited!

mc2002tii

I have a Trek FX 2 Disc and my son has a DS 2 Disc so I can give you some comparisons between similar Trek models. Like you, I bought the FX 2 after years of not cycling; I figured I would be riding mostly on neighborhood roads with occasional dirt or gravel trails.

The FX 2 is a very good road bike as far as hybrids go. It is light(-ish) and it has what are essentially wide road tires. It isn't fun on gravel. Dropping the tire pressure from street levels would help, but the smooth tires don't inspire much confidence off-road. Also, the frame is pretty rigid so you'll get tired from feeling the bumps in the seat and the handlebars quickly.

My son's DS 2 is noticeably heavier than the FX 2, probably due to the front suspension, but the tires and front suspension make it much better off-road. On the other hand, when we've been riding together on paved trails you can tell he is working much harder than I am to maintain speed.

One thing that the 2018 FX 2 and the 2019 DS 2 share is an absolutely terrible front derailleur; I think Trek is still using the same components in 2020 on these models. I finally tweaked mine to optimize 2-3 shifting up front since that's all I use on the road, but that was at the expense of barely being able to shift down to 1. My son's seems a little better, but he mostly shifts between 1 and 2.

One thought about your situation: have you considered getting something cheap used and see what kind of riding you actually like after your hiatus? I discovered that I really like road cycling and wish I had gotten a real road bike, but it took me about 6 months to figure that out. Most likely once I get the money, I'll buy a road bike and keep the FX 2, but swap on some gravel tires for better light off-road use. I probably could have saved some money by starting with a ~$350-$400 used hybrid first.

TakingMyTime

Op, from what you're describing the FX2 sounds like a good starting point. Since you've mentioned a budget of $1000 this helps you with other things. Although I'm pretty sure that FX2 comes with 32mm tires, if you find yourself out on fire roads and places like that, the bike will surely accept a wider tire that would increase your off-road comfort. The extra money can be spent for the essentials... helmet, pump, water bottles and cages etc. Once getting into this you'll probably find yourself spending $75 - $200 on "essentials". It can sneak up on you pretty quick.

But as mentioned in another post, don't expect this bike to do everything for you. I wouldn't count on it being overly-capable in the mountains without some upgrading. With that said, it's a great entry level hybrid to get your feet wet with.

Mtl01

I bought a FX2 with disc brakes last year (2019 model) and have put around 1200 kilometres on it with no issues. It's been a great bike on almost all road surfaces. I'm generally on pavement but do some tight packed gravel routes and it works fine on that. It came with 700 x 35 tires which I quite like.

Part of me wishes that I had gone up a couple of models now that I'm starting to do more miles. The FX3 is in your price range and has a carbon fork which is supposed to be a better than the aluminum fork (a bit less vibration).

One thing I have noticed with a hybrid is that the wind can be a bit problematic at times as you are so upright. It's quite noticeable if you ride in open areas as opposed to mostly urban areas. I have been considering getting a road bike (with drop bars) at some point. I was looking at a Trek Checkpoint and was very tempted. Nothing wrong with owning multiple bikes, lol.

Anyway, the FX2 is a very good bike to start with and will handle a lot of what you want to do. As pointed out above, no bike does everything (e.g. the FX2 is no mountain bike).

Jtsweeep

I was in the same boat as you a few weeks ago. I'd say my riding needs are very similar to yours and I was debating between a Trek FX or a Trek Dual Sport. After doing a bunch of research, I ended up getting a Trek FX 3 (2020, $800) and subsequently regretted it. From what I read, it sounded like the FX bikes are fine on gravel/light dirt, and they are, but it won't be fun (fully agree with mc2002tii above). I contemplated putting on 38 or 40 tires but that would add $75-$100 on top of the price, which wasn't that appealing. In addition, the bike just wasn't comfortable for me.

Based on my amateur opinion, I would suggest getting the style you lean towards more. The FX skews towards road riding and the DS skews towards mountain biking. Personally, I enjoy mountain/light trail riding more so I should have gotten the DS. I have tried some gravel and light trails on the stock 32 tires and it was not confidence inspiring at all. Ultimately, I returned the bike and am looking to get a DS style bike (hybrid with front suspension).