bigwies

I am a mega clyde (~340 lbs.) and just bought a 2008 Trek 7100. Does anyone have any experience with the Trek 7100 and its durability. I have put about 50 miles on it so far and am very happy with it's ride and performance. I ride mostly flat roads, but I do ride to work in Boston a couple of times a week and I need a reliable bike.

jaxgtr

I have a trek 7300 and I was 375 when I started riding 15 months ago and have no issues. I did get stronger wheels however. 36 spoke mavics A119. Been great.

Conveyor Belt

Looks like you have plenty of spokes on the wheels. I'm not sure if those wheels are double walled or not. A double walled rim would be stronger, if they're not. But that's an upgrade you can do later.

I'm 360, and ride a Giant Cypress DX, which looks about the same as that 7100. Mine has double walled rims, though.

However, my old walmart schwinn has single walled rims and still runs fine with my weight... I just have to true the wheels every now and then.

jaxgtr

Hey, those are pretty sweeting looking now. I really like the paint and they finally got rid of that crappy front fork on the higher end models.

bigwies

Thanks for the info. I do not have double walled rims, but may pick them up if needed. So far, so good. Riding to work again tomorrow.

(51)

I'm about your size and I have been riding a 7200. Does the 7100 have the Matrix 550 wheels?

My wheels are the Matrix 750. The first wheelset lasted about 2,000 miles before a spoke popped. After I had the wheels re-built with DT spokes, I have not had an issue. The rims themselves now has over 6,000 miles on them.

At the very least I would look into getting the rear wheel beefed up.

bigwies

Yes, my bike has the Matrix 550 wheels. I looked at the 7200 and since I was just getting into cycling, I went with the less expensive model. I kinda have a tendency to do new things for a while and then lose interest.

Just wondering, what does it cost to have a wheel re-spoked w/ DT's.

So far I am really enjoying riding, so I hope I can keep it up. I can feel the difference in my body already after only about 3 weeks.

Wish me luck.

jaxgtr

Should be less than $50. Spokes should be maybe $25 or so and the labor.

fifthcircle

If you start to lose interest in it, go pick out a new pair of shorts, seat or gloves. Then you will want to try it/them out and you are back on the bike

bigwies

Thanks for the feedback. Hopefully, I will be able to stick to it until the snow flies. I don't plan on riding during the winter. We will see. So far I have put on around 78 miles in 8 days. No problems yet. Feels like a good choice so far.

bigwies

Okay, I hit the 250 mile mark on my 7100 today, but while riding home from work I noticed my rear wheel was out of true and rubbing against the brake pads. I don't remember hitting any potholes or running over any large objects and the wheel was still true two days ago. I try really hard to avoid obstacles on my rides. Sounds like all the comments about upgrading the rear wheel were pretty accurate.

I made it home, but I want to know if I need to get that wheel trued up immediately or can I get in my final two commutes for the week and then take it to the shop.

Any suggestions?

nymtber

bigwies, do you have a nipple wrench like you should? read up on www.sheldonbrown.com on how to true a rim, use your brake pad as a rough guide and make sure the tension is somewhat even on all the spokes (hand pressure will have to do for now). that SHOULD get you through till you can get her in to the shop!

by the way i bought my girlfriend a 7100 wsd this summer, she absolutely LOVES the bike, I'm glad I bought it for her...but shes only 160lbs, so she doesnt have any wheel problems to say the least. they are pretty beefy looking bikes though. wheelset might be your only weekness. cyclocross wheelset should be great for us clydes

i think im going to invest in a truing stand, tensionometer, and good nipple wrenches soon...

(51)

Is it just out of true, or did you pop a spoke? I would not ride it one more day. If it is out of true, a taco isn't far behind.

bigwies

I did not pop a spoke, it is just out of true. I will have to take it into the shop in the next day or two. I guess I will have to borrow a bike from my kids for the next couple days.

Thanks,

bigwies

OK, I think an update is in order. I now have almost 900 miles on my bike and overall it has performed very well. It rides well and is a good fit for my daily commute. My one issue is the rear wheel. I am now on my fourth broken spoke in about 3 1/2 months. All the broken spokes have been on the drive side and I am getting pretty frustrated. After my third popped spoke, my LBS replaced the spoke and retensioned the wheel. They also told me if I popped another one, they will try and get Trek to replace the rear rim. My would then build up a new rear wheel on my existing hub.

My question is, should I try and get the LBS to upgrade the replacement rim to something stiffer than the stock rim (Bontrager Matrix 550) and pay the difference or just have them use the replacement and use better spokes on the rebuild. I don't want to spend a ton of money on a rear wheel for a bike that only cost about $320, but I am also sick of having to have spokes replaced once a month.

BTW if I go the upgrade route I was thinking of trying a Velocity Deep V or Dyad.

Any and all advice/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

jaxgtr

Get the new rims. In the long run it will be the best thing.

JohnKScott

Congrats on the miles logged! Nice work!

Bill Kapaun

+1
Fix it right the first time. Too many stories about "intermediate" fixes that just take a little longer to go bad. Every time you have wheel problems, the frustration level will grow. You'll either quit riding, or spend more money later. Spend the money now and avoid spending the "intermediate" money.

bigwies

Thanks for the feedback so far.

I agree that I need to fix it right because I really enjoy riding and don't want to stop because of constant breakdowns. What I would love to know is what constitutes right. Is it:

1. Rebuild using the existing hub, an exact replacement rim and high quality spokes, like Wheelsmith double butted.

2. Rebuild using the existing hub, a new rim (Deep V, Dyad, other suggestions?) and high quality spokes, like Wheelsmith double butted. My tires are 700c x 35mm.

3. Other ideas.

I would love to have a pretty good idea of what I want to do before I take my bike to the shop tomorrow.

Tom Stormcrowe

My recommendation would be the Deep V, personally. Great lateral strength and better aerodynamics. Marginally heavier, yes, but worth the few grams weight penalty.

By the way, I'm running 77X25 Soma Everwear tires.

jaxgtr

I went with the Deep V's as well, being built now, but as long as you have good quality hubs, why buy new if not needed. However, you could have the old wheels re-laced with a good quality spoke and have completely new wheels built and use your old wheels as a backup or for a trainer.

Bearonabike

Started on a Trek 7100 at 361#.

Only problem was popped spokes. New spokes and a 4x lacing pattern and over 2K miles later, NO PROBLEMS!

(51)

I'm 340#

FWIW, I have put over 3,500 miles on my Matrix 750 hand built rims this year without a problem. It is all about the spokes and the builder. I suggest you keep the rims and get a hand built set of spokes. IF you have problems after that than consider new rims.

bigwies

Latest update. Trek is going to provide a warranty replacement for my rear wheel. The new wheel is expected at the LBS in the next couple days. It will be the same type of wheel that came with the bike. I am not sure I am thrilled with this answer, because I don't want to go through this broken spoke merry go round again.

Any suggestions I should propose to the LBS about the replacement? (cost is not a huge factor)
- Re-spoke with higher quality spokes
- Re-tension
- Play let's make a deal about upgrading to a higher quality wheel
- Any other ideas people may have.

One other item, I am going to have my LBS add a set of bar ends while they have my bike in the shop. I am planning to use Specialized A1 Dirt Rodz. Does anyone have any experience with them.

Thanks,

bigwies

Final update. My LBS is awesome. Trek only warrantied my rear wheel for an exact replacement. My LBS went ahead and upgraded me to the next level Bontrager wheelset. New rear hub and Matrix 750 rim and then rebuilt the wheel by hand. I have been able to get in about 50 miles on the new wheel and it works great. Feels really solid. Here's hoping I don't hear the "twang" any time soon.