# 7.5 FX vs 7.2 FX ....Is it worth the money?



## snoshoe62 (Apr 11, 2014)

I am sorry if this post is not in the correct thread. I bought a 2014 7.2 FX for my son and I actually like it better then my Specialized Hybrid. So I am thinking about getting a 7.5 FX I am just wondering if the $500 difference is justified. I am a fitness rider on paved and hardpack rail trails and ride 200-300 mi per month. An input is appreciated


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## headloss (Mar 3, 2013)

I'd say the 7.3 is the best deal, but they apparently stopped putting the carbon fork on the men's version of the 7.3. If you are a woman, I'd go 7.3. If you are a man, you need to go up to the 7.4 to get the carbon fork which is a good upgrade and worth maybe $100. You are also better off starting with a 9speed (27speed) drivetrain over the 8 (24) speed just for availability of higher level parts. 

The 8speed stuff is fine though, and widely available. I just like the large number of 9speed parts that are still floating around on ebay which allow for upgrades if/when something breaks. Either works.

So, the biggest advantage is the carbon fork over a high-tensile steel fork (garbage). You can pick up a cheap carbon fork for $100 and just add it after the fact though (but it wouldn't be matching paint). That's the best bang for the buck approach.

The wheels from one bike to another don't seem to be significantly different. Hell, you could spend $200 on wheels, buy a carbon fork for $100, and start out with the 7.3 and end up with a better bike than the 7.5 for less money. So no, I don't think $500 is justified, maybe $300.


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## snoshoe62 (Apr 11, 2014)

headloss said:


> I'd say the 7.3 is the best deal, but they apparently stopped putting the carbon fork on the men's version of the 7.3. If you are a woman, I'd go 7.3. If you are a man, you need to go up to the 7.4 to get the carbon fork which is a good upgrade and worth maybe $100. You are also better off starting with a 9speed (27speed) drivetrain over the 8 (24) speed just for availability of higher level parts.
> 
> The 8speed stuff is fine though, and widely available. I just like the large number of 9speed parts that are still floating around on ebay which allow for upgrades if/when something breaks. Either works.
> 
> ...


 Thanks for your input Headloss


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## scooterman (Apr 15, 2006)

agreed, i'd get a 7.3 or 7.4


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## softreset (Sep 10, 2013)

The 7.3 has an aluminum fork for both men's and women's model. Moving up to the 7.4 gets you a carbon fork (both men's and women's models). We rent the 7.3 at our shop and everyone loves them and they're by far our biggest hybrid/fitness bike sellers. We carry 3, 4, & 5. At $1319 MSRP for the 6 you're more expensive than several of our road bikes on the floor.

Personally, the 7.3 is the best bang for your buck model. We can't keep them stocked, they're often sold before they're built. I've personally save the $140 and put it towards a nice pair of riding shorts or some shoes and pedals.


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## headloss (Mar 3, 2013)

softreset said:


> The 7.3 has an aluminum fork for both men's and women's model. Moving up to the 7.4 gets you a carbon fork (both men's and women's models). We rent the 7.3 at our shop and everyone loves them and they're by far our biggest hybrid/fitness bike sellers. We carry 3, 4, & 5. At $1319 MSRP for the 6 you're more expensive than several of our road bikes on the floor.
> 
> Personally, the 7.3 is the best bang for your buck model. We can't keep them stocked, they're often sold before they're built. I've personally save the $140 and put it towards a nice pair of riding shorts or some shoes and pedals.


Not sure where I got the idea that the woman's version of the 7.3 had the cf fork... good catch. I could have sworn I checked Trek's website a couple weeks ago. Either Trek had a typo and since corrected it or I need new glasses. Whatever the case, you are correct.

Either way, I think the aluminum fork is fine... at least for short trips. I think it's worth upgrading to carbon if the OP plans on riding more than twenty miles on a regular basis. I'd definitely avoid the high-tensile steel on the 7.2.


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## craig_ottawa (May 10, 2014)

Hi,

I am looking for some advice on how to deal with a wheel / spoke issue on my wife's Trek 7.3 FX. She bought it 2 years ago and does about 1500 kms per season. She is not over weight, rides on reasonably good road surface yet has now broken spokes on 4 occasions. We have been cycling for many years and never had a spoke break. LBS charges 40$ each time as bike is now out of warranty. Have emailed Trek but have not received a response. I feel like we have been sold a defective wheel that should be replaced.


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## softreset (Sep 10, 2013)

Sorry to hear about the bike problems. A few questions:

1.) If this was so much of a problem why did you wait until after the 4th time it happened to pursue it? You have a one-year limited warranty, same as the rest of us. Why do you feel your claim justifies consideration significantly outside of that stated window?

2.) If email isn't working, what's wrong with your phone? It took me less than 15 seconds to locate a customer contact # for Trek on the Internet. Just "sending them an email" isn't always what it takes to get the job done.

3.) Were you working with your LBS within the 1-year limited warranty to pursue a claim on the wheels? If you weren't... why not? If you were then you have documented history on file. Again, why did you wait till after the one-year limited warranty to make it an issue?


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## headloss (Mar 3, 2013)

They are charging you $40 to replace a single spoke?!?! Find a new shop. That's the usual price of a wheel build. Either the shop isn't tensioning the spokes right and thus, the shop is responsible for your spokes breaking... or there is something structurally wrong with the rim. 

I'd just buy a new wheel and be done with it. Don't let your current shop work on your wheels any more. Four times is unacceptable for a properly built wheel. If they charged you $40, that wheel should have been solid... perfect, after the first "rebuild." When the second spoke broke after they repaired the wheel once already, the shop should have stood by their work imho. At that point, they should have investigated a warranty claim (if it's also the shop you bought the bike from) even without you saying a word about it. 

I'd ignore what softreset is saying... those of us who live in the real world understand that life gets in the way of making a warranty claim within a year of ownership. Sometimes it takes a fourth time before we finally accept that there is an issue. I too, tend to give too much benefit of the doubt to the local shop and the manufacturers before finally accepting I've been duped. That said, I wouldn't expect much sympathy from Trek if you are outside of the window. Good luck.


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## softreset (Sep 10, 2013)

headloss said:


> I'd ignore what softreset is saying... those of us who live in the real world understand that life gets in the way of making a warranty claim within a year of ownership. Sometimes it takes a fourth time before we finally accept that there is an issue. I too, tend to give too much benefit of the doubt to the local shop and the manufacturers before finally accepting I've been duped.


Curious, what "world" do you live in where it's impossible for you over the course of 365 days to make time to pursue a warranty claim? Then... wait another 365+ days and now suddenly want to pursue it? In this fairytale land have you also never encountered a flat-rate repair labor rate? You're making sweeping judgements based off a very vague post by someone.

In my reality, as someone who worked in insurance claims for a Top 5, Fortune 500 company, your "real world struggles" do not suddenly become my problem if you wait till significantly outside of the window. It's why that year is put into place and it's not 30, 60 or 90 days.

_Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me._


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## headloss (Mar 3, 2013)

softreset said:


> Curious, what "world" do you live in where it's impossible for you over the course of 365 days to make time to pursue a warranty claim? Then... wait another 365+ days and now suddenly want to pursue it? In this fairytale land have you also never encountered a flat-rate repair labor rate? You're making sweeping judgements based off a very vague post by someone.
> 
> In my reality, as someone who worked in insurance claims for a Top 5, Fortune 500 company, your "real world struggles" do not suddenly become my problem if you wait till significantly outside of the window. It's why that year is put into place and it's not 30, 60 or 90 days.
> 
> _Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me._


We are both making sweeping judgements. If there is a track record of an unresolved problem within the warranty period, then it's not an open/shut case even if the warranty period has passed. You'll have to forgive the fact that I'm feeling a little feisty today, but I felt like you were being a little confrontational to the last poster with the attitude regarding time limits.

Not everyone rides a few thousand miles in one year, problems don't necessarily creep up in the first month or two of ownership. Once a problem makes itself known, it takes more time before the owner recognizes a pattern or a design/QA failure that would be considered a warranty claim. It's not unheard of that it would take an entire year before the consumer recognizes that a warranty claim is necessary.

If you wouldn't honor your own warranty on day 366 because the year is up, that's your business (and I wouldn't give you my business). Technically you'd be correct, assuming there isn't a paper trail from within the warranty period which throws a wrench in the works. Most manufacturers and companies, in my experience, will give a little breathing room in order to do right with the customer... but as you said, I'm making sweeping judgements and don't know the details (not that there is anything wrong with that, I'm responding to a stranger on a web forum, after all).

My world... well, I was in the Navy for six years and frequently had to leave for a month, two months, or the better part of the year (sometimes with little notice). That can be a real hassle when you have warranty issues to deal with and no one to run errands for you when you are away. I based my perspective on that, you never know what the situation is with someone on the other end, a year isn't always sufficient.

So what, shame on the bike owner for not throwing a fit the first time the wheel broke a spoke? The second time? At what point is the end consumer supposed to consider it a warranty claim that is legit? At what point does it transition from crying about nothing to having a legitimate complaint? I would think that the average consumer would trust the judgement of the local shop. If the LBS doesn't suggest a warranty claim, most people aren't going to push for one. The fact that the end consumer later discovers some design or QA problem that is wide spread or later finds out about a recall, is why we end up with class-action suits in some cases. My point is, it's not cut&dry, so please don't be so judgmental.


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## craig_ottawa (May 10, 2014)

Thanks for the quick responses - I hadn't intended to stir up any trouble.


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## softreset (Sep 10, 2013)

Most companies have unpublished 'courtesy buffers' of 30-90 days over the expiration of the limited warranty, depending on the nature of the failure and how far based the window. Heck, some states have consumer protection lawyers that flat out make it illegal for companies to refuse a warranty claim on Day 366 (using your example). It varies, obviously.

My point (albeit not sugar coated) is you need to be aggressive about pursuing it, rather than be passive and then suddenly aggressive. Or if you choose to be passive, you can't be upset or disappointed if you got nothing out of it.

Being out of town (or area) for months at a time is understandable, I too have traveled for up to 8-months at a time. However while traveling, my bike (thankfully) doesn't ride itself. My father served (32 years) and he always had some advanced notice (up to a month, as little as a day). It was at least enough to attempt to get his affairs in order. If a year's window isn't sufficient that's not the manufacturer's problem, unfortunately.

We frequently use to deal with that in regards to laptop batteries (I worked at Apple) where a computer would sit in a warehouse for upwards of 5 months before being sold from a 3rd party vendor. Suddenly their 7-month old computer comes up out-of-warranty and we'd always make it right. But the responsibility was on the customer to provide proof of purchase (theme: customer responsibility).

The customer doesn't need to throw a fit the first time there's a problem (although they could). But what they need to do is document the issue with an acceptable paper trail. The second time the spoke breaks you, again, document it and I'd take it up with the bike shop on why this keeps happening. I'd also contact Trek about the issue (a casual email would be acceptable here) with a date, time, shop, service performed. Third time? I'm going for the replacement/warranty claim without even flinching. At a minimum I'm going for an "in writing" statement for the LBS or the manufacturer that they'll continue to evaluate/support out-of-warranty claims on this particular issue given the fact that it's now the 3rd time.

All of these steps (theme: customer responsibility) require a little extra effort but it gives you the tools you need to pursue what is now an out of warranty claim. Versus, just an email with a story about "how this happened 4 times."

I apologize for being judgmental but if I'm only given one said of the story (and sparse details at that), the blanks have to be filled in to provide an appropriate answer otherwise it's baseless conjecture.

_Baseless Conjecture response then: Demand an out-of-warranty wheel replacement for your hardship from the LBS and a complimentary wheel rebuild on the other wheel for your troubles._


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