Has anyone ridden a Trek 7200FX WSD?
 

Hi all. I'm a short (5'2") woman, with small hands, looking for a new bike. I tested a 15" 7200FX at the LBS, and liked it a lot. But I'm very concerned about fit, and the LBS didn't seem to be very interested in helping me figure that out. The other LBS in town that carries trek had even fewer options in my size to test. I really prefer the trigger shifter on the FX to the non-fx version, and the solid front fork. Does the WSD version come with smaller brake/shifter levers, a woman's saddle, or any other differences (other than the geometry?). Can't find specific info on the trek website. And am I correct that WSD means different angles, but the same diamond shape, as opposed to a ladies stepthough (which they offer on the 7200)?

Thanks!

drplasma,

We have been searching for a bike that fits my wife. As she is out of shape (thus the bike), she can't ride a road bike. We tried on the 7200 (or 7300?) fx at the bike shop. She is 5'3", with short legs for her height. She could not stand over the 15" "universal" (mens) frame they had in the shop.

I had them order the 15" womens frame in the fx model, obviously sight unseen. I'm glad we did. The Womens frame has a much lower sloping straight top tube that she has no trouble standing over. Not to be confused with the one they were trying to sell her with a stepover frame that had a curved top tube. In fact the water bottle is on the lower tube, and my large water bottles won't fit between the two tubes! I think a normal one will barely make it. The seat is a Women specific, and is wide and soft. Much better than the ones on the Univeral frame.

As a road bike person, I like the straight fork on the fx. The shock seems like wasted weight to me, but I could be wrong here. I'm already checking prices on a carbon fork.

I worry about the trigger shifters. I rode it around the block and my large fingers barely fit on the shifter under the brake lever. The lever bends back toward the bar at the shifter location. Maybe there is some adjustment? She says her hands fit fine, but this is a concern to me. As I ride a road bike, the trigger shifters seem nicer then the twist grip shifters. The mountain bike gearing isn't crisp like a road bike, but I guess that's to be expected.

The bike is fairly light, but could be lighter. It comes with 35mm treaded 80psi tires on medium width wheels. I believe that a tire swap to some narrower slicks, and she could ride it long distances. The stock tires prolly make the ride a little softer for now.

In summary, it was worth having them order the womans specific frame. I don't know why they don't stock them in the first place. It isn't as fast as a road bike, but much more comfortable, and much cheaper.

Thank you! I finally got all the different models straight, and came to the same conclusion as you and your wife. I ordered a 7200FX women's model (also 15" - I'm 5'2") a few days ago, but it's going to take them until the beginning of AUGUST to get it to me!

I'm glad you all are happy with your choice. I hope I am too. The size of the triggers is something that also concerned me a little, but it didn't seem too bad when I tested the men's 15".

Enjoy!