maxrep

Sup everyone.
I went down to a local shop and tested out a bunch of bikes for about 15 minutes each.

Trek 7.3FX

( I wanted to get a 7.5FX With Disc Brakes but they didn't have any and they claim they are all gone and no 2007 till October... SOL on this one I guess)

Cannondale Road Warrior 500

wheels were definitely the narrowest of all. liked the handlebars... otherwise the ride felt very stiff and although he said the bike was just assembled yesterday, the shifters made a lotta weird noises when shifting though supposedly it would be fixed up. tires also looked a little tired...

Trek 7500

Was comfy sure.. definitely liked the suspension for comforts sake.... climbing anything at all took more noticeable effort.. however the posture and handlebar position made me feel like I was my father on his old bike though it looks like handlebar position could be lowered.

If anyone has any suggestions on things I should look for, adjustments I should try let me know...

oldokie

Been happy with my Trek 7500 so far. Easy to add rack and fenders which was important to me. The handle bar is adjustable but I doubt you could lower it enough to get that low tuck you appear to be wanting yet still be confortable. I love the index shifter over the twist shifters I had on earlier bikes.

dauphin

a decision would be based on a lot of information that you have not provided such as your experience level, type of riding you will be doing, budget available, etc..etc..etc...

maxrep

well my experience = noob
budget is around $700-$800
mainly i will be riding for fitness and will encounter average city type things like small curbs, sidewalks and random terrain.

FarHorizon

Try a Kona Dew (or Deluxe if you want disc brakes). Great value, strong & light, WELL MADE!

maxrep

I also was just told that the Specialized Sirrus Comp 07s are going to become available this week.
Maybe I should wait and try one out. Dunno how they compare to these bikes other than price.

Falkon 

Check out the Fuji Crosstown 1.0 or a Scott Sub20

Mariner Fan

My first bike was a Trek Hybrid. To be honest they try to cross between a Mountain bike and a Road bike and don't do either well.

FarHorizon

But the hybrid will at least do both with some grace. A road bike on a trail is just an invitation to bent wheels, and a MTB on asphalt is just out of its element. Before I get flamed by both road riders and MTB riders, let me say that riding "out of your element" is obviously possible - it just isn't optimal.

With my hybrid, I could road ride, commute, and explore any trail I got the notion to. My current touring bike is closer to a hybrid than either of the "special purpose" road or MTB styles. Yes, I give up the ultimate efficiency, but that's why I like to keep more than one bike!

desmo13

+2 on the Kona Dew. very nice bike, Pulls my daughter trailer down the MUT's, goes single tracking, jumps curbs in town, tears up campgrounds on vacation, gives me a work out when the road bike is in the shop. And with your budget, leaves you plenty of money for some decent riding gear.

maxrep

a road bike is not for me just yet. after trying out a Trek 1000 today i have to admit i feel much more comfortable right now on a hybrid... The 7500 as i said was a bit too comfortable.. felt like my granfathers bike complete with that little clicking sound when coasting hehe...no offense. maybe adjusting the bars lower would have made me feel different.

i will be waiting until friday to see if 07 Specialized Cirrus will be available next week..

But i just checked out the Kona Dew Deluxe.... $599? Sooo whats it missing? Looks pretty good in theory!

BillyBob

If you liked the Trek 7.5 disc, I would go for a Trek 7.5 FX or 7.3 disc.

maxrep

no one in town has a 7.5fx disc or 7.3 disc and in fact, according to all the lbs and trek, I am told there isnt a 7.5 FX disc or otherwise available in the country in a 17.5 size available to ship for 06 and that no 07s are due in till october. anyone know otherwise?

also straight from trek they told me there will be no 7.5 FX with disc.. only on 7.5 FX. Seems weird.

I picked a bad time to get this biking bug cuz everything is switching to 07 but not there yet and all the Good 06's are out of stock!

Jim in KC

If you'd like a decent steel frame, I suggest the KHS Urban Xpress (under $400).

slowandsteady

You will want to stay off the sidewalks. In most areas this is illegal, and it isn't safe.

maxrep

thanks for all the info.

Today I went in and rode an 07 Specialized Cirrus. Thing felt great. Better than any of the other bikes I tried.

Then I was able to order the 07 Specialized Cirrus Sport and it will come in for me Tuesday.
Its all white with black read and front Carbon Forks which you had to get at least a Comp for in 06.

The damage.. $700 flat but I will have to pay Tax.

Guys I need some pointers......

the lbs told me i can swap out wheels and seat if i wanted when i took a ride on the Sport when it comes in. Right now the tires are 28 very road bikish tires to my eyes. The seat looks like a Specialized Body Geometry seat.

What I am wondering is, what should i ask them for specifically in terms of swapouts and upgrades?

Think they will swap out the wheels or just the tires and if so whats my best bang for the buck!

14R 

The Specialized Cirrus Sport 07 that you got came with or without disk brakes?

Seems that it was a good option either way...

avmanansala

When I was looking to buy, I test rode the Cannondale Road Warrior 500 and the Specialized Sirrus Comp. I found both to be excellent bikes. I also test rode the Trek 7.5 FX. Of the three, the Trek had a more upright ride more akin to a comfort bike than a road bike. The RW 500 and the Sirrus Comp were inbetween the stretched out feeling of a road bike and the upright posture of a MTB - at least for me.

Ultimately, I ended up with an '06 Cannondale RW 500. The Specialized was the same exact price at my LBS. I did add some bar ends and and swapped out the stock tires for the Specialized Armadillos (which are standard on the Sirrus), as a noob, I'm not in any shape to be able to tell the difference in speed.

Honestly, I could have gone either way, but in the end the Cannodale won out.

Little Darwin

I have one comment based on your thoughts on the 7500.

Don't worry about what your position looks like. Maybe your father had it right...

You stated that this was the most comfortable bike, and then go on to postulate that you could change one of the elements that probably helped to make it comfortable...

If the more upright position is more comfortable for you, you should be asking yourself if you can raise the bars on the other bikes.

You attribute the comfort to the front shock, and there may be a minimal assist there, but it could be psition as well. I switched from suspension to rigid on my Sedona and it handles much better, and seems much more efficient. I don't miss the shock as far as comfort. I retained the relatively upright position...

Grasschopper

Think about getting the Specialized Rival saddle in your size (they will size you)...I have this saddle on my commuter and my MTB now and it is a great saddle...it is another Specialized BG saddle so the swap should be little to no cost. If you have concern with the tires (you don't really need to but...) ask if they have the Specialized Borough CX Very nice tire for road and light trails riding.

If you were still looking for bikes I would say Cannondale Bay Boy Ultra https://cannondale.com/bikes/06/CUSA/model-6BS.html

cc_rider

+1
Exactly the reason I stay with my Trek 750. Had it for 16 years. Steel frame. Comfortable and indestructable. Often do road, mup and trail all on the same ride.

donno

I bought a Trek 7500 in May '06 (special order from LBS) to get back into biking after about a jillion years. I looked at Giant, Cannondale and Raleigh hybrids at shops here in Tall. To me, the Trek was head and shoulders better (I test rode the 7100 at the LBS), but Trek also costs a little more.

I put a better (narrower with air channel) Bontrager saddle on it and some clipless pedals. I also dropped the handlebars forward a little for a not-so-upright position. Still very comfortable, however.

I ride about 5 days/week for a total of around 85 mi. I can do 15 mph without much trouble, which is pretty pokey by road bike standards, but who cares. I'm in it for the exercise and enjoyment of riding.

Have fun and good luck with your hybrid!

chosonman

I bought a Gary Fisher Zebrano,

I also like the Trek 7.3 and 7.5 (also the 7300 or 7500)
I like the Specialized Sirrus line also (Sport, Pro etc)

But price got the better of me so I went with the Zebrano as my starter bike.


Also,
I noticed some bikes are MTB frame and Road wheels while others are MTB wheels and Road frame.
The Specialized Sirrus looks just to be a Road bike with a straight bar.
Then there are Urban Bikes or Street Hybrids that uses MTB parts, knobless tires and a straight fork. If that helps

Eggplant Jeff

I'd say don't bother changing ANYTHING until you've ridden it at least a couple weeks. Changing anything now is a waste of money, because you don't know what you don't like and what you do like yet.

Also, wheels are expensive. And generally they're not that different unless you go up or down huge price differences. Changing tires might make sense, but I doubt changing wheels will.

Oh and I'd especially say don't change saddles. This is an oversimplification, but basically there are no better and no worse saddles, there's just saddles that fit you and ones that don't. One man's barcalounger is another man's asshatchet. You DEFINITELY need to test-ride the saddle for a bit before deciding to change, so you know what to look for.

EricDJ

I really don't know what Trek is thinking on Hybrids. Its like they make a bunch early in the season and stop, and some will run out for sure. I tried last year (late July/early aug) to buy a 7700fx and the same thing happened. All were out, and none coming for months. I ended up buying another bike instead.

I didn't want suspension like lower Treks have, I wanted weight savings since I was going to be on the road.

If you had entered your location on the user account, people could assist you more in locating the bike you are looking for. You can always do a web search for Trek dealers as far as you are willing to drive and start calling to see who has the bike/size in question.

While Trek has had good service for other instances with me, they failed when I asked about getting a 7700fx, I got the following answer which was no help:

"Thanks for writing
2006 models will be available mid fall.
Josh Vick
Gary Fisher/Trek Bicycle Tech Support"

I ended up with this. I tried after I got it to locate the 7700fx in case I liked the Trek. I gave up eventually and started to ride it.