heyitstay

Hello!

I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe during these difficult times. I am getting ready to purchase a new hybrid bike from Trek and wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions. I am from Houston and bike an average of 3-8 miles when using it per outing and bike for fitness/recreational purposes. My budget is around $800. I want a comfortable ride, yet quick. I’m looking at the FX 3 Disk and the Dual Sport 3. While I will mostly be riding on roads, they are quite bumpy here. The FX 3 has 700x32c tires while the DS 3 has 700x40c. I’m not as well versed in bike options to know which would be better for me. Any help or suggestions with this would be greatly appreciated!!

Thank you!

Taylor

ramzilla

As a rule of thumb, thinner smoother higher pressure tires are generally faster than wider rougher lower pressure tires. But, you will also find that tire dimensions & descriptions are not exactly correct. Tires listed as 32mm can be up to 5mm larger after installation. It all depends on the manufacturer. In my experience the only tires that are close to actual size are the smaller more expensive ones intended for racing style bikes.

Cyclist0108

I'd get the DS 3 that has 700Cx40mm tires. If those tires aren't good enough, replace them with Rene Herse 38mm Barlow Pass tires. I use those on my (all) road bike, and they don't slow me down, even when run at a comfortable, low pressure.

Noctilux.95

The DS 3 has a suspension fork with bigger tires and will likely be more a little more comfortable though quite a bit heavier (4-lbs) and more sluggish. If you’re doing mostly road, even bumpy ones, I would suggest the FX3. The bike should be very comfortable and fairly agile and can be made even faster and more comfortable by going with tubeless tires (has tubeless ready wheels) which roll faster and give you more comfort with less air pressure.

Phil_gretz

Does this mean that you are about to place an internet order to be delivered to your home? Or that you will be working through an authorized Trek dealer, who will assist you with setting up the bike (within your Governor's guidelines for non-essential businesses, etc.)? Or that you would buy used?

Every rider is different in terms of what riding position is most enjoyable. Six to eight miles is a long enough ride to be fun, and not so long that a more upright or more aggressive posture will make much difference. Also, 32mm versus 40mm isn't that big of a deal if you keep the pressures correct for the tire size and your weight. Myself, I'm more comfortable on an aggressively set up bike, so I'd go for the FX 7.3 hybrid. No need for the front suspension fork of the DS, it's just added weight for minimal functionality. But that's just me.

The answers to my questions above are material to the remainder of your thread.

heyitstay

Hi!

Thanks you for the help. In response to your question, I am going to be buying the bike new directly from the Trek Dealer and it will be delivered to me. Since I am not able to see these bikes in person and personally ride them to get a feel for the difference I wanted to see what I should consider and if anyone has any suggestions or experience with the two bikes. My boyfriend recently bought a KHS Urban Xpress and I rode it to get an idea. The tires on it are 700x35c and I felt it was smooth enough for me.

biker128pedal

Three more post and you can post pictures. Post pictures or it never happened.

JayKay3000

I used to have a Trek FX, one one of the ones with rim brakes. I don't think they've changed much since and it was a really good bike. Personally I found it was good for shorter rides of 50km to 60km. I found the flat handlebars didn't suit me for much longer. I remember the ride being fairly comfy and as you can see because it comes with front and rear rack mounts it gives you a lot of options should you want to do more with it in the future. It had fairly easy gearing so could wind up hills fairly well even with a bit of wight on the bike.

The FX in the photo is stock except for the racks, bags, bottles & cages & pedals.

Personally I prefer a bike with drop bars, but the FX is a good bike for a bike that's trying to be everything. It's just OK at everything. But being OK at everything isn't such a bad thing. That grey they did it in was a bit dull though.