Trek 7.1 or Carrera crossfire 2 or anything else?

[Casa1862]

After some advice please, I've been looking at getting a bike to ride for general fitness (road riding). I've got two that I'm interested in:-

Trek 7.1 - From local bike shop priced at £350.00

Carrera crossfire 2 mens - Form Halfords priced at £289.00

From my very limited knowledge the Trek looks a better bike but I'm worried it may be a little unfortable as a lot of the reviews suggest. The Carrera has a bigger seat and seems to have some suspension (seat and folks).

I'd appreciate opinions on these two plus any other in this price range. Thanks in advanced.

http://www.trekbikes.com/uk/en/bikes/town/fitness/...

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/...

[Gooby]

Trek tend to filter thier frames down the range. Trek frames are very good - carrera tend not to be. I have not ridden a crossfire and I dont intend to change that status.....

[anonymous-user]

Gooby said:

Trek tend to filter their frames down the range. Trek frames are very good - carrera tend not to be. I have not ridden a crossfire and I dont intend to change that status.....

That can be true of most Treks, however in the FX's case the FX7.1 frame stops and starts there, at FX7.3 you get the same frame that is used on the more expensive bikes, so I wouldn't buy either of those examples if your planning on taking cycling seriously ie. planning on doing this in all weathers and a few thousand miles a year.

Depends what you mean by fitness, ie. this is just one element of a fitness program and I might go for a family ride at the weekend a pop out on my own for one hour maybe once a fortnight then carrera will be fine.

If your like me and hate running and going to the gym and this will be the only exercise you really get and you plan on doing it a lot say about 50-100miles+ a week then you should spend some serious money, besides how much would gym membership cost?

[Mr Will]

Of those two, the Trek.

As far as comfort is concerned, a saddle that fits you will be the most important thing, far more important than a set of cheap suspension forks.

Notice that I said "that fits you". Saddles are a very personal thing and it is not a case of bigger is better. They need to match the size of your sit-bones. Some people need skinny, others wide. If you find that the one that the bike comes with doesn't suit you though, it's a simple enough thing to change for one that does.

[Casa1862]

Thanks for the info, if I end up doing 50 - 100 miles then that would be great. I'm not a very confident rider so to start with I'll aim to go for a ride every other day, think I'll struggle to do a mile to start with!

I've been going swimming since the start of the year and intend to do bike riding the days I'm not in the pool, I'm struggling to lose that last stone so decided to throw everything at it.

I heading towards the Trek 7.1 as it will be a good compromise and I take the point about just replacing the seat if not suitable. I didn't really want to spend loads on a bike as fear it might end up like the all the other exercise equipment and expensive gym memberships brought with good intensions. The Carrera certainly looked more comfortable but the local Trek dealer was more knowledgably, Tri sports Letchworth, new place I didn’t even know existed, nice bunch.

Anything else I should invest in? Helmet and pump I suppose.

[clonmult]

OneDs said:

That can be true of most Treks, however in the FX's case the FX7.1 frame stops and starts there, at FX7.3 you get the same frame that is used on the more expensive bikes, so I wouldn't buy either of those examples if your planning on taking cycling seriously ie. planning on doing this in all weathers and a few thousand miles a year.

If your like me and hate running and going to the gym and this will be the only exercise you really get and you plan on doing it a lot say about 50-100miles+ a week then you should spend some serious money, besides how much would gym membership cost?

I picked up an FX 7.3 Disc a few years back, and hadn't realised that about the frames. The slightly thicker frame on the 7.3 can make for a mild nightmare in fitting some accessories (primarily a chunky lock that required some creativity in fitting of the mounting bracket).

That was used for about a year in all conditions on the work commute, and its only now that its finally had any sort of failure (spoke popped out!).

[HundredthIdiot]

Casa1862 said:

I didn't really want to spend loads on a bike as fear it might end up like the all the other exercise equipment and expensive gym memberships brought with good intensions.

The difference is that cycling is actually fun.

[buccal]

I have been commuting daily on a 7.1FX for the last 12 months.

It has been chained up outside all day, in all weathers and other than routine servicing (and punctures) its been very reliable.

However, it recently started to develop a very loud knocking noise when pedalling under load which took quite a few attempts to resolve (cassette).

Bit heavy, bit harsh and probably not the most exciting ride but at the end of the day its a basic hybrid.

Overall def recommend one.

[Casa1862]

Thanks for all the info, just to update I actually ended up getting the Trek 7.0 which was £300 (£50 cheaper than 7.1) as it allowed me to get a helmet and bike computer less than £400.00. I also preferred the matt black colour.

It's a nice bike and I went for a ride first time in 25 years , so a bit shaky and did 4 miles just getting used to the bike. Surprisingly legs are fine but my arms hurt today, found that quite odd.