thinking about getting one to replace my schwinn.

just wanted to share, that is all.

Sounds good. However, if you can afford it, go for the FX line. It will pay off in the long run. Ask me how I know...................

okay......

how do you know?

Give a lot of thought to what Clyde said. I bought a 7100 because I considered it more comfortable than the FX series that I test rode. However, I think I made the wrong choice. For my type of riding, suspension is just not needed. That said, it is a comfortable bike for me. I just wish I had given performance more weight in my decision. Fortunately, I have since also bought a vintage road bike and a Trek 520 so all is basically well.

no suspension for me.....the 7000 is a fixed fork, and really really basic. 7-speed freewheel, and all the other points that would include (tho i have a much much nicer RD to replace the tourney it comes with, and changing to an IRD freewheel is as close as my toolbox)

Yes, you have a rigid. However, the shock post & seat were the 1st thing I got tired of. I broke the nylon pedals in about 2 weeks. Ditching the freewheel is a plus too. However, the factory rims are single wall & very prone to deflection problems / popping spokes.

I have a 7000 (if you haven't figured it out yet), and although I enjoy it, the more I rode it, the more I found myself changing out parts. So far I've changed out the bars, neck (comes loose alot), pedals, rear rim, tires, seat, seat post,etc..The bike got be back into riding after a long hiatus, but having to do it over, I'd buy the FX to skip all the "upgrades" and save some money while still having a fun, yet comfortable bike to ride.

I've got Trek 7300 and the crappy components on it break all the time. so far I've replaced the handlebars, pedals, cranks, shock seatpost and the entire drive train. the wheels aren't that good, the suspension fork sucks, the rubber shift grips have gotten all gummy and the stock seat is one of the most uncomfortable saddles I've ever sat on.

hybrids. meh.

well, here goes....i am looking for decent to move parts from a x-mart schwinn to a better (?) frame (i hope)

i use pedals with toe clips, so those would be going....the origin 8 space bar with a threadless adaptor would be going on it...an fsa seatpost to replace the bouncy one....the above mentioned RD to replace the tourney (which is no where near as bad as people make it out to be).
the trouble with the rims does worry me.

so maybe i get a bikes direct windsor then....

Well, if you have the parts, go for it. The rim has been an issue partly due to the fact that I'm 6'4 235 LBS.
I just didn't want you to go through what I did, not knowing. Like I said, I enjoy the bike, but I had to make changes.

changes?!?!?
customizing bikes?!?!?!?!
OMG who does that?!?!?!
some kind of nutcase....



seriously, my budget is way constrained. i am thiking about changing the frozen cheap-a** suspension fork from the x-mart schwinn to a rigid, but that is a whole can-o-worms i am not sure i am ready to open. i do the car-free thing, so information on the Trek and longevity is appreciated a whole lot. plus, the Trek is available locally and (hopefully) i can get fitted rather than off the shelf at x-mart.
i have been looking at the windsor stratford, tho.

https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/.../stratford.htm

FWIW, I've had a Trek 7000 for two years and commute on it to work about 3x/week, 6 miles each way.

The pedals are its weakest link. One broke, and I replaced both with better ones.

But otherwise, it's done just fine. I, too, would go with an FX if I were to do it over again - I find myself trying to make the 7000 "imitate" the FX by shoving its handlebars down and forward, etc. But for what it is, the 7000 is just fine - I think it's in a great spot, price-wise and feature-wise, for people making the transition from toy-department bikes to bike-store bikes.

oh....so, is the 7000 a sit up and beg, or....?
i do like a "sporting" position." not roadie style, but not english gentleman, either....
i might.....MIGHT be able to stretch to the fx 7.1 (it is the same price as the specialized crosstrails i have looked at)


(i will defend my schwinn by stating it has served me well, upgrades have gone well, but the cheap suspension, and lack of available information on it is a pain in the backside. cheapest way out is to do the rigid fork, but what if the BB goes? what size? questions like that....)

The frame itself seems to be the same set up (geometry) as the fitness bikes, rather than the sloping top tube of the more comfort - oriented ones. So, you can get a sportier position out of it (dropping the neck, setting the seat right, etc will help too) but more so with the neck adapter, shorter rise bar and standard seat post. It's not a beach cruiser.

So, echoing what I said, the 7000 has been a good bike for me for the last 2 years. I usually ride 15 - 20miles on it a night 5 days a week and am now averaging 16 mph. A big change from when I bought it. The more I rode, the faster / further / more efficient I wanted to become (go figure). As a result, I replaced a lot of parts.

Perhaps I came off bashing the bike at first. That was not my goal. So, take your pick. Just choose wisely. an extra 100 bucks now seems to = 300 down the road.

From the bike shop, the 7000's handlebars are slightly above the seat; its saddle is overstuffed.
Not so with the FX series.
However, the 7000 isn't a beach cruiser or English 3-speed "sit up and beg" design, either.

I've been as far as 20 miles in one day on my 7000 (haven't tried anything longer); I've been up to 30 mph on a downhill; I've carried dozens of pounds of equipment and groceries on the rear rack I installed, plus myself.

It's a capable bike. It's not the most efficient or "fastest", but then it's also pretty inexpensive.

If you can afford the FX and like it better, then go with the FX. You should ride both. I did; I liked the FX better; I didn't want to pay that much. I was quite happy to settle for the 7000 because it was such a big step up from anything I'd ever owned up to that point and it was certainly "good enough". Even though I now would like something a little more aggressive, it still is.

cool all around....thanks everyone

Did someone forget to lock the Troll-Cage? I see it's back again.

troll cage...?
for whom?

Not for you. Think of the word: "Negativeness" and scroll back a few.

I own a Trek Multitrack 7000 that I bought in 2005. Now has several thousand miles on it. Originally purchased just to run around town with the with the 2004 Trek Navigator 100 used for trail rides. The lighter 7000 seemed ideal for quick trips around town in traffic.

After I bought it I did have two spokes fail in the rear wheel which the LBS took care of under the warranty. Trek, and others, had some spoke problems due to a batch of steel used to make them. But after the two spoke failures there have been no problems with them.

After I wore out the original Bontrager tires that came on it I switched over to Continental Travel Contact tires. A bit high priced but they made a big improvement in how the bike pedals and handles. I use the 7000 on asphalt streets and trails and "stone dust" trails. An average ride is usually between 40 and 50 miles in a day. Traded out the cushy seat for a road bike type seat. For the price it is tough to beat if I just want a day out on a trail.

just trying to keep people from wasting their money on Trek 7000 series hybrids is all; I've become extremely dissatisfied with mine after a lengthy multi-year trial (2001 model bought new, ridden through ~06 or 07) and thought people could learn from my experiences.

I ride a completely different bike now which would also classify as a hybrid that I'm very happy with, but I don't particularly self-identify as a hybrid rider, not sure why anyone would want to do that.

If your job was working on a hog-farm, with the task of collecting the sperm of prize-winning hogs to perpetuate the line, I'm pretty sure that you'd like to be called a "hybrid rider."

Actually I've never heard a person being identified as any sort of rider - except in print perhaps. I find 'cyclist' or 'bicycle-rider' in use. But not to the degree of specification of a particular type of bicycle.

roadies, freak bikers, BMXers and MTB riders are all identified by the types of bikes they ride. hybrids are kind of like the bastard child of road bikes and mountain bikes, and do neither all that well, IMO. I prefer European-style city bikes which are similar to but more than subtly different from US market hybrids. I've got an Irish made Trek L400 city bike built for the European market, which I like a whole lot better than my Trek 7300 hybrid built for the US market.

"I ride a completely different bike now which would also classify as a hybrid that I'm very happy with, but I don't particularly self-identify as a hybrid rider, not sure why anyone would want to do that."

This statement simply doesn't make sense. Secondly, if it took approximately 6 years to come to the conclusion that the bike was inappropriate, then one must assume that either the tester doesn't know what he or she was looking for or didn't know that he or she was looking at all. Perhaps oblivious is a better word.

Obviously one is entitled to have an opinion. But to blatantly write off a whole series of bikes that many people enjoy so as to rattle one's own cage is small minded in the least.

One of my bikes is a 2009 Trek 7003. It is not for everyone. Nor is the right bike for me in certain situations. But to mindlessly tell people to not buy any bike in the series is irresponsible if not just plain silly. I think the latter applies.

whatever, it's an internet forum and everyone has their own opinion, Trek is a huge corporation and I'm sure they make a lot of good bikes as well as crappy ones

PS - and panthers is correct, I am trolling a bit, but that's just because people take this chit way too seriously...

Apparently not as seriously as you though.

If you don't like hybrids, why do you bother posting here? What is it that you hope to accomplish by doing so?