Midnight Blue

Glad I found this community. Having read numerous posts, it sure seems that the members here are well informed and like to share their experiences. Hopeful to get some solid recommendations for my situation.


The current bike shortage has made it very difficult to find the right bike as demo bikes are few and far between. Even getting to see some models in person has been challenging. Given all of that, looking for member feedback to help me decide which way to go.


A little background first... I will be 58yo next month. A couple of years ago I purchased a Trek Dual Sport 3 to far casual trips around the neighborhood and short rides with my kids. Last May as spring was in bloom and the pandemic was raging, I started riding on the local trail systems (mainly the Schuylkill River Trail and some connectors) and my passion for biking was ignited. Started venturing out on longer rides and exploring the local trail system of suburban Philadelphia which is quite extensive. My occasional rides turned into riding 5 days per week and 25-30+ miles per ride. In the last 12 months, I have logged almost 2700 miles and I am completely hooked. Riding is my outlet to clear my head, improve my fitness, and soothe my soul. I must ride.


I tend to ride solo and my average pace has been around 4' 25" per mile. The trails I ride (Cynwyd Heritage Trail, Schuylkill River Trail, Manayunk Tow Path, Perkiomen Trail, etc.) are mostly paved though there are segments of hard-packed earth, gravel, and wood plank boardwalks and bridges. I'm 6'1 and currently weigh around 177 though was as low as 167 last summer. Was over 230 a couple of years ago and would like to get back under 170.


My issue with my DS3 is mainly speed - seems like no matter how much effort I exert - even with the front fork suspension locked, I can not keep pace anywhere close to the road bikes that go whizzing by me while seemingly not pedaling any faster than I am. I also tend to experience fatigue on long rides and wrist numbness usually sets in around the 10 mile mark. Recently I added an adjustable stem to raise the handlebar which improved my comfort level a little bit.


Thanks for reading this far - thought the background info would be helpful.


So my objective is to find a new bike perhaps better suited to my current riding habits and will allow me to improve my overall pace and be better for longer rides (40-60 miles).


Spoke with two guys at my LBS and got two different recommendations: Trek FX Sport 6 and Trek Dumane AL5 or SL5. So the question comes down to a road bike with dropbars or a flatbar bike with road bike like mechanicals. I could probably quickly determine if dropbars would work for me if I were able to demo ride the bike but that is not possible, Would HATE to spend that kind of money on a bike and then regret it, The last dropbar bike I had was 20+ years ago and I remember experiencing neck pain from holding my head up which causes me to buy a more comfortable flatbar bike. But I was much heavier at that time and not nearly as fit as I am now - not sure that matters.


So my very longwinded question is which bike seems better suited for me and my riding style and objectives?


Thanks again for reading my long first post. Looking forward to reading your responses.

billridesbikes

I think you should go for the road bike with drop bars. Don't be scared of the drops, because they'll give you more positions and are actually more comfortable on long rides.

The drops give you a more aerodynamic position and above ~18mph speed is really your power and the aerodynamics of you and the bike, either more power or more aero make you go faster so more aero is 'free' speed.

I recommend to have the bike shop start with the top of the bars at hoods at least level with your saddle or even slightly higher to give you a more upright ride when riding on the hoods, where a lot of riding happens. Pictures of pros have given people the idea that the bars need to be >10cm lower than the saddle, but most of us don't have to put food on the table based on our racing results either. To avoid neck pain make sure your sun glasses fit really well and your helmet isn't too far forward so you have good posture in the drops to avoid holding your head at an odd angle.

MRT2

I would also say try drop bars. A lot of newer bars have very shallow drops and the bars themselves flare out. I have decided that if I switch out my current drop bars, I am going with a bar like that.
The problem with flat bars is, they are uncomfortable on the wrists and have limited hand positions. That said, you can always get an alt flat bar on your current bike to help with hand and wrist pain. I recommend something like this. https://velo-orange.com/collections/...r-22-2-dia-sil or this
https://www.somafab.com/archives/pro...rence-bar-31-8 or this
https://www.modernbike.com/product-2...oaAs-hEALw_wcB
https://surlybikes.com/parts/moloko_bar

None of these will help with your average speed, but they will give you more hand positions on your current bike.

daverup 

Midnight Blue From your description of the trails I wonder if a Gravel Bike is a better target. Dedicated road bikes may not do all that well on your unpaved portions.
It is possible that some of the "road bikes" whizzing around you might actually have been Gravel bikes. Gravel bikes usually have a bit wider tire with a little tread to help get you through the unpaved stuff. Gravel bikes usually have drop bars. The transition to drop bars might be easier if you also started with Cross Levers. They will allow you a bit more flexibility. If you've never seen them before, here is a pic,

billridesbikes

Doesn't the Trek Domane AL 5 have an endurance geometry and can take a max of 35c tires (no fenders)? Seems that's more than good enough for any short dirt or gravel sections.
I don't think you need to consider an all-road bike with 45c or 53c tire clearance for that kind of riding.

That said, I have been thinking about getting a Firefly FF-373 as my next 'adventure bike'. Hopefully that thought will go away when outside riding is in full swing.

Midnight Blue

Thank you all for the feedback, I will read your posts thoroughly and take them under advisement. Still hoping to be able to test the two bikes. Spoke today with the manager at the LBS who really thinks I should go FX.

The earth/gravel sections of the trails I ride are fairly short. Vast majority of trail is paved.

daverup 

Probably good enough with all terrain tires.
I think the OP will appreciate a much lighter bike, his dual sport is about 30lbs, the Domane AL5 is a little under 23lbs.

daverup 

The only thing I have to add is to agree with the earlier posts. Maybe drop bars will be more comfortable for you. The FX is straight bar, less comfortable in my opinion.

Midnight Blue

Yes. My DS3 is nearly 30lbs. The FX6 is 20.5lbs and the Domane AL5 is 22.5lbs.

ARider2

Find a place to rent a similar bike with drop bars and take it for a few rides. Then you will have a better idea of what is best for you.

argulator

I'm same age as you and have only been riding about a year on an fx3. You're hoofing it pretty good to ride that fast on the DS. I think you'll probably end up wanting a road bike. I'm ready to upgrade, but I'm hesitant to spend the money on a carbon hybrid when I feel like I'll eventually want the road bike. Thinking I will try a bit cheap used road bike to make sure before I invest in a good carbon bike.

Midnight Blue

The only bike rental shops in my area offer cruisers and indiego type city bikes - otherwise a good idea.

As I noted, if I could test ride both style bikes, this would be much easier.

ARider2

Did you try Fairmount bicycles they list road bike rentals on their website.

Midnight Blue

Thanks for the tip! Was not familiar with them, They do rent Jamis Ventura road bikes for what appears to be $45/day. Could possibly rent one and head straight to Art Museum and test the bike out on MLK or Kelly Drive.

Trav1s

My Quick 1 is light and surprisingly fast. I like yourself am getting back into riding after years on poorly fitting bikes. Most of my riding is surface streets to get to the local trails. I just switched to 35x700c from the original 30x700c. Ultimately I’m looking for a drop bar bike for the speed fix on solo rides. Don’t rule out the option.

brucedelta

I just bought an FX4 last month and I agree it was hard finding a bike to test. We are the same age and I wanted to start riding for fitness and intend to ride many of the same trails as you mentioned plus Chester Valley which is closest for me.
When shopping I wondered the same thing and was able to test a hybrid and gravel drop-bar bike at Keswick in Paoli. They seemed to have some bikes in stock and I would have liked to buy from them but they did not have what I really wanted. I did get to test the different styles there and decided that my neck was not ready for drop bars, maybe that will change as I get better at it, but I need to get started first. I just rode yesterday with a friend at the Shore and he had a drop-bar bike there but is not a serious rider. He commented about his neck bothers him when he rides this bike but not when he rides his mountain bike so he said he wanted to get a new bike like my FX. With strong ocean winds as we were going into them, I seemed to have some disadvantage as my upright position is more like a sail, but you do not see winds like that often on the trails around here like you get along the beach.

The Trek website seems to accurately show stock at Trek stores and that is how I found a bike in DE, but they also showed some stock in Wayne at the time, just not an FX4. They told me that I can get my service, adjustments, and tune-ups at any Trek store.

jaxgtr

If you are looking at the Domane, don't hesitate to look at the Trek Checkpoint, same geometry as the Domane, but if you want to ride the road you can, if you want to do path and gravel, you can put on some seriously wide tires. Worth a look.

Midnight Blue

Thank you all for your thoughtful comments and suggestions. I truly appreciate the support that this community has provided in my quest. Over time I hope to be able to provide commentary that others may find as helpful.

I ended up riding an acquaintance's drop bar road bike and it just didn't feel like my body would adapt well to that position over long periods of time. Around the same time, by chance, a dealer around 15 miles away happened to have one FX Sport 6 in stock though it had to be built. Told the dealer that I would like to test drive the bike and if that went well then I would purchase the bike. The dealer allowed me to take a fairly short test drive but it was enough for me to identify that the bike was considerably faster than my DS3 and while a bumpier ride, it was quite comfortable. So I made the decision to move forward with the FX Sport 6. Brought the bike home last night.

The weather was conducive for a ride late this morning as rain was likely late afternoon. Before my first ride, I moved my silicone stem-mount phone holder, a narrow ring bell, and a triangular bike bag from my DS3 to the FX 6. Then I installed my brand new SPIRGRIPS+ grips which was a Kickstarter months ago and I finally just received them. I mounted the Spirigrips just inside the shifters at around a 45-degree angle to the flatbar. Then I cranked up my Samsung Health app and departed on my first ride.

My route would take me on local roads to the Cynwyd Heritage Trail, down to the Manayunk Bridge, on to the Manayunk Towpath (packed gravel and boardwalk), back on to Main St in Manayunk to Kelly Drive, over the Falls Bridge, then on to MLK Drive to the Art Museum area, and then back again. This is virtually an identical route I make with my DS3 late last week. The total route was just under 22 miles.

My observations:

The FX 6 is considerably faster than my DS3. I completed the route with an average pace of 4'3 per mile and avg speed of 14.7mph. Pace on the DS3 last week was 4'28.with an avg speed of 13.3mph (the last 3 miles or so is all uphill).

Pedals - will take some time to get used to pedals with the toe cage. First time I had to come to a complete stop I totally forgot about them and almost had a spill. Need to build new muscle memory and perhaps eventually upgrade to clipless.

Drivetrain - For the entire ride, even the uphill climbs, I was able to ride using the larger front chainring. Did not need to drop it down to the lower chainring even once. Having an 11-speed cassette allowed me to make many gear changes to adapt to slope without disrupting cadence. The uphill segments seemed much easier to conquer on the FX 6 than the DS 3. There was a noticeable and significant improvement going uphill. Very impressed overall.

Ride Quality - The ride is much bumpier on the FX 6. This was most noticeable on the boardwalk plank segments of the Manayunk Tow Path. Don't know how effective the IsoSpeed frame is but surely the DS3 (with its wider tires) provided a smoother ride. On paved roads the FX was great but of course, the narrower tires will accentuate imperfections on the road surface. I have been using an aluminum water bottle in the cage but it really vibrates on the FX so I will likely switch to a plastic bottle which hopefully won't bang around as much.

Saddle - The stock Bontrager Montrose saddle will likely get replaced with something more comfortable for longer distances. Anyone have a recommendation for a more comfortable saddle?

Grips - This was my first ride using the new SPIRGRIPS+ and they definitely were worth the months of waiting. Mounted just inside the shifters, the Sprigrips provide an ergonomic hand position which is similar to riding the hoods. Using the grips puts me in a more aerodynamic stance as well as reducing stress on my wrists.

So yes it's been just one ride but so far so good! I will try to post pix over the next few days and will include some of the Spirgrips.

PDKL45

The FX 6 is a flat bar road bike (fitness bike) I think. I just got my own fitness bike and it's a revelation after a heavy steel touring bike.

A couple of points:

Pedals - You are never bound by the components that come with the bike. I ride Shimano mountain style SPD pedals with mountain shoes for commuting and weekend exploration rides, you build your muscle memory quite fast. If I ever ride flats, I find myself unconsciously twisting my foot to free it from non-existent clipless pedals when coming to a halt.

Ride Quality - It will feel bumpier, but you can adapt by being a more active rider, rising out of the saddle more frequently and choosing smoother lines, even on paved surfaces. Does the FX6 have tubeless ready rims? Wider tubeless tires run at a lower pressure may help with ride quality.

Saddle - I always use WTB comfort sport or comfort comp saddles (comfort comp preferably), when I can find them. They're nice and wide for comfort but acceptably light without too much cushioning material.

Grips - Like the SQ Labs inner bar ends, huh? They sound good.

Handlebar - Are you going to stay with the stock flat bar? I immediately switched the flat bar on my bike out for an Ergotec Moon Cruiser 31.8, but that's mainly for my neck and back health, to allow me to sit very upright.

The FX6 sounds like a great upgrade for you, though, and dialing in a new bike to fit your perfectly can be a lot of fun.

jaxgtr

Congrats on the bike.....those grips are cool.

Are far as the pedals, if you dont want clipless, try a platform pedal. My wife uses Xpedo Spry's, they are damn grippy and your feet will stay on those things. IF you are going to replace the saddle, check out the Bontrager Verse, while saddles are personal, I found them to be really comfy. I use a 135mm, my wife is still testing saddles and the 145mm might be the one, so far, so good.

jaxgtr

The Rim's are, but the Bontrager R2's are not, but they are nice tires. I put some on my wife's bike yesterday in 32's, max pressure is 70, but she run's her tires about 60.

SEATrek

I installed Rene Herse Bon Jon Pass 35's on my Trek 7.5FX, which has been replaced by a 2021 FX5 Sport and will be moving the tires over to it this weekend with the help of a friend. Very supple and very fast grippy tires. Much nicer than the stock Bontrager R1's that came on the FX5 Sport, which I will install on my old bike and sell it off.

brucedelta

Did you use the Spirgrips+ mtb or road? Since the Trek website says 31.8 for the handlebar, I am assuming you used the road. I want something like this for my FX4 and if they fit your bike I assume they will fit mine.

Midnight Blue

When I ordered the Spirgrips+ months ago, they were going to be mounted on my Trek DS3. The Kickstarter guys told me to order the 22mm version (MTB) as they confirmed the bar diameter for that model. By the time the grips arrived, I was in the process of procuring the FX Sport 6. I was able to mount the 22mm Sprigrips+ on the FX without issue, Currently mounted just inside the shifter, may consider moving between shifter and grip but I am reluctant to move shifters just yet as I am a novice and a little uncomfortable moving stuff around

About to go out on a ride and will try to grab some pix before heading out.

Midnight Blue

Thanks for the recommendations! I am going to stick with stock for a few rides and then decide on saddle and pedal replacement. The WTB saddles look really nice!