Advice on Trek Hybrid
 

Hello.

Wanted to get my wife into the world of cycling. I obviously don't want to spend much on a first bike in case she doesn't like it and was considering a baseline Trek Hybrid (series FX).

The baseline Fx is USD 350. Comes with Shimano Tourney and is full aluminum. The FX3 is 650 and comes with Shimano Acera/Alivio and carbon fork. Also has "better" parts such as handlebar, pedals, etc....

We wanted the bike for long rides - if she ends up liking it I would likely give her my Domane S and get a SLR :-)

But with that said, I would like to get the most cost effective option. If the hardware on the FX3 and carbon fork will really make a big difference, Im ok spending the extra USD300.

Thoughts?

Giving your wife your cast off bike and buying a newer, fancier one is a recipe for marital bliss. Are you guys even really the same size?

Why not just get her a domane AL2? If she really doesn't like cycling, you can sell it without taking too much of a bath and if she does, you're not unintentionally looking down your nose at her.

We are the same size and she understand she doesn't need (or want) a super fancy bike for a weekly ride. I ride almost every day and have been doing it for years.

If she gets addicted she's going to want a proper road bike pretty quickly, so I wouldn't spend too much money on a hybrid.

Why not just get yourself the SLR and let her ride your Domane? If she likes it, great. That's what you were planning to do anyway. If she doesn't, then you've got two bikes. Win win!

Domane is a pretty relaxed geometry anyway, so she might do well on it being a beginner.

Edit: That said, I wouldn't bother spending the extra on the FX3. I don't think it's worth it, especially as a temporary tester.

I wasn't personally a fan of the Trek hybrid a few years ago when I was bike shopping with my brother. It felt like a high end mountain bike with super fast twitch handling, while also having the "dead" feel I find on a lot of road bikes now. Brother wasn't a fan either. That was a couple of years ago, so they could have changed it by now though.

I'd suggest doing what I did with my brother - figure out 2-3 different shops that have different hybrid bikes in the size they're looking for, go to each one and take the bike for a test ride. Riding something terrible really makes you appreciate riding something good. :D And it raises their emotional investment in buying the bike and riding it.

My brother ended up getting a specialized sirrus, though later he road a Giant (they make bike shop priced bikes who knew) that he liked even better. The Giant was the most comfortable "cheap" ($400-$600 I don't remember exactly) aluminum bike I've ridden.

I never use my Fx but it does not have a carbon fork.
I might ride it but I really like drop handlebars because I don't want to ride with my chest acting as a big drag racing parachute.
For commuting, heads up and aware in traffic, yes, I think that for long rides the Fx is not going to be much fun.