2015 Trek FX 7.2

Around tax time in 2016 I went out and bought myself a ’15 Giant Talon mountain bike that was on sale. After about 3 weeks on that bike I quickly decided that I just don’t enjoy mountain biking anymore, and most of the time I am riding on pavement. So I tried putting slick road tires on the Giant. The bike was still too heavy. So I ended up selling it. Over the next few weeks I looked for a new bike to ride. I found this gem of a bike at our local pawn shop. And I love riding this bike. Let me tell you why. 🙂

First off, the parts list:

• Frame – Trek “Alpha” aluminum frame, 17.5 inch size, disc only
• Fork  – Trek “Alpha” aluminum rigid fork, disc only
• Brakes – Tektro Novela mechanical disk brakes
• Brake Levers  – Shimano Easy-Fire lever/shifter combo (Upgraded Feb 2017)
• Shifters – Shimano integrated 24 speed RapidFire shifters, 3 x 8, built into brake levers (Upgraded Feb 2017)
• Front Derailleur – Shimano Altus SIS
• Rear Derailleur – Shimano Altus
• Crankset – Shimano SIS, 28t, 38t, 48t
• Bottom Bracket – Shimano sealed bearing, square taper
• Chain – KMC 8 speed chain
• Cassette – Shimano Altus, 12t – 34t
• Pedals – Wellgo
• Seatpost – Trek
• Saddle – Bontrager
• Handlebar – Bontrager, low rise, minimal backsweep
• Grips – Bontrager with palmrest (Upgraded Feb 2017)
• Stem – Bontrager
• Headset – Integrated with frame, caged bearings
• Front hub – Trek disc hub, 6 bolt
• Rear hub – Trek disc hub, 6 bolt
• Rims – Bontrager AT-750 double wall rims, 28″
• Tires – Bontrager

Upgrades as of February 2107:

• Shimano 3×8 RapidFire shifter pods
• Avid brake levers
• Origin Eight lock on grips

Frame and Fork:

I wanted to say a few words about the frame and fork. The frame is pretty light, it has butted and hydroformed tubing all throughout the frame. A few unusual parts of the frame include a built in place for a Bluetooth sensor for the computers that use those, next to the rear tire, and the disc caliper is mounted inside the frame on the chainstay instead of the normal practice of the disk brake mount being placed above the dropout on the chainstay. Of course this bike has all the mounts for a bike rack and fenders. This is one of a few bikes I have owned that has a rigid fork. It makes sense for my bike to have a rigid fork because I’m a Clydesdale and all the suspension forks out there don’t do me any good. I quite enjoy the rigid fork. The fork and frame are disc brake only.

Cockpit:

This handlebar is very wide, and the shift levers and brake levers are spaced pretty far apart. I like having the wider bar, it feels better when I’m riding and offers more control over the bike while turning. The stem is a bit long for my preferred riding setup, but somehow I still end up in the same upright position I like when riding. The palm rest on each grip offers a way to keep my hands from going numb while I’m riding. I’m not a big fan of the low end Shimano brake levers with integrated shifters. They do the job, and they do it well, but I would prefer separate brake levers and shifters. Plenty of room on bar for my bike light. I recently upgraded the brake levers and shifters. I like the new shifters, they do the job well, but it seems the old shifters allowed more play in the system and were a bit more precise with shifting. No issues with the new Avid levers, Avid has been in the brake game for many years, their products are of the highest quality.

Drivetrain:

The drivetrain consists of the Shimano crank, Shimano front and rear derailleurs, KMC chain, and Shimano shifters. Let me say a few words about the old shifters. The shifts were crisp and precise. The shifters themselves seemed to be in good working order. The shifter for the rear derailleur did have a semi-muted click action when used, I assume this is because the rear is more often shifted than the front. All of the drivetrain parts were pretty low end within the Shimano lineup when I bought the bike. However, even being low end, they still performed better than what we had on bikes 5 or 10 years ago. The newer shifters seem to have a more louder click and shifting power than the old. I think I prefer the new ones, but miss that the old ones always worked even when the system was clogged up with rain, mud, or dirt. The bike seems to glide over the road, and pushing it up to speed is really easy. It will climb hills, with a bit of effort, of course it’s no mountain bike. I have found the gear combination of the middle chainring up front and the third largest in the rear to be the most comfortable to cruise around town on. However, I eventually plan to upgrade the drivetrain to a SRAM 27 speed setup with SRAM 4 or X5 parts and a new 22t, 32t, 42t crank.

Brakes:

This bike came equipped with Tektro’s Novela mechanical disk brakes. I haven’t had any issues with them at all. I had to adjust them slightly when I bought the bike, but ever since then, no adjustments and no problems. They do like to squeal after getting rained on, and I’ve had the front brake squeal a little ever so often. I think that is just because the rotors need to be cleaned off and the inboard pads moved closer to the rotor. The brakes offer pretty good stopping power. More than a set of V-Brakes, but they lack the power and modulation of a good set of hydraulic disc brakes. I have plans to put a set of hydros on here some time soon. Not because these brakes don’t have the stopping power I need, because they do, but because I just like the feel of hydraulic disc brakes. I figure changing the stock pads out for metallic pads will take care of the squealing issue. I have upgraded the stock brake levers to Avid brake levers, they seem to handle stopping power better than the Shimano levers ever did. Higher leverage ratio on cable pull perhaps? Interesting note: The rear caliper sits inside the frame. Take a look at the pics. It’s pretty rick looking, and the first bike I have owned that has the caliper mounted this way. I really like it.

Rims, Tires:

 The rims at double-wall Bontrager AT-750 rims, with Schwalbe Marathon tires. I have very little issues with the rims. They seem to handle my weight and crazy riding habits just fine without going out of true to much. I usually true up the rims every 3 months or so, and they are never too bad out of shape. I had to replace the stock tires for these Schwalbe Marathon tires that have a built in protective strip that prevents punctures as I was getting a lot of flats from either running over glass or nails I can’t see at night on the old tire’s bead puncturing the tube. I run the rear at 90 PSI, the front at 80 to 85 PSI. I did purchase a new rear rim, but have not installed it yet. It seems the rear freewheel it beginning to slip, and it was cheaper to just by the whole new rim. I am just waiting for it to finally let go but so far it has not.

Upgrades

I do plan on doing a few upgrades. As mentioned before, I would like to upgrade the drivetrain to a 27 speed setup with a 34t granny in the rear. I think I will probably use SRAM components and switch to GripShift. I also want a mountain bike crank on the bike, maybe a 22-32-42t setup. And at some point either more powerful Avid BB7 mechanical brakes or hydraulic. And a shorter stem. All in good time.

Final Thoughts

One of the best bikes I have ever owned. It ranks up there with my beloved ’96 Kona Lava Dome, ’96 Gary Fisher Aquila that was sadly stolen, and that old ’02 Giant Warp. In fact I think I have more miles on this bike, between commuting and recreational rides, than any bike I’ve ever owned. I’ve taken in out of town to other towns many times, something I’ve never done on other bikes. It loves to be pushed hard, and begs for more. It’s easy to ride, once up to speed it stays up to speed. The geometry is spot on. I get a thrill every time I ride this bike, even if it’s just to work. I may get a new mountain bike in the future, but this one I’m gonna keep riding until it breaks. Thanks for reading.