Hybrid bike choice

[jacko2401]

2 1/2 years ago I've bought a Trek 7.1 to solely commute to work. However, now I want to go on cycle paths, go more offroad and handle the hillier terrain (road, cycle tracks and uneven paths) that I need to go on since I've moved house. I need a bike that can handle the different uses I now need for it but not change my experience I currently get with my commute to work. My commute to work is now 4 miles and mainly on roads but now it is a lot more hillier than before. Therefore I've been thinking of sticking with a hybrid bike but looking for a few added extras than the Trek 7.1:
- front suspension that can be locked while on road
- Hydraulic brakes (though not essential)
- wider tyres than the Trek 7.1
- Tyres to suit offroad and onroad
- not too heavy that it doesn't impact my commute to work

I may be asking for too much and will have to take a few pros and cons but I am sure I can get a bike that ticks most boxes. I understand that adding the brakes and suspension will make the bike heavier than what I currently have but I'd like to minimise the weight increase. I've been advised of a few bikes such as:
- Specialized Crosstrail Sport 2012
- Scott Sportster 55 2012
- Jamis Allegro X Sport 2012
- Norco XFR 1 2012
- Pinnacle Cobalt One 2012

I'm swayed towards the Specialized Crosstrail but wanted to know if anyone has their own experience of these bikes and have any thoughts on what I'm after.

 

[MrJamie]

I have a Giant Roam which is very very similar to the Crosstrail and my friend has a Crosstrail Both happy with the bikes.

Im not sure youd want two very similar bikes, the Trek 7.1 has a very easy granny gear at 28front 34 rear. I do like front suspension on trails and rough routes, but I dont think id buy a new bike where that was the only difference. I think id try just sticking bigger tyres on the Trek at first.

Sorry if this missed the point somewhere

 

[jacko2401]

Appreciate your thoughts MrJamie.

I do like the Trek but personally find it is better for me on good cycle paths or decent roads. I had no problems before I moved house but now my commute has changed with more uneven roads so I have started to look at what options I have. The Trek feels very rigid for my new commute due to the hillier route I have to take and now some of the roads are a little uneven in places. I need something to take the knocks that these roads are giving me.

Also my wife has finally got the cycling buzz and got herself a Jamis Allegro X Comp 2012 and she is already looking at cycling holidays where we can explore the countryside. All of these routes will be unknown so looking for a bit of an all rounder. I'm happy to keep the Trek though

 

[Peteaud]

TREK 7500 2011 model if you can get one.

 

[MrJamie]

Given theres nothing else you want to change about the Trek (aside from maybe disc brakes), it might be possible to just buy front suspension forks, the *relatively* cheap Suntour NVX on your wifes bike and iirc the Crosstrail looks about £50. Id guess you could swap them back if you found out they werent worth it. If you do go down that route, check if they have mudguard mounts etc if want full guards for your commute.

I have no idea if that would work, or how to size/fit them, but id imagine the wiser people on here would be able to advise.

 

[jacko2401]

The Trek 7500 does not have front suspension. At what point will front suspension make for a softer ride or what other considerations should I take into account when moving from rigid to front suspension?

Not sure I'd have the confidence putting on front suspension forks or knew that would be an option for the Trek.

 

[jacko2401]

Been looking into this more and actually realised I have the Trek 7.3 FX 2010. From chatting to staff at a few LBSs and think I'd be looking at the Specialized Crosstrail Sport 2012 or the Trek 8.3 DS 2012.

Does anyone have any experience of these bikes and recommend one over the other?

 

[lulubel]

Personally, I think it's a lot of money to spend for the sake of a very small change. (That isn't a criticism of you because we all choose what to spend our own money on.)

If you're planning to keep your current bike anyway, have you considered keeping that for your commute and other on-road stuff and buying a hardtail mountain bike for off-road?

 

[jacko2401]

I thought I'd have a dilemma when I got the Trek 7.3 FX a few years ago as I really wasnt sure how much off road I'd be doing. It was bought as my commute to work bike with a few trips along local roads. I wasn't very fussed about anything offroad. It just feels too fragile for anything much more off tarmac or on decent cycle paths. Since my wife has bought her Jamis Allegro, I can see us both doing cycle routes and tracks that are more offroad. I can't see me doing anything too extreme but I need something more versatile.

I can keep 2 bikes, or buy a new one and sell the Trek 7.3. Unfortunately, until I realise how extreme the off road will be, will depend if I need 2 bikes or something that can handle a bit of both. For me this is something of the unknown but I'm trying to get some meaning to my decision making of choice of bike.

 

[mark1974]

i have the specialized cross had it a week now cant fault it had it on roads country lanes and forest trail works for me
nice to cycle very light suits me fine

 

[Cyclist33]

Just chucking another one into the mix...

http://www.sunsetmtb.co.uk/shop/index.php?product_id=1811&category_id=149

And put skinny slick tyres on your Trek so as to make a difference between the two bikes.

But, I broadly agree with most of the replies above - the 7.3FX and the "sports hybrids" you've listed are a bit too similar to make having both worthwhile. You could maybe get an entry level road bike or flat bar road bike, and then up the volume on the Trek tyres, ie put the widest knobbly tyres on it that its frame will accept.

Stu

 

[jacko2401]

So the Trek 7.3 FX:
- has slim road tyres with no tread
- the current weather seems to make my rides more procarious
- I feel more unstable on the hills and uneven roads I now go on
- The bike feels pretty rigid on any uneven tarmac roads let alone cycle paths etc

Therefore, I am finding this bike set up inappropriate or unsuitable. Would I be able to make changes to the Trek that would make the required improvements saving me buying a new bike. I was under the impression having mechanical disc brakes, front suspension (with lockout), wider tyres with more tread would provide me with covering off the points above but also allow use on forest trails and slightly more demanding terrain.

 

[lulubel]

So the Trek 7.3 FX:
- has slim road tyres with no tread
- the current weather seems to make my rides more procarious
- I feel more unstable on the hills and uneven roads I now go on
- The bike feels pretty rigid on any uneven tarmac roads let alone cycle paths etc

Therefore, I am finding this bike set up inappropriate or unsuitable. Would I be able to make changes to the Trek that would make the required improvements saving me buying a new bike. I was under the impression having mechanical disc brakes, front suspension (with lockout), wider tyres with more tread would provide me with covering off the points above but also allow use on forest trails and slightly more demanding terrain.

In what way is it feeling precarious? Are you losing grip on wet roads? Getting blown about in the wind?

How narrow are the tyres currently on the bike? And what psi do you inflate them too? If your wheels and frame will take it, you could try putting wider tyres on the bike and running them at a lower pressure. A change of tyres can make a huge difference to how a bike feels to ride, and you might find that's all you need to do to make the Trek comfortable for you. If you do, you've saved yourself a lot of money, and if not, it's only cost you the price of a pair of tyres (and probably tubes) to find out.

 

[jacko2401]

Precarious:
The back wheel can skid on a roundabout even when going slowly.
Anything slightly downhill, I feel I'm having to overly concentrate to hold the bike in a straight line

Rigid:
- I feel I am knocked about a fair amount when on uneven tarmac and on cycle paths I'm constantly trying to look ahead for anything bigger than a pebble

I forgot about a few problems with the gears: Sometimes the gears can change even though I not tried changed them. I'm not sure if this needs a service or some education on ensuring I'm changing gears correctly when changing gradient but I've oiled them regaulrly and got the bike a silver service at the start of the year that involved a new chain and back brake cable

The tyres are the ones provided by the LBS when I bought the bike so assume they were standard tyres for that make/model though not sure you can tell from looking at the general spec of a bike like at Evans here http://www.evanscycles.com/products/trek/73-fx-2010-hybrid-bike-ec016510#features or whether a LBS will choose the standard tyres they think are ok and will change if asked. Note that I did not get the bike from Evans though.

I'm not sure on PSI but they are inflated pretty hard and then I let them down a bit so not too hard. I'm not sure what wider tyre will fit though. Is it getting one suitable for the size of wheel?

 

[lulubel]

OK, according to the spec you've linked to, you've got Bontrager Nebula rims, which are 15mm wide and will take a tyre up to 32mm wide. The tyres you've got on the bike are Bontrager Race Lite hardcase, which come in a variety of widths from 23 - 32mm. Considering you feel the tyres are thin, you're probably towards the lower end of the range (maybe 25mm) because 32mm tyres are fairly chunky.

The size of the tyres will be marked on the sidewall as 700 x 23, 700 x 25, etc, so that's how you find out what you've got at the moment.

Assuming you're running fairly narrow tyres at the moment, you can certainly go up to 32mm in a different tyre that has a bit of tread for the off-road stuff you're doing. That should help there.

The problems with your gears will be easy to sort. The reason they're changing by themselves (and probably making a lot of rattling noise too) is because they're not indexed correctly. Whether this is because the cable has stretched or your lbs adjusted them wrongly at the service, I couldn't say. If you can, I would pop into the lbs with the bike, tell them you're having problems with the gears changing by themselves, and I'd be very surprised if they didn't sort it for you on the spot, and take about 2 minutes to do it.

I'm a bit concerned that you're saying you're having problems keeping the bike in a straight line going downhill. It isn't something I've ever come across, and sounds to me like something must be wrong. Hopefully, someone with a bit more knowledge will be able to shed some light on that. Likewise with losing control of the back wheel at low speeds on roundabouts.

Getting knocked about on uneven roads and cycle paths should be solved be using wider, grippier tyres and possibly running them at lower pressures. If that still isn't comfortable for you, I don't think getting a similar bike with suspension forks will make much difference. All the suspension does is absorbs the bumps and stops you being jolted around so much. It doesn't stop the wheels being knocked sideways if you hit a bump at an angle. To solve that, you'd then have to go for softer and wider tyres again, and that would mean new wheels (if your frame could take the extra width) or a new bike that could take really wide tyres.