MorganRaider

I thought Red and Black was University of Cincinnati colors. Go CATS !!

c8user@aol.com

Your right, Rutgers is really red and white., but they use a lot of black. Labor day should be a good game between the Cats and Knights.

MorganRaider

I agree. First one out of the box. Rutgers is a tough venue to play if you are the visiting team.

4PM ESPN !!! Good luck to both our teams.

c8user@aol.com

IMy daughter and son are both season ticket holders being Rutgers Alumni. My daughter play Rutgers Soccer and my son was on the hockey team. My daughter will be there at the game and my son will be watching live at midnight in the Middle East. He'll be back next month to see the rest of the season.

sh00k

LOL guys. just to address what was asked before

- you can definitely still mount a mirror even if you have bar ends. if you take a look in the 'post a picture of your hybrid' thread, you will see 1 or 2 people have done this and it looks great.

- lol @ the warning sticker on the fork. my 7.7 came with so many warning stickers, it's not even funny. the one on the fork was the 1st one i took off. thats the biggest sticker on the bike.

c8user@aol.com

First of all, Rutgers Suck. Should have started Savage, the freshman.
I was looking at the Ergon GC3. they look really sharp, but can a mirror be stuck in the end. I have e-mailed the company, but no answer yet.

sh00k

^im not sure but im ordering the gc3's myself too - the larger model.

sh00k

update --

I added toe clips to my ride yesterday... this way i can see the difference with minimal $ spent... man, what a difference they made... my legs are killing me today after taking out my ride for 5 miles yesterday w/toe clips on.... i'm able to accelerate so much faster now that you pedal in both motions - up and down...

i didnt tighten the straps to any degree. in fact, they're so loose, i can easily slide in and out of them and can even put my foot angled into them without an issue. this way i can get used to them. it'd be too dangerous to keep my feet in there too tight...

this is a good mod for now. maybe for xmas, i'll get biking/clipless pedal shoes.

common man

if you don't mind my asking...how much did you pay for the 7.5? i want one too. i live in philly so i'll have to drive 25 minutes for wilmington delaware to avoid paying tax. bikeline is my back up and their fixed price for the 7.5 is 820 (you can't haggle there). in march they have a sale where they take 50 off. so for 770 including tax, i can get the 7.5. even if i went to my lbs to haggle, what's the cheapest they'd sell it...700? with tax that's 740. for 30 bucks i'd rather just do it hassle free. for service i can go to the bike line near me.

sh00k

*most* dealers (if not all) that say they cant haggle are lying through their teeth. a dealer here in nyc told me not only will they not haggle on trek's prices on their site, they also have to charge me shipping + tax + assembly if i ordered my 7.7 from there.... i LMAO'd and left the store KNOWING that you can haggle almost anywhere.

i know it's a pain, but if you can, look at LBS' within a 50-75 mile radius. altho it's a drive, the savings could be worth it if you can save the cash. also call in and see if they have certain models on the floor. dealers haggle more on prices of bikes that are sitting on the floor as opposed to models they have to order.

qmsdc15

Toeclips are designed to keep your feet positioned on the pedal. Don't pull up on them.

c8user@aol.com

Since I did mention his name, which I probably shouldn't have, I say in the low 700's. He's 45 miles away so service is sort of a problem. When I bought the FX I did take the Navigator with me for a tune up.

I am also looking into clipless pedals but know nothing about them. Thanks for any help or options.

WCoastPeddler

Incorrect. While they do keep your feet positioned correctly, they are designed to allow you to pull up as you pedal.

Panthers007

Point down with one foot, and make like your rubbing dog**it off your other foot in the pedal-stroke.

Glad someone around here discovered the pleasures of toe-clips on a hybrid. I use the MKS-alloy with the leather-toes. Nice!

WCoastPeddler

I also use them on my hybrid.

Riverside_Guy

Wow, maybe it's that I have a serious aversion to attaching anything too tightly to me. I've always cut the wrist straps off my ski poles and removed the toe clips when I first got my bike.

Could it be yesterday you spent most of your ride in headwinds? Over this summer, I seem to come to the conclusion that for me, such winds really kill all the enjoyment out of a ride. Yes, 50+% I do for fitness, and headwinds sure do ratchet up that, but it also kills my enjoyment level. I have consistently found that wind is really problematic at times by riding along the edge of a river as much as I do... many time they quote 5 mph, but on the water it's far stronger. AND yesterday and today they are talking 15 gusting to 25 so I am doing my alternative (which allows me the opportunity I don't have while riding, to spend time mashing on an orthotic which is very slowly putting my plantar fasciitis to rest).

sh00k

^ maybe it was the lack of headwind but after a couple of more longer rides, i'll be able to tell you for sure. i know that i am now able to get up to 18-19mph by peddling my a$$ off on the seat as opposed to getting off of it and pushing down with my whole body. im going to try that on the trails the next time i get to ride - hopefully tonite! i was usually able to get to about 15-16 mph but did notice the improvement with toe clips. maybe i just peddled harder, i duno. i'll post my results later.

one thing i noticed - the difference in results from a 20 mile ride and a 30 mile ride are huge. i did my 1st 30 mile ride a week ago or so and i noticed that my quads got HUGE... LOLOLOLOLOLOL.... i was literally shaking after that 30 mile ride (mostly in headwinds) so i think im going to do 30-milers from now on... i did a lot of 20 mile rides but the 30 miler really gave me a chance to drill my muscles harder.

Infinitedreams

Sh00k,

What kinda of warranty did you get on that Trek 7.7FX? Reading some of the other threads here on the Hybrid forum that touch on the subject of carbon forks has got me skeered all of a sudden. I'm getting paranoid that I might crash a year or two into the bike and be SOL.

I still have quite some time to go before I make my first significant bike purchase. Currently I have a throwaway that I bought for $70 at my local target, virtually everything stopped working on it within 1 week but it gets me out and gives me a real good workout...just not as fast as I'd like.

Reading this thread about your happiness with 7.7FX and seeing the Specs on the 7.7FX on bikepedia has got me drooling. I love the beautiful white. The Trek 7.5 FX and the Sirrus Comp were my front runners for a Hybrid under $1000 but the 2010 7.7 FX looks real nice and has some nice components although it's double the price. A fast Hybrid is really what I'm looking for...one that will be used on paved bike paths and surface streets.

I am new to bicycling and have been reading and learning alot simply by reading on this forum. The 7.7FX seems to be closer to a true 'road bike with flat bars' than the 7.5 FX because of the crankset and it being a 10 speed. It seems most of the roadbikes I've looked at online have a 50+ tooth Cog and are designated 10 speeds. I'm wondering if the 7.7FX is substantially faster than the 7.5FX?

What is the difference between the two? Is it faster? Is it just better quality components? Is it worth paying twice as much?

The 7.5FX is 9 speed and the 7.7FX is a 10 speed. I'm just starting to have a limited understanding of the chainring and the cassette but the 9 and 10 speed has me confused. Would someone mind explaining to me what component dictates whether a bike is an 8,9, or 10 speed? And what bearing, if any, does it have on the speed of a bike?

Randy Bosma

I'll figure that you've probably gotten your answer by now, but when I asked a few weeks ago the answer was 'no'. Three similar models that will work with a bar-end mirror are GP1, GC2, and GR2. My GR2 standard / large / magnesium barend grips are on order with my LBS.

sh00k

The famous answer - it depends. For workouts and workout alone, a 7.2 fx is more than enough. the difference in speed betw the 7.5 and the 7.7, as many people have said on the forum, is based on rider performance. i personally wanted something i didnt have to upgrade (buy wheels later, etc etc etc) so i went with a high end model off the bat. i compare it to buying a car - you can get a the same model with all options/bells/whistles or you can get the entry level option, for a lot less, and upgrade the hell out of it how you want.

for speed - thinner tires, toe clips do help but, again, this depends on rider conditioning as well.

the components on the 7.7 are unreal. the shifts occur so quickly, smoothly and transparently... i am still amazed each time i ride how quickly the gears change and how silent the drive train is. the only time the drivetrain makes any noise is when the chain moves from one ring to the other. since the components are also so light, when you stomp on the pedals, the bike lurches forward - moreso than my 7.2. you can really get up to speed sooo quickly on this. there are times where i slow down to a crawl while passing someone - and when i have the space to pass, i slam on the pedals and i over-take them really really quickly.

i can go on for days with pro's and con's but it comes down to this - do you want a high end bike with high end parts off the bat? or do you want a bike you can upgrade over time? as for me, im only upgrading parts when something breaks but i take such good care of my things that i honestly dont think this bike is going to break in the next 20 years i dont lock it up outside, it's never in the rain, and it stays in my livingroom... seriously

as for gearing - the smallest ring in the front - i almost never use that. trek gives you a ton if lower gears - great for tons of hills, etc, but i almost never use it... my rides are 100% flat - no hills whatsoever - so it's literally a wasted gear for me. the top ring on the front is the one i use the most. i can get up to 23mph on the bike while peddling as i sit.

i hope this helps somewhat. you really have to guage what you want to use the bike for, if the price differences will really make sense to you or not. best of luck and ask a ton of questions. the 2010 7.5 is a sweet bike - and i love the paintjob/red tires, and the components are great! but it all depends on what -you- want. i personally have no regrets about buying the 7.7 nor do i have any complaints. adjusting the seat takes some time because the mechanism sort of gets loose from time to time but this is very minor. i adjust it after every couple of rides or so.

sh00k

i did a 10 mile ride yesterday --

it was my first long ride with the toe clips and it definitely made a difference. i rode about 10.5 miles and averaged 14.1 mph. i got the bike to 22mph without huffing and puffing. LOL. it was an excellent ride.

so far the bike has about 60 miles on it. very low, i know. i just have not had the time to ride recently.

Infinitedreams

Thanks for the feedback Sh00K!

What kind of warranty were you offered on the 7.7FX?

Riverside_Guy

Thanks for all the info on fx bikes... my 750 has really served me pretty well, so any replacement probably will come from Trek. I kinda focused on the 7.3 at first, but the more I ride, the more I think I'd be better served a bit farther up the line. I figure by the end of next summer, I'd REALLY be able to appreciate the component upgrades and agree I'd rather do it in the beginning rather than afterwards.

I'm also starting to get the concept of the forks in carbon and the damper on the seatstay on the 7.5 and up. I'm still unsure of $660 going 7.6 to 7.7, component leaps from model to model seem to run under 300 bucks except for that jump.

No hills at all? Could there be big differences in what some call a hill and some call a grade? I seem to run into steep and short (i.e. the Greenway detour at 93rd or so going south) or not so steep but long (several of which are on the CP loop). When I started, I'd drop into granny... but even as I built some actual muscle, they were difficult for me. Then I got a light bulb moment, and I simply got out of the saddle. Granny gear seemed to suck so I ended up around 38:15 (approximately, haven't counted the exact cogs on my rear gearset). So I stay mostly in the 48 front now, only dropping into the 38 for "hills."

14.1 on the Greenway? I have hit that average once, but the headwinds can kill me there! Same w/the CP loop, again, dropping out of that average when it's windy. BUT for the life of me I simply can't get my bike over 25.5, even on a downhill (best one I found was right at the North Meadow on the East Drive in CP), in top gear, peddling like crazy.

sh00k

inifinite - from trek, you get lifetime on frames, then limited on the components which varies per component. from my bike shop, unlike the shop i got my 1st bike from, they are giving me lifetime free tuneups and any small adjustments. the shop guys said as long as i dont ask them to fix a broken part (for free), they can make as many adjustments as i needed. this was an awesome add in.

riverside - anytime. yeah, i had some headwinds too but when i didnt, the bike FLIES! i do not have a shop, i have a very limited set of tools so that's the other reason why i didnt want to start buying/swapping out parts. i also put air in the tires before each ride until they are rock hard.

on my 1st trip on the greenway, i took a 30 mile ride. from 42nd street, all the way to dykman (210th street or so), then all the way down to battery park, then back to 42nd! i realized that the path beyond 80th street is a little rough /grainy, so i am sticking to 80th street and below from now on. the path is really smooth there and that is where this bike shines. i dont recall any grades, no hills, so i consider that pretty flat.

there is a huge hill on the bike path below the gw bridge. on my trek 7.2, i hit 28mph going down the one time. i am absolutely terrified of trying that hill on the 7.7..... the wheels feel like they want to roll forever. they spin so freely, im sure i can get up to 35mph if not more on that crazy hill. but i definitely dont want to find that out by doing it. LOL.

and as my good friend MattyA had always suggested - there was a significant improvment in speed with the toe clips. i recommend them to anyone that will be riding on a bike path. they are far too dangers (for me, anyway), to ride in the streets with... im very very cautious when riding with them on in the streets. im even considering taking the straps off and keeping the plastic clips on. i'll post pics of my pedals when i get a chance.

Riverside_Guy

I usually start around 103rd (I'm at 104/50 yards to the Park) and go north or south alternatively. Yeah, a lot of frost heaves makes for a bumpy ride north (the bumpy part really starts around 103rd, south of that is wide like around the boat basin, but less crowded... then there's the detour up into the second level, which is actually kind of nice), so I tend to do that one less often. BUT it make a great test track for a suspension bike!

Not so sure at this point if I can make it up that hill under the GWB! I've come a long way since June when I got back on the bike, but I think I need more conditioning before I tackle it properly.

If you go north again, stop right before that hill, just south of the lighthouse are some very small, kinda dirty, actual sand beaches!

I have an inherent dislike for things attached to me in any way during 'sporting" activity. Back when I was doing a lot of skiing, I was the only guy on the hill who immediately cut the wrist straps off my poles. I was good enough to easily justify pretty high end equipment and I never, ever injured my wrists and I was damn sure if they had been strapped onto me, I'd have put some serious hurting on them!