t2p

mrs t2p fx has seen a fair amount of use on dirt roads and paths and some relatively smooth trails ... low speed ... nothing too rough though

the current tires are one limiting factor

for future rides - especially dirt road / path use - considering a tire switch

possibly to 700x35 Continental Terra Speed or Panaracer Gravel King SS

Conti TS 700x35's are not the most robust tires - actually measure under 35mm - but have a low profile knob tread, fairly lightweight, and roll well

Panaracer 700x35 GK SS has more 'meat' - one set measured at almost 37mm - and also appear to be a fairly good all purpose tire

RiddleOfSteel

Beautiful red! Man, when Trek does a good red, it's really good. Their newer FX's sometimes come in Rage Red (not really pumped about the name, but oh well) which is like yours.

Kobe 

I almost bought a FX3 just based on this color. Most reds do not look great on a bike to me, when it leans towards burgundy it really appeals to me.

hokiefyd 

When Trek decides to do something other than black or super dark grey, they usually come up with some really nice looking colors. Yes, that burgundy color on the FX is really stunning.

RiddleOfSteel

They have an entry-level Domane AL 2 (endurance road with good tire clearance) in a dark blue metallic that is gorgeous. I'd buy that level Domane just for that! (the rest of the kit is plenty good)

raqball

Ditched my saddle bag for a Bontrager Adventure Boss Frame Bag (5L for L and 58cm bikes) and some thumb screws so I would not need to use straps on the top tube. Holds a ton more than my saddle bag but I had to change over to smaller water bottles. The bottle cages I have on now are not adjustable and are top insert only which causes issues. I have a pair of adjustable carbon cages on the way that use a side insert so hopefully I can move them down a bit and fit a 550ml bottle..

Ditching the saddle bag also allowed me to move my Dinotte Quad Red Light and my Camera up a bit on the seatpost..

Murray Missile 

This 2006 FX 7.5 showed up at my doorstep yesterday. Long story short it had been in the same family since new but most of that time it had been hanging in one family member or another's garages passed from oldest to youngest unridden. The last in line was moving and brought it to me to see if it was worth anything before he set it out on the curb...... I made him a very low offer and it's mine, he probably would have just given it to me but even I'm not that cheap.......

I aired up the tires, raised the saddle to where it is in the pic and tried it out. The shifters are gummed up and need flushed and the pedals are crap, I think they got switched for pedals off a BSO, but otherwise everything works, tires are like new, brakes good and under all the years of dust I believe the paint is pretty good. Except for the pedals I believe this to be 100% original right down to the Bontrager tires which still have mold flash down the center. There are hardly any signs of wear on anything on the bike. I'm going to remove the neon green stickers on the top tube, rinse it off, flip the front wheel around, remove the broken kickstand, flush the shifters out and oil the chain today. It's a little small for me but I have a friend that's been looking for something like this for quite awhile. I contacted him to make sure it was his size and it is so I'm passing on my good fortune.

freeranger

Looks to be in great shape. Looking at the exposed seatpost, def too small for you. Sure your friend will enjoy it, glad to hear you know someone who will ride it!

Murray Missile 

Thanks, yeah I normally ride a 20 or 21 in a 29er/700c or 22 with 26" wheels, I've made a 19 work but it was a little cramped. It's all done and ready for him, paint had a few more scuffs and chips under the grunge than I thought but it still looks good and I was right about not being ridden much. There are virtually no wear marks on the chainwheels or cassette. Chain shows some wear on the rollers but is in good shape and has no rust. I wiped it down and oiled it along with the derailleur pivots. I pulled the plugs on the shifters and sprayed a 1/4 can of WD-40 through them while running them through the gears. Once I was happy with how they felt I blew them out with air and gave them a dose of Tri-Flow. It's a bit chilly so I came in to warm up and dry out from washing it down. I'll get a couple after pics here in a bit, even though it doesn't fit it's a nice riding bike, I think he's going to really enjoy it. I briefly thought about parting it out when I first got it but after looking it over decided it was far too nice for that.

Chickenwings

FINE looking ride Murray and KEEP THOSE DAY GLO STICKERS ON.....grin...

Murray Missile 

Well, you can't really see a big difference but it is a LOT cleaner. I left the day-glo stickers, my buddy can take those off if he wants..... in other words after getting wet cleaning it up in the cold and wind I didn't want to mess with them.
Here's the "after".......

Chickenwings

Looks great, I REALLY like that spoke configuration. I don't know if it's better, worse or indifferent but it's neat lookin'.
Nicely done and good on you to pay it forward!

Murray Missile 

Factory Bontrager wheels for an '06 FX 7.5. Being a bit of a Clydesdale I wouldn't keep them but my buddy isn't a big guy so he will be fine.

t2p

thought the 7.5 FX would have a carbon fork (?)

mrs t2p 2007 7.5 FX has a carbon fork


edit: 2006 7.5 FX does not have carbon fork

https://archive.trekbikes.com/us/en/...k/75fx/details

.

dmark 

I have a 2005 7500FX (same as 2006 FX7.5) and that oversized aluminum fork is the stiffest SOB on bumps. Went to 42mm tires to soften the ride but wish it had a carbon fork.

Murray Missile 

Well, it has gone to it's new home, he was pretty pleased.

RiddleOfSteel

42s with my 7.3's aluminum fork make junk roads manageable. As soon as I drop to 35s, it's too stiff for my liking. Definitely wish I had the carbon fork, but finding 7.4 or better FX's in the XL / 25" size is quite uncommon. At this point, I'm looking to turn my 7.3 back to stock (kept all the components) and put the fancy road parts back on a road bike. Hoping a 7.4 or 7.5 is in my future at some point. Who knows!

Kobe 

What happened to the drop bar experiment? It looked great, was the geometry just not right for a road bike?

I have been looking for an XXL FX for months without any luck. I was hoping all the pandemic bikes would be coming up for sale soon.

XxHaimBondxX

Couple of months ago I got 7.3 FX from around 2008 for $50 that needed a rear tube and LOTS of elbow grease. Really love this bike, got me back into regular riding.

RiddleOfSteel

Thanks, Kobe. Nothing wrong with the geometry or the look of the bike. Even with 42s introducing a modicum wheel flop at only the slowest speeds (was more pronounced on my '85 Trek 620 from whence these components came, and from higher speeds). Color is great, etc. It came down to scooping up a gloss black 66cm 1989 Schwinn Paramount OS frameset for a deal, cleaning and shining it up, it weighing just 2900g for the frame/fork/headset, and wanting that to be the home for all the lightweight Dura-Ace components on the FX. I've long been a road/race bike guy at heart, because they're pretty and light and all the things that any guy that likes fast, cool looking cars likes. So now I have a complete 9000 groupset (including the beautiful calipers that were missing out on the party) on what is now my favorite road/race bike ever--the ride is phenomenal and the 9000 components look perfect on it. Even more so since applying the decals to the once-bare paint.

A drop bar conversion FX of this era (of geometry) will forever have my full approval. Especially for us that need a XXL frame. It's like a slightly better proportioned Trek Emonda that's been to the gym. Great presence and makes for a very handsome bike. I'm trying to balance how many bikes I have in this super dead used bike market. Nothing is going to replace how much that FX frame can dig you out of a hole when wanting to accelerate from a super low cadence, nor will another bike spring you up a 10-12% grade out of the saddle for nearly a 1/4 mile like the FX did. Maybe I'll just let the frameset lie fallow and make a 105 build out of it. Or a gravel build for cheap. Or sell it as a drop bar build with R3000 Sora or something.

dan.pl

Hey, does anyone know what bearings are in the Bontrager TLR wheels on a 2015 Trek FX 7.7 bike? I want to replace them on my dad's bike, and I can't figure out beforehand what bearings I need to buy.

morsetaper2

If you need just the balls they should be std size, and cheap. Forgot the diameter?? Maybe 3/16 in the rear, and 1/8 for front hub maybe? If you need cones or axles, take it to a Trek dealer. The cones in my 2012 FX 7.5 were worn and pitted. And was able to get the parts through them. Complete rear axle/cone/balls was about $25 or so.

hokiefyd 

Most front hubs will have ten (10) 3/16" bearing balls and most rear hubs will have nine (9) 1/4" bearing balls.

morsetaper2

Thanks for correcting me. Couldn't recall the size, but knew there was a 1/16 diff, w/ rear being the larger ball diam.

Awesomeguy

so you prefer a hybrid to a road bike? Why do?