zimtrek

Thanks Shook

sh00k

i've been enjoying my 7.4 since my last post on this thread. only change i made was the addition of bontrager aw2 tires. i went from a 32c (stock) tire/tube to 25c tires. my usual route is a bit hilly but very smooth so i risked going for the smallest size that would fit on my rim and i am happy with the results. folks said the 25c would be too jarring of a ride and to go with 28s but i opted for the 25c. i inflated the tires to 115 in the back, 110 in the front. 120psi is max.

took a 10-mile ride yesterday (two rounds around my neighborhood) and i am very pleased with the results. average mph went from 12 to 14 and i was definitely faster on several portions of my route. as many others have noted, i definitely felt the 'sail' effect on these tires (25c) as opposed to the 32c tires. as you go faster, since you're upright, the air slows you down. i honestly never felt this on my 32c tires but maybe im also being more critical of it now...? anyway, im loving the ride and plan to put a few hundred miles on these new tires before the season is up. time will tell if these tires will hold up like the bullet proof 32c tires but im happy with the results thus far.

i like pictures so here are some pictures. edit: sorry the pics are a little blurry, i have no idea why! they look fine on my phone... or maybe it's my eyes?!

sail

I like that gray, tried to find one last year but ended up with white. I recently went from 32 to 27 Vittoria Open Pave, big improvement.

sh00k

for the last few years, i've only owned white cars and bikes! my 7.7 was white, my (now wifes) 7.3 is white and i wish i got this 7.4 in white too! the finish is nice but the color just seems so.... drab. trek's white 'glows' and that's what i love about it.

this bike was on the dealer floor as an end-of-season sale, and i bought it for ~$200 off msrp so i said why not and got it in this color. in fact, i am still more in love with my white 7.3 although this is my main fitness bike haha

as for the tires, im excited to finish this season off with these as they make the bike ride so much more differently. now i know why the higher up you go in the fx line, the thinner the tires get

zimtrek

Hi really want to put bar ends on my 7.3 please could I have some recommendations 🤓

sail

If you have the Isozone bars and want to put bar ends on the end of the bar you need these:Bontrager Satellite+ Isozone Bar End Adapter - trekbikestore.com
All they do is make the end of the bar round.

I like these: Bontrager Race Bar Ends | Trek Bikes although mine are inside the brakes.

Lots of options out there and if your riding any kind of distance you'll really appreciate having them.

hobbs1951

Hi guys,

hope I've posted this in the correct place, I'm not a Trekpert. This is my Navigator 200, I bought this from the original owner but it is in as-new condition. I've added Continental Town and Country tyres (tires) since the photo - it's my utility bicycle, and I recently took it to France for the opening days of the Tour de France as it has mudguards (fenders) and a carrier.

Not certain how old it is, any thoughts?

Great.

John.

sail

Try the archives, lots of info.

2016 Bike Archive - Trek Bicycle

Greggster

How difficult would it be to switch the FX brakes to cantilever? I think v-brakes on FX's look ugly.

rumrunn6

took an 16 mile ride with family last weekend & had to borrow son's FX. worked great on the old paved path & the long gravel section. was fun riding something not so twitchy & on wide tires for a change. I just might be shopping for an N+1

sh00k

just checking back in from my post above 2 weeks ago. i've put maybe 100 miles on my 25c tires now. i went from the stock 32c to 25c - the narrowest tire that will fit on this rim.

all i have to say is that i wish the bike came like this! peddling now is so much easier and when i really stomp on the pedals, the bike goes and i dont feel like im about to blow out one (or both) of my knees

my avg mpg is a steady 14mph now, up from 12mph. i dont think the speed is the biggest benefit from the thinner tires. for people trying to lose weight, the weight is bad enough for your knees but so are the stock 32c that came with the bike. i had maybe 300 miles on the 32c tires before swapping them and i literally feel like it's a night and day difference. it rides like a different bike and reminds me of the ride i had on my old 7.7 fx (although not as light )

i did a 13 mile ride yesterday and did not stop for a minute. i would peddle hard on downhills and flats and, towards the end of my ride, my knees still felt 100% fine. on the old tires, they would definitely start feeling sore.

downside: the bike is definitely more twitchy now. sometimes when i sit up while riding, and gently hold the right or left grips with a couple fingers, i will hit a road imperfection and the bike turns in some random direction. this is not so serious but this is the same feeling i get on my road bike. also, i have hit some potholes (not many on my path, easily avoidable) and i definitely think i should be avoiding them more lol unlike when i had on the 32c tires. i ride the same loop over and over for cardio so i know the roads very well so this is not a big deal to avoid the few spots.

the bike definitely 'lurches' forward now when you peddle hard after a stop. i am so happy i spent the $ to swap out the tires and cant wait to put more miles on it!

gemini

(Off-topic, but see pedal (verb) versus peddle. Pedal gets misspelled so much in this context, though, that I guess they might as well combine the entries in the dictionary.)

rumrunn6

re: sizing I'm 5' 11 3/4" & wear a 32"-34" length pants
rode my son's 17.5" Trek FX this weekend and it felt small
according to Trek's chart
Sizing Charts | Trek Bikes
I should be looking for a 20" Trek FX
any chance a 22.5 would work as well?

gemini

Can you get to a shop to try one out? I'm 6'1'' (1.85 m) and I have the 22.5-inch frame, and it's a very good fit for me. I have long arms, though (borderline orangutan).

rumrunn6

good reference point thank you.

I can sit on a bike in a store (or take a quick spin around the block) but that's not the same as spending a cpl hrs on one

RedRockRider

Check this thread out, you sound about my size:

https://www.bikeforums.net/hybrid-bic...-fx-7-4-a.html

rumrunn6

we do indeed sound similarly sized. thanks for that perspective & I saw you wrote: "The bike was fine until I started riding more than 20 or 30 miles, and actually figured out proper seat placement/height. This left the overall fit very aggressive with a drop to the bars - not what I wanted on a hybrid. I now ride a 22.5 FX 7.9"

may I ask how old are you? is this your main bike? at those miles do you ride mostly roads?

I'm looking at some 20"s & there's a decent 22.5" not too far from me with what looks like slightly raised bars, so it's good to know not to rule it out. I'm almost 60 and now like a more relaxed fit. I have rd bikes (w raised bars) for racking up mileage. I'm looking at the FX for leisurely tooling w Wifey in the 15 mile range, family vacation rides w/ adult kids & solo rides on hard packed smooth flat trails. I'll be putting wider tires on it, thinking maybe 32s & maybe seasonal fenders.

one thing is for sure, the 17.5" is too small for me

rumrunn6

anyone look at a Giant Escape when shopping? or a Fuji Absolute?

RedRockRider

I'm 49, mostly ride between 10 and 25 miles at a time, averaging usually 13 mph, fairly hilly where I live. Always ride on roads, and on paved bike paths.

I have several "main bikes" lol. Have mostly gotten away from anything with an aggressive geometry, as I value comfort over aerodynamics or efficiency (heck I'm riding to burn calories anyways, and to have fun!).

Based on your posts, I'm thinking you also will enjoy riding the 22.5 FX more than the 20. Just be sure to make sure you don't find the stand over height to be off-putting. You can make either size fit by changing stem length and angle, also. One of the nice things about the FX series is the mini-V brakes allow much wider tires than those using cantilever brakes - I've got a set of 35c Schwalbe Kojak's on mine. Very comfortable, and love the look too!

rumrunn6

n+1 eh? been there, sold 5 bikes last spring I think it was & thank you! I bought Wifey & 2 adult kids all Trek FX(s) & I like everything about them cuz I'm the one maintaining & adjusting them. standover height has always been a deal breaker tho and 1" or 2" has been my rule of thumb over the years. when you are flat footed do you touch?

according to this standover chart
https://www.cyclescience.com.au/artic...ndover-heights
the 20" has a standover of 30.315"

aside from trek sizing chart, these ppl also suggest a 20" for me
https://www.winecountrybikes.com/bike...s/bike-sizing/

RedRockRider

^^^the top bar is sloped, so if I am close to the front I touch, in the middle and back by the saddle no touch, or just my clothes.

I honestly don't find alot of occasions where I will be standing over my bike, though. I usually keep my right foot clipped in when coming to a stop, and just put my left foot down.

We are both exactly right in the middle of the "range" for both sizes, so it really is a personal preference thing. Because I had the 20" and put a couple of thousand miles on it, I know that I prefer the 22.5. YMMV.

rumrunn6

ok, perfect, thank you very much. I have to take each for a spin then

DorkDisk

Not too difficult. You will need to swap the levers to short pull, add cable hangers to the front and rear, and of course cantilevers. For the rear, there are seat post clamp models, and for the front I'd go with a fork mounted model instead of a steerer tube model. Or go with Tektro power hangers: https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/brakes/t...rakes/?geoc=US

+1 on the opinion that cantis look better than V's in general.

sail

+2 on the cheesy v brakes on my FX. I'm looking at adding Tektro 720's but haven't settled on what 3 by 9 shifters to use, brake levers are easier. If you make the change let us know.

LouB 

Loven my 7.4! I've had it for about 6 months and ride it pretty much daily. Glad I spent the $$. Dialed in so she "fits like a glove." One of the best investments I've made (in myself.)