# Trek 7.2 Fx Fitness Bike?



## deaklematter (Jan 14, 2008)

i'm a future college student at West Virginia University, and if any of you know WV, you know the roads are hilly, windy, and there's most likely gravel all over the place. with that said, i'm looking for a bike that can get me from place to place (large campus...3 large campuses to be exact) and possibly serve as exercise/recreation once or twice a week. i went to my LBS and they had a Trek 7.2 Fx Fitness bike or something of the sort. 

i'll most likely be coming off curbs frequently, smaller sets of stairs possibly, gravel roads occasionally, dirt roads most likely, and biking shorter to medium distances (5-10 miles max at a time), possibly going on longer rides occasionally. however, i've never owned anything other than a mountain bike, and i was never an enthusiast with it. i owuld use it, but it's an old Kona and is pretty heavy, and awful on hills.

in other words, i'm fairly new to the biking world and i was hoping for some advice or comments about the type of bike i should get, and if the one my LBS suggested would suffice.

so any sort of help would be greatly appreciated! if you would like to contact me directly, you can email me at [email protected] . i check it frequently so feel free to offer up whatever you feel i should learn about the sport of biking :thumbsup: thanks!

-deak


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

deaklematter said:


> ...i'll most likely be coming off curbs frequently, smaller sets of stairs possibly, gravel roads occasionally, dirt roads most likely, and biking shorter to medium distances (5-10 miles max at a time), possibly going on longer rides occasionally. ...


I like the Trek Fitness line just fine but it sounds like you are going to be way too hard on the wheels. I think you would be better of on a slightly better MTB with a rigid fork and road-ish tires.


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## unagidon (Jun 16, 2007)

Based on "dirt roads mostly" and "smaller sets of stairs" - I think you'll have to stick with a moutain bike.

If you do gravel roads, coming off curbs (but not fast), and travelling around town, I would suggest a cyclocross over a Trek 7.2 FX. I see the "fitness" line as purely for fitness and really doesn't do any one thing well - too heavy for good cross town bike, not built for heavier trails, not as good as a road bike for hill's.

Hope this helps.


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## Fredrico (Jun 15, 2002)

*Yeah, cyclocross!*

Here's a few to give you an idea of what's out there.

http://trailblazersbike.com/itemlist.cfm?category=46

I've seen a few happy riders on cyclocross bikes. They have 35C tires, enough room for fenders and racks, are geared low for climbing fire roads, and light enough for "competition."

I know a guy who's pleased as punch with the Fuji Cross Comp pictured below.


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## deaklematter (Jan 14, 2008)

i really like the idea of cyclocross, however my budget is $600ish, and i can get a trek 7.2 for $420...


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## Fredrico (Jun 15, 2002)

*Go for it.*



deaklematter said:


> i really like the idea of cyclocross, however my budget is $600ish, and i can get a trek 7.2 for $420...


It'll work. You pay for weight (less weight, more money!). If you're riding short distances, the one position handlebars won't give your arms restless leg syndrome, and its fully capable of bouncing over steel plates, potholes and dirt fire roads.

Solid fork hybrids are unusual. Most have shock forks, which adds yet more weight in a bad place. Is that a shock absorber on the seatpost?

You're dealing with an elitist roadie crowd here, who might consider any bike worth less than a thousand, well, worthless. Lots of folks get around on hybrids and like them alot. They just aren't great for long distances (only one hand position, too heavy) or for intense fitness riding (sitting up too high, awkward pulling on the handlebars to counteract pushing down hard on the pedals). Drop bar roadbikes, like the cyclocross mentioned, are much better positioning for all-out riding, and you can move around on them to be comfortable on longer rides.


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## deaklematter (Jan 14, 2008)

i think i will...i just wanted to get a neutral party's opinion, so thanks!


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## mmorast (Oct 22, 2007)

*Good bikes*

My girlfriend bought one before she got all road crazy and bought one of those too. It is a good bike that she was easily able to do 30-ish miles on at a 15mph-ish pace. Note that this was her first bike, but is already in shape.

I would not go jumping curbs and stairs at major speeds, but it will handle all you listed. It has 700x32 tires on them so those will handle most of the terrain you are talking about, but be careful on the dirt as most of these are sold with tires that have no tread. Thus they might not always have the most sure footing. The frame is beefier more like a mountain frame, but not as beefy, and for the road part of the ride the carbon fork works nice.

I agree that they are heavier bikes, and have limited handle positions. Though for short commuting type distances this is not a problem, and with the gearing these have the longer (see again the 30miles mark) is not that bad. You are not going to be a speedster on one of these, but it does a decent job as an all around. 

I would say that it would be worth the $420ish you were saying you would pay. Just remember it does not excel in any area so it will just be a moderate all around bike. So us it in moderate situations and do not try too many extremes.


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## averen (Jan 1, 2008)

Personally I would use your older Kona. Does it have suspension? I prefer a commuting bike that doesn't have suspension just because you can stand up on it and climb without the suspension taking away from your motion. If it's a suspension-less frame then that would be my first option...even if it needs some TLC.

I have an older Trek 820 that I've breathed new life into (14 year old bike). I added new shifters, and went to V-Brakes from the cantis, put on some street tires, a rack and rebuilt the hubs. It's an awesome commuter...the weight isn't an issue at all. I would try not to focus on the weight of the bike too much...even though this is a road forum and people like to get a little weight obsessed.

Whatever you decide to do make sure it has fenders and the ability to have a rack which can handle a pannier or two. Commuting with a backpack is do-able, but you'll probably want to get that weight off of your back and onto a rack if at all possible...plus it will keep you much cooler without the backpack heating you up!

What makes the Kona so awful on hills? Is it the weight? Bad gearing? For $400ish you're not going to be able to get a super light bike...you'll most likely be in the 25-30lb range...which is probably where your Kona is.

You can probably get your Kona up to commuting duty for around $100 or less...use the extra money for books/tuition/beer or whatever  

Jared


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## buck-50 (Sep 20, 2005)

Here's something to think about- new bike + college=stolen bike. Of course, old bike + college=stolen bike as well, but the old one costs a lot less...

The other thing to think about are your future costs- how much are you going to spend on bike consumables-tires, wheels, deraileurs, etc? does it make more sense to go with yer old MTB with it's overbuilt wheels that will probably never need to be trued and it's heavy, thorn and glass-proof tires or should you go with the trek with it's skinnier 700c wheels and skinnier tires?


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## averen (Jan 1, 2008)

Here's a picture of my trusty 820...for me it is a year round commuter...again I think the Kona is your best option, but I know that having a new bike definitely helps to start up the momentum for riding  still...I think if you stick with the Kona you'll be pleasantly surprised. BTW, the 820 weighs 34.5 pounds as pictured...whenever I'm riding to work I have a pannier that attaches to the rack which easily adds another 10 pounds. So commuting weight of the bike is 44.4 pounds, and I have some pretty massive hills that I encounter on my 7 mile commute (one way).

Why don't you take it into a bike shop or have a bike savvy friend look it over and see what it might need? If it's been sitting for a while it will probably need a tune up and new brake/shifter cables. Probably wouldn't hurt to put some street tires on it too. If you can do the work yourself or talk a friend into it for a 6 pack it probably won't cost you much over $50. Worst case you have to re-grease the hubs and that's a pretty easy task, and grease is cheap  

I was in the same situation as you...when I fixed up my Trek..actually the bike had been sitting for 14 years, and it needed a complete overhaul from the hubs up, and I upgraded the brakes and shifters while I was "in there."

Jared


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## unclefuzzy_ss (Nov 23, 2002)

Scrap the Kona. For what you're doing - you're right, it just won't be 'right'. The 7.2 FX is a nice enough bike, and one that may not get a ton of attention on campus. I would suggest moving up to the 7.3 if you want to stay flat bar. Reason? better wheels to jump curbs with, and ride dirt roads. Plus, and this is probably the biggest deal, the tires are kevlar belted, essentially eliminating flats from sharp stuff.

With a $900 budget, one COULD get a nice cyclocross bike on close out. Something from Kona, Surly or Redline would suit the bill really well.


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## myorangefriend (Dec 18, 2007)

You can get a singlespeed cyclocross for the $600 ish price tag. I recently purchased a specialized tricross SS and it's been wonderful so far. I commute to work and around town, so i'm doing many 5-11 mile bursts which are no problem for this bike.


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