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.

2012 Trek Marlin 29er Review

So I recently purchased a 2012 Trek Marlin 29er. For those of you looking for a review of what I think of the bike I will write my thoughts here. First let’s start out by listing what components come equipped on the bike.

• Frame & Fork – Trek Alpha Gold Aluminum frame, SR Suntour XCM 100mm fork with lockout, preload adjustment
• Brakeset – Tektro Novela Mechanical Disc with Tektro brake levers
• Shifters – SRAM X4 8-speed
• Front Derailleur – Shimano Altus
• Rear Derailleur – SRAM X4 8-speed (Long Cage)
• Crankset – Shimano M311 (42/32/22t)
• Pedals – Wellgo ATB
• Bottom Bracket – VP-BC-73 cartridge (Square Taper)
• Rear Cogs – Shimano Mega Range 8-speed Cassette (11t – 34t)
• Chain – Shimano HG
• Seatpost – Bontrager SSR
• Saddle – Bontrager Evoke 1
• Handlebar – Bontrager Low Riser 31.8mm
• Stem – Bontrager
• Headset – 1 1/8″ semi-integrated
• Hubs – Bontrager Disc
• Rims – Bontrager AT-850 29er
• Tires – Bontrager 29-2 29×2.1

First of all I would like to say that until now I had not tried riding any 29er and quite honestly I thought 29ers were a passing fad. While I was out looking for a new bike I tried a Specialized 29er. I now see why others love the way a 29er rides. This bike handles very well. Of course getting up to speed takes longer than when riding on a 26er yet once up to speed the 29er cruises very well. It handles bumps and road chatter better than many of the 26er bikes I have owned. Turning is crisp and precise. The bike reminds me of riding the old mid nineties double butted cromoly frames. Overall I was so impressed with the ride I went on to buy one. If you worried that a 29er weighs more don’t worry. You can hardly feel the extra weight while riding.

So let’s talk about how I feel about the different components equipped on the bike.

Cockpit:

I’m a big fan of these riser bars. The angle at just the right bend for the riding style I am. I ride mostly light XC and Urban. The grips seem to work well, they do not make my hands numb yet give plenty of grip while riding. The brake levers do the job they were made for quite well. I see almost no play in the lever and they deliver power to the brakes as well as almost ever other lever I’ve used with the exception being Avid Speed Dial levers and Shimano’s Servo-Wave levers. As for the shifters I’m not really a big fan of using my thumb for both up shifts and down shifts. Although I very much prefer Shimano’s setup with the thumb and fore finger running the shifter pods I am slowly getting used to the SRAM setup. The shifting is fast and crisp, more crisp than any Shimano setup I have used. The stem fits me perfect. For those wondering, the bike does not seem to ride high at all in the front.

Fork:

I am surprised at how well this fork performs. I’m a big guy and yet this fork still handles the trail bumps quite well. I’ve owned several SR Suntour forks on previous bikes. I believe SR Suntour forks get a bad rap. All the SR forks I have owned have worked quite well. This is the first fork I have owned that came equipped with a lockout. The lockout can only be applied if the fork is not under load, for example when the bike isn’t being ridden. As far as how stiff the fork is, I can’t judge how stiff the fork is as I’ve never had a high end fork to compare it to. The fork turns when I want it to, that’s all I can say.

Drivetrain:

OK I’ll say it. This SRAM drivetrain shifts very well. Never a hiccup. Both front and rear shift unbelievably well. I’ve owned bikes that require one to hold the front shifter down just a tad more after the click to get the front derailleur to move the chain. Not with this bike. Select a gear with the shifter and both front and rear derailleurs behave as they should. If this is due to the components or the way the bike was assembled I will not know. I am also a fan of the old school 42/32/22 cranksets and this bike has that. As far as the bottom bracket goes I have yet to have any issues with a square taper bottom bracket. By the way the cassette has a huge 34t cog. Combined with the 22t on the crankset the local climbs should be no issue.

Brakes:

The bike comes with Tektro Novela brakes, wavy rotors, and Tektro levers. Like the fork, I think that Tektro products also suffer from a bad rap. They may not be as easy to dial in as the Avid BB7 yet once dialed in they stop the bike just fine. The brakes are set up just fine, do not make any noise while riding, and offer plenty stopping power. I think in the long run I’ll upgrade to a set of hydraulics. Until then, these work very well.

Rims, Tires:

I thought at first the bigger wheels would be prone to coming out of true more easily due to longer spokes, but so far, so good. Both front and rear are straight and true. These tires are OK for now, they offer low rolling resistance and a beefy side profile for gripping corners. Over time I would elect to replace them with a set of something more aggressive.

Final Thoughts:

If your budget is in the neighborhood of $600 dollars I would recommend this bike. The frame is worthy of upgrades and the stock components along with the fork handle very well for a bike in this price range. For those wanting to try a 29er this bike is a great choice when entering the 29er market. Just make sure the bike fits you properly before leaving the shop. I’m very satisfied with this bike, love the color it came in, and enjoy riding it. I hope you found this review helpful.

By the way if you like this review help me out with my petition. If you are into mountain bike you have probably heard of the magazine called Mountain Bike Action. This magazine tests and reviews mountain bikes and gear. The issue is that lately, these last few years, they have quit reviewing lower end mountain bikes, choosing instead to review bikes costing in excess of four thousand dollars. I ask for you help to send a note to the editor to ask that they once again test bikes we all can afford. Here is the link to the petition and thanks:

http://www.causes.com/actions/1691312