tenrec

This is a review of the first new bike I’ve purchased since I got my Trek Madone 4.7 in 2009. The new bike is a 2023 Trek FX3 Disc. Until now I’ve been riding my 1998 Trek 7500 hybrid when I didn’t want to use my Madone, but that bike is now showing its age and needs quite a bit of work. When I called my LBS to give me a quote on the repairs and upgrades, they made a suggestion: instead of putting several hundred dollars into the old bike, why not consider a new FX3 which was on sale for just a few hundred dollars more than that?

I did some research on the FX3 and liked what I saw. It’s similar in capabilities to the 7500, but is significantly lighter and incorporates a carbon fork and disc brakes. I gave one a test ride and decided to buy it. Now, with close to a hundred miles on it, I’m enjoying it so much that I decided to bring some of my thoughts about it to the forum.

Trek is marketing the FX series as “fast, fun, comfortable, and agile.” I certainly agree with Trek about the “fun” part – that’s the first thing I noticed about riding the FX3! As I said before, it’s lighter than my 7500, but it’s also more nimble and maneuverable. Its steering is responsive and the upright posture is very easy on my neck and shoulders. I like the “wings” on the handlebar grips that function as palm rests – however, as delivered I found them angled upwards too much. I had the LBS rotate them downwards from the stock position by around 30 degrees, and now they are much more comfortable and useful.

I do find the bike very comfortable to ride; perhaps the most comfortable bike I’ve ridden. I don’t know if it’s the frame, the fork, the tires, or a combination of all three, but the bike just glides over smooth pavement and minor irregularities with aplomb. With rougher pavement you definitely feel it, but it’s easy to remain in control. I find the ride on the old 7500 much harsher, despite its having wider (35mm, currently) tires. That bike is from the earlier days of aluminum frame design, with large diameter round tubes and an aluminum fork. In the quarter-century since it was made, manufacturers have improved their designs, techniques, and materials to make aluminum a much more comfortable frame material than it used to be. The shaped and butted tubes that make up the FX3 frame definitely give the bike a superior ride quality compared with the earlier effort. I’m sure the carbon fiber fork doesn’t hurt, either.

The saddle is also very comfortable. I haven’t done any really long rides on the bike yet, but in the time that I have spent on it, the saddle has not been a source of discomfort or fatigue, which is more than I can say for the old 7500.

I don’t find the bike to be particularly fast. Maybe it’s fast in comparison to some of Trek’s other bikes, such as the Verve series, but I don’t find my average speed to be any higher on the FX3 than on my 7500. Admittedly, it’s the middle of winter and I am not in great riding condition; plus I have been wearing much bulkier clothing due to the weather. I find that, due to my upright riding posture, as my speed increases my air resistance increases rapidly, and my speed maxes out. When I researched the bike I found that its 1X drivetrain, with only a single front chainring, had a generous supply of low gears suitable for climbing, but limited higher gears for faster riding on level or downhill sections of road. I was concerned that I would run out of high gears before I ran out of my ability to crank them, but that hasn’t happened – in fact, I have not encountered conditions yet in which I have used the large 46-tooth cog. I’m sure I will as I put more miles on the bike and encounter some of the major local downhills that I haven’t tried yet.

I will say that the FX3 accelerates faster than the 7500. Presumably this is due to lighter wheels. Initially it was harder to keep my feet on the pedals during rapid acceleration or fast pedaling. I found the pedals that came with the FX3 to be inadequate for any but the most casual riding. They are made of lightweight plastic with a textured surface designed to keep your shoes from slipping, but I didn’t feel they really succeeded – my feet would slide around on them during vigorous pedaling, and would lose contact completely under some conditions. I use clipless SPD pedals on my road bike and I’ve always had toe clips and straps on my 7500, and after a week or two riding the new bike, I found myself wanting greater stability and security while pedaling. The stock pedals are not compatible with toe clips, so I replaced them with a set of alloy pedals with clips and straps, and now find pedaling to be much more efficient.

As for the tires, I’m finding them to be excellent. At 32mm wide, they are quieter and more maneuverable than those on the 7500. (The 7500 has heavier wheels, too, which affects maneuverability.) Potentially these tires can be faster, with less rolling resistance, although I haven’t found that to be the case so far. Their traction is excellent, both on straightaways and when leaning through tight turns at speed. I’ve found them most comfortable when inflated to 80 psi for the road, but at 70 psi on local bike trails with rougher pavement.

The drivetrain on the FX3 is also proving to be excellent. Shifting is precise and quiet, and the derailleur responds instantly to the trigger shifters. I was surprised to find that upshifts are possible by either pulling OR pushing on the front trigger! My Trek 7500 has had a durable and reliable crankset and derailleurs, and the FX3 seems to at least match it.

Braking is adequate but not spectacular. I have never had a bike with disc brakes before, and I was expecting amazing braking power with little effort. I find that, while the discs stop the bike when needed, the braking power is no better than (and maybe not quite as good as) the cantilever rim brakes on my 7500. They are a bit quieter, but no more powerful. Modulation is similar. I have not tried the new brakes under wet conditions, under which disc brakes are supposed to show their superiority, but under normal dry conditions, I don’t find any advantage.

The new bike is very quiet, with little noise from the chain and a relatively quiet freehub ratchet while coasting. The tires are very hushed on the road, and the frame doesn’t have the hollow, resonant quality that my carbon fiber Madone has, which sort of amplifies road noise. The FX3 is almost stealthy in its silence.

I wish that Trek had provided an instruction manual for the bike – if not an actual paper booklet that comes with the bike, then an online downloadable manual. It could help a new user become familiar with the features of the bike, and perhaps recommend some sort of maintenance and inspection schedule. The LBS has asked me to bring the bike back in for inspection and adjustment within 30 days of my purchase; I expect to do that next week. I’ll ask them to have a look at the brakes and see if they can coax a bit more performance out of them.

Overall, I’m really impressed with the Trek FX3 – its features, performance, and value for money. I can highly recommend it to anyone looking for a moderately-priced, comfortable fitness bike.

Spacemaster

Any picture?

freeranger

Always good when you find a bike that works for ya! A good friend who rides LOTS of rail-trails has an FX and has nothing but good things to say about it. (haven't seen or ridden it--600 miles away!)

rje58_too

Sure! Here you go...


Trek FX3 2023

( stock photo - I have a 2019 FX2 )

jaxgtr

I know Trek had an issue with the spec'd brakes for the FX series and many of them got delivered with Tektro or other lower end brakes as they couldn't get the Shimano's. The bikes should have come with the Shimano MT201 lever, UR300 caliper, and the RT-10 rotors, which is a really nice brake setup. The Tektro brakes suck eggs and that is what my FX Sport 5 got delivered with. My LBS has been warranting out the brakes and ordering the spec'd brakes directly from Shimano since they are in stock now. Shimano braking is so much better, and for what you paid for the bike it should not have substandard braking. If you did not get the Shimano setup, I would discuss it with your dealer to replace what you did get with the Shimano brakes, handles, and rotors if you are not happy them. Took about 5 days for them to get my parts and put them on.

Trav1s

When I was looking for a bike, I found the FX3 to be a very nice ride. I was planning on purchasing one until the used Quick 1 from a friend found me. From what I remember, the FX3 was light, nimble, & comfortable. The only thing I talked with the shop about was swapping the 700x30 tires for 700x32 to give a more comfortable ride. Glad you found something that works well for you.

Spacemaster

Hehe, you do not have your own photos?

tenrec

That's the color I have! Mine is size XL.

tenrec

Trek FX3 2023

( stock photo - I have a 2019 FX2 )[/QUOTE]
That's the color I have! Mine is size XL.

tenrec

Mine are the Shimano brakes. I made sure I had the specified components when I bought the bike, including the Shimano brakes and Deore derailleur.

tenrec

I wasn't actually looking for a bike at the time I bought this -- I sort of fell into it because it was on sale, and it made more sense to me to buy the new bike than fix up the old one. As for used bikes, I typically have a hard time with them because I'm tall and never seem to find a used bike that fits me.

jaxgtr

Cool beans. It 9 months for mine to come in, so I pretty much I got what Trek put on it. Everything else was per the specs.

tenrec

Here's a picture of it as it is currently configured:

jaxgtr

like the paint scheme on that model

pakeboi

nice bike

tenrec

I'd like it better if the rear color was a bit lighter -- say a dark teal, perhaps. The way it is now, it just looks black. I like the all-black version better, but this is the one the bike store had in stock.

Rasmi

How it work in elevations?
I am planning to buy FX3 Disc 2023.
The only worry was 1X10 group set.

tenrec

I haven't had any difficulty with climbing. Its lowest gear is lower than the lowest on my previous hybrid, the Trek 7500. Its highest gear is not as high as on that bike, but with my hybrids I'm more concerned with climbing than fast downhill speeds.

randywall

I just bought an FX3, and I made sure to check that it has the Deore drivetrain, but I couldn't remember what brakes were supposed to be on it, so I have to wait until the LBS finishes prepping it to see. I haven't ridden regularly in 30 years, so this is going to be an experience. This bike felt so much better than the Verve 3 I tried first, but only liked it a bit, whereas the FX3 really felt right for what I was looking for.

tenrec

The FX3 is a lot lighter than the Verve and expect it's more maneuverable, too. It's a wonderful bike and probably the best deal in its class. The riding position is not super-upright, however, so you do distribute your weight between the saddle and the handlebars. It's possible to develop hand numbness if you put too much pressure on your hands for too long. The "wings" on the handlebar grips reduce the likelihood of this, but do not eliminate the possibility.

randywall

I only have about 5 miles on my new bike so far, hoping to get out again tomorrow if the weather forecast is accurate. I just looked at the brakes, and they say Promax on both the discs and the calipers, and have the same P logo on the levers. Are those decent brakes compared to the Shimano ones that were in the specs?

FrozenBiker 

Promax do not generally hold a good reputation, yet may be fine for your usage. The intended Shimano brakes are better, yet they are just low-end Altus with Tourney rotors anyways. From my research, it may cost $75 per wheel (DIY) to get those on your bike.
My FX 4 Carbon came with Tektro, which many people consider to be junk as well. They've been functionally fine so far, but I've not challenged them with a long downhill where they would heat up and fade away.

Congrats on the bikes guys. Nice paint scheme there.

veganbikes

Promax ísn't great on the brake front, I would say better than Clarks but not by a huge margin. Shimano even at their bottom end hydraulic brakes will generally be better than most of the random stuff. They were some of the first hydraulic disc brakes back in the 60s and the modern stuff is generally all pretty darn good. However on the lower initial cost bikes you get what you pay for though you could do a lot worse on brakes and I have seen them.

Though I will say because Promax is through Quality Bicycle Products it is easy to get good support at most shops if you should happen upon a problem. Though I haven't really had many issues with their stuff so not a huge worry.

intoTrek

I'm going to get this same bike. Definitely the best value, and the only one I found that has TLR rims other than some of the Giant Fastroad AR, which has bad gear ratios. Gonna put Continental GP5000 AS TR 35 tires on mine. Trying to sell my Trek FX 7.1, but hard to find buyers who fit an XL frame.

andlum

Hi there,

greetings from Germany.

My wife bought a Trek FX 3 last year and keeps complaining that the gearing is not ideal for her. We live in a rather flat area and she is only using the two „hardest“ gears and even they feel odd cadence-wise.

A local shop offered us to upgrade the bike to 2by (Shimano Deore crank, shifter, derailleur and so on) for about 300€.

Is there any other way to improve things for her? 300€ seem a bit steep considering it’s 1/3 of the retail price.

Thanks,
Andreas