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Trek 7200 bad choice? |
A couple months ago I bought a Trek Multitrack 7200 fro $429.00 and an odometer in order to save some money and commute to school and such. It was my first non department store bike and I liked it a lot but recently I started to ride more and it has been nagging at me that I didnt buy a road bike. I have been riding at least 15 miles a day, and a couple times a week I ride to the next city which is a 35 mile journey (round trip). It takes me just under an hour a day for the 15 mile ride, but I think I might start doubling that distance everyday. I don't work atm, so their is nothing to commute to, I strictly use it for bike rides. Since it is a hybrid bike how well does it perform on longer bike rides? Is there a massive difference between a road bike and it? I know it goes slower, but does that mean I am working out more by riding it since it is harder? I used to commute on a 1970's model French steel road bike and then finally saved up enough money to buy an early 90s Specialized aluminum road bike, and let me tell you, it was like growing wings. I think you made a good move going with your 7200 because hybrids are a great way to get into distance cycling. Take my wife for instance, she jumped into a road bike and hated the riding position; it takes some getting used to. She traded it for a hybrid and loved the more upright riding position. Going from a contemporary hybrid to a road bike is not that big a difference. I wouldn't recommend selling it to buy yourself a new road bike; you'd take a big loss that way. It would be a good idea to change wheels though. Switching to 700x25c wheels could easily reduce tire friction by 50%, making your ride more efficient. But the best thing you can do to improve you ride is switching to SPD pedals. There are other kinds of clipless pedals but I like SPDs because SPD shoes are good for riding but still comfortable enough to walk, even hike in. Regular pedals only allow you to push down from 12 to 6 o'clock, but with SPDs you can also pull from 6 to 12 o'clock. It's a whole new ball game. Do these two things and you pretty much have yourself a low-end road bike with a chain-guard and kick stand (which road bikes never have). Needless to say, you're going to spend some money, but temper yourself. Go to a trusted local bike shop and choose lower end parts that your dealer recommends but are within your price range. You can save some money by doing the work yourself, just know your limits. Happy trails. Change tires. Buy some Bontrager 700x25's. I rode a hybrid road bike on TOSRV this year and it was great! You will find the tire change will do wonders for speed and handling of that bike. The narrower tire with higher pressure will reduce rolling resistance. I use Bontrager Race X Lite 700 X 25 on mine. |
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