ok i need some help again. few months ago i posted asking for some advice what bike is best for me. well since then things have changed.. like I no longer living in New York City now... but living in Georgia, not in the city, but in the country. lol Just moved here three weeks ago. anyway, just came back from the store Free-Flite Bicycles in Canton, GA (Riverstone location). I'm 5'4" so looking for a bike to test drive aint gonna be that easy. was lookin at the FX 7.2 which they have 2011 model at 15 inches. they gonna have that bike in store for me to play around tomorrow. store price is $499

now I am thinking maybe I should get a bike with some front suspension?! was talking to the guy about where i can ride, and he was saying that most trails are dirt. maybe i can get away with the easiest trails riding the 7.2. so that got me thinking. not looking to spend so much money, so the DS is out of the question. what's your thought on the 7100?

This store only carries Trek. so getting a Giant not gonna help. I would have to drive an hour if i want to see a Giant bike. and right now I am not interested doing that.

any help will be great appreciated. thanks.

anyone here from the area??

john

or maybe just go with a Mountain bike like the 3500?

It depends on what "dirt" means. The FX 7.2 has 32mm tires, which isn't skinny, but they aren't as fat as MTB tires. If the dirt is "groomed pebbles", the FX should be OK. If there are big ruts and rocks and other detritus on the road, a MTB might be a better choice for you. If you get a higher end model, you can get a fork with lockouts which will help a bit on the road by eliminating bouncing around of the front fork. NYC to rural Georgia.... wow.

The FX can handle hard packed dirt and grass, or a well maintained stone dust/crushed limestone path. Any kind of loose surface, ruts, or roots is pretty much out of the question. The 7100 is no better - don't let the front suspension fool you into thinking this is an off-road bike. It is a very comfortable, upright, low speed kind of a ride. If you are planning from the start on riding mostly off-road, then I don't think either one of these is a good choice.

I've gotta agree with the other posters. The FX is definately a bicycle designed for riding on roads and I suspect the 7100 is just a "comfort" version of the FX. The "hybrid" or "cross" part of these bikes refers to riding on dirt or gravel "roads" or at the very worst, hard packed, smooth dirt or grass. My FX would handle hard packed dirt or grass just fine but the problem there is unseen ruts, holes, rocks, etc... It did not do well with those types of things.

I have a '08 7100.

In stock form it is certainly not meant to be ridden in dirt. There is a park here in Houston w/ crushed stone trails and the bike is a little twitchy when I attempt it. Stock tires were 700x35. I currently have 32's on it since I am almost always on pavement. I have no idea how large a tire it will accommodate.

I can't speak to the FX 7.2. I've never ridden one.

I would think that if you're going to be spending a significant amount of time riding trails and gravel/dirt paths, you'd be better off w/ a good used mountain bike. I don't know what it's like in your area, but here in Houston it's much easier to find a good deal on a used mountain bike than on a good used road bike. It seems as though there were a bunch of mountain bikes sold back in the 80's & '90's.

For what it's worth, the Trek website says that the 7.2 FX has 700 - 35 tires. That should be able to handle some non-hard surfaced paths.
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes...ness/fx/7_2_fx

Best regards
Barry

thanks for everyone's input. I dunno. I think if i was living in the city area, I would know what bike to get... Ok, so sounds like the 7100 is out then. I guess if i get a mountain bike, I think im gonna look at the 3500. I think the store has this model w/ my size too. I didnt get to go test ride the 7.2 today. will be doing that monday.. I'll speak to the guy and ask what they think the 3500.

An old 820 might be OK for you too.

https://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/bik/3195969370.html

But there are 3500s to be had

https://atlanta.craigslist.org/eat/bik/3175777331.html

Thanks for the link. i would LOVE to get a used one. those bike are too big for me. im 5'4" 130lbs. so gonna need a 15" bike.

hahaha. i know. you are not the only one that said WOW. i said it a few times when i look myself in the mirror. lol