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Trek FX 3 for dirt/gravel trails?

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Trek FX 3 for dirt/gravel trails?

Old 06-15-20, 04:34 AM
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kld182
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Trek FX 3 for dirt/gravel trails?

I've been researching a hybrid bike to purchase. I will use it primarily for family bike rides and fitness. I live in an area with many wonderful paved bike trails, but very often they switch to dirt or gravel abruptly. I want a bike which will handle this terrain well.

My local bikes shops are all very low on inventory due to COVID-19 demand. I found a very good deal on a used 2018 Trek FX 3. I'm tempted by it, but it doesn't have disc brakes and the tires are narrower than I think I want. How important are disc brakes? Could I put wider, knobbier tires on the FX3?

I'd love personal feedback from owners of this bike about how it handles dirt/groomed gravel trails. Thanks!
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Old 06-15-20, 05:42 AM
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Originally Posted by kld182
I've been researching a hybrid bike to purchase. I will use it primarily for family bike rides and fitness. I live in an area with many wonderful paved bike trails, but very often they switch to dirt or gravel abruptly. I want a bike which will handle this terrain well.

My local bikes shops are all very low on inventory due to COVID-19 demand. I found a very good deal on a used 2018 Trek FX 3. I'm tempted by it, but it doesn't have disc brakes and the tires are narrower than I think I want. How important are disc brakes? Could I put wider, knobbier tires on the FX3?

I'd love personal feedback from owners of this bike about how it handles dirt/groomed gravel trails. Thanks!
You probably will not like this answer; but, it depends on you.

Consider the following: that geometry was used on off road race machines, V brakes were on XC race rigs, and cyclocross has a 35c tire limit.

I ride gravel on my 28c road bike with caliper brakes. MTBs are easier, gravel/cross is more fun on the same trails; but road bikes clears it all as well.

Disc brakes? I wouldn't buy a new bike above a certain price point without one but I buy and have plenty old bikes with rim brakes. V brakes were a bigger deal than disks, true story.

Don't buy a bike you don't like. If you want fatter tires and disks, get that. Don't fall for pressure sales.

Last edited by DorkDisk; 06-15-20 at 05:58 AM.
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Old 06-15-20, 08:18 AM
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TakingMyTime
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I wouldn't sweat not having disc brakes. You can probably fit 38c tires on that thing. It probably has 28c tires so even as size up to 32c would probably put you in the right direction. You can find plenty of multi-use tires in 700x32c, even 700x38c. Just remember that a good pair of new tires is going to set you back $60 - $70 and increase the cost of that bike.
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Old 06-16-20, 08:00 PM
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Originally Posted by kld182
I've been researching a hybrid bike to purchase. I will use it primarily for family bike rides and fitness. I live in an area with many wonderful paved bike trails, but very often they switch to dirt or gravel abruptly. I want a bike which will handle this terrain well.

My local bikes shops are all very low on inventory due to COVID-19 demand. I found a very good deal on a used 2018 Trek FX 3. I'm tempted by it, but it doesn't have disc brakes and the tires are narrower than I think I want. How important are disc brakes? Could I put wider, knobbier tires on the FX3?

I'd love personal feedback from owners of this bike about how it handles dirt/groomed gravel trails. Thanks!
I just got back into biking so keep that in mind. I recently purchased a 2020 FX3 and returned it. Like you, I thought I'd be biking mostly on paved roads and occasionally on light trails or gravel so I thought the FX3 would be fine. It probably is but I didn't enjoy riding it at all. The 2020 has 32c tires and it was sketchy going over even light gravel. It could handle it going straight but I wouldn't trust it having any traction since the tires were so smooth. I was nervous making turns even on pavement.

Since the tires were so narrow (and high pressure), I felt every little rock and bump in the road and I kept thinking the wheel would break if I hit a big rock or bump. Whether they were or not, they felt really fragile. I thought about putting 38c or 40c tires on it but didn't like the idea of having to spend more money on top of the new bike vs getting a bike more suited to my riding from the start. So I got a hybrid with 40c tires and front suspension (Canyon Pathlite) and it's so much more enjoyable to ride (night and day difference).

If you're a road rider who's occasionally forced to go onto gravel for a short distance, it should be fine. I enjoy riding on the dirt on the side of the path rather than on the path itself so a suspension hybrid fits me better. To me, the FX3 felt like it was meant for 98% road but then again I'm a pretty inexperienced rider.

As for the disc brakes, from my research, it's really only more effective in wet conditions and is a factor in resale value. With that said, I personally wouldn't get a bike without disc brakes but these are tough times when it comes to bike options. Let me know if you have questions.
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Old 06-16-20, 08:18 PM
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Buy it and throw on some 35-38mm tires. You will be good to go. V-brakes will be fine. I've ridden plenty of gnarly gravel hills on 35mm touring tires and V-brakes.
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Old 06-16-20, 08:54 PM
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Russ Roth
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Lived in Rochester for 5 years and both the standard Trek Hybrid and the FX were very common sellers for riding the Erie Canal path and within the City area the path is paved but turns to cinder and gravel to the east and west. The FX last I saw came with a 32 smooth road tire which I'd swap for a 35 or 38 and I think the Clement X'plor USH is a great all around tire for pavement, gravel and dirt, and city. So far no punctures and I've been using it for 2 years now, ridden the Erie Canal, the Confederation Trail in Prince Edward and even did a completely dry cross race with it; wasn't the best for the cross race but better then the really knobby tires that some brought expecting mud. I run the 35 and find it all day comfortable and with this tire and a number of others like it I would have no problem with a trek FX for everyday all around usage.
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Old 06-16-20, 09:44 PM
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The Trek FX can handle dirt / gravel, but as mentioned, it's up to you. Wider tires, and possibly wider handlebars, will help with stability and enjoyment.

Disc Brakes are not necessary for riding on dirt.
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Old 06-18-20, 10:00 AM
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I have the the same FX3 that you are looking at and have been riding it for 3 years. I agree that the stock tires are more suited to paved surfaces.
My riding is 90% paved and 10% crushed limestone trails where the stock Bontrager tigers could get a little squirrelly on turns.
After approximately 100 miles I swapped out the original tires for Schwalbe G1 All ARound 700X35 and they are great! Fairly fast on pavement and sure footed in turns on the limestone trails.
Don’t worry about the V-brakes. I have another bike with disc brakes and don’t consider V-brakes a big liability.
I love riding my FX3, it’s a fun bike!
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Old 06-18-20, 10:22 AM
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For what it's worth (as I'm a pretty new rider), I just replaced the stock H2 32mm Bontrager w/the H5 38mm Ultimate tires on a 2020 FX 3. I noticed a significant improvement in stability on hard packed trails/gravel and not that much difference in speed on pavement. Very happy w/the change.
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Old 06-21-20, 07:11 AM
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I don't have an FX, but a good friend has an FX 4 and regularly travels rail-trails. He recently spent 4 days riding the GAP rail-trail. He still has the stock tires on his FX4. When I first started mtn.biking, over mtn bike trails with rock and roots, the bike did not have suspension, other than mtn bike tires which I ran "soft", so you should be fine w/o susp. It didn't have disc brakes either. Had a blast on that bike-the lack of susp probably helped me with picking good lines on mtn bike trails. You should be fine with tires a little wider, and don't inflate to the max (most tires are not at their best at max pressure anyway). You'll be fine--enjoy!!
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Old 08-23-20, 07:24 AM
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In regard to your Canyon Pathlite, did you find the website's sizing accurate? I am 5'10" and 32 inseam and says I am Small. I use a 54-55CM Specialized normally. Thanks. Do you still like the Pathlite?
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Old 08-23-20, 12:21 PM
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To answer the question about disc brakes, as I have said elsewhere they are like aircon, automatic gearboxes on cars and women, once you have experienced them it’s difficult to to do without.
As for the tyres, I have an FX4 and if I find it excellent on roads/pavement and compacted paths, I must admit that the 32C tyres lose my confidence in the loose stuff ie gravel, sand, mud. Last autumn/fall I fitted some 38Cs and that helps quite a lot, but it ain’t perfection.

james
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Old 08-24-20, 06:07 AM
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The appropriate tire size (width, really) is determined in large part by the size of the gravel. I would recommend sizing your tire for the chunkiest stuff you ride on a regular basis, discarding larger stuff that you may not encounter regularly. On my daily rides, I come across loose gravel in the 1" range. There's not a lot of it, but I ride it all the time. 38mm tires just don't do well on this size of rock. I down-sized my wheels on my hybrid to 584s from 622s, and I ride with 47mm smooth tires (Vittoria Terreno Zero). I air them up to 45-50 psi if I'm riding on the road and they're pretty dadgum fast. Or, I'll air them down to 25-30 psi if I'm riding on the gravel or on mixed surfaces and they're very comfortable and controllable.

I've stopped riding my 35-38mm tires on gravel. They do okay (I get through it), but it's not comfortable and they're not faster enough on pavement for me to want to take the sacrifice off the pavement. Again, it just depends on the types of surfaces you normally ride and then trying to find a tire that does well on that. One option is having multiple bikes if you have the room to keep them. I have a mountain bike with 52-584 tires for the trails, a hybrid with 47-584 tires for the mixed surfaces and gravelly stuff, and a few vintage steel bikes with 35-622 that I might use if riding only on pavement.
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