Trek 7.5 fx vs Stevens 6x Pro

curiousbuyer

Hi Folks,

Can any one please tell me which is the better bike?

Trek 7.5 FX
http://www.trekbikes.com/ie/en/bikes/town/fitness/fx/7_5_fx/

Or

Stevens 6X Pro

http://www.stevensbikes.de/2013/index.php?bik_id=93&cou=US&lang=en_US

I already have a road bike, which I have been using for the commute, but I'd prefer to get hybrid for the city cycle.

I've seen the Trek 7.5, and it didnt strike me as robust as the Stevens..

Any opinions??

darkvalley

Well if no one else is going to respond I'll give it a shot.
I can't comment on the stevensbike, but i have a 7.5fx. I only returned to cycling after many years a couple of months ago and got the trek through btw. So any advice is as a newbie!
The bike is well made and is a pleasure to ride. I've gone from 10 to 15km rides at 16/17kph to 30km at 22kph in a couple of months. These rides are on a variety of surfaces including potholed lanes and gravel surfaces and the bike has been great on them, very stable. After 2 months it is a bit early to say how robust it is, but from reading here and other forums I haven't come across any complaints about it.
Only fault I have with it yet is the handlebar grips are very narrow for me, particularly towards the end of the cycle when it would be nice to move my hand about a bit to relieve a bit of the numbness. Only option for me is thumb over the grip or thumb under the grip. Oh the decisions, the decisions!!
Also for me the 3 chainrings at front have been very usefull, and I think the newer bike has only 2, (mine is 2010 model). But this is only because I am new at cycling and find the hills very hard.
Overall I'm very pleased with the bike and after about 600km I have no regrets, and give it a thumbs up, or at least I would if my thumb wasn't so numb:D
regards
Finbarr

route66

curiousbuyer wrote: »

Hi Folks,

Can any one please tell me which is the better bike?

Trek 7.5 FX
http://www.trekbikes.com/ie/en/bikes/town/fitness/fx/7_5_fx/

Or

Stevens 6X Pro

http://www.stevensbikes.de/2013/index.php?bik_id=93&cou=US&lang=en_US

I already have a road bike, which I have been using for the commute, but I'd prefer to get hybrid for the city cycle.

I've seen the Trek 7.5, and it didnt strike me as robust as the Stevens..

Any opinions??

I've never heard of Stevensbikes and the one you link to has a front fork. You almost definitely do not want one of these for a commuter bike - it adds weight and cost and takes away efficiency.

Other have no doubt heard of Stevensbikes but more have heard of Trek - this will help a lot if/when you go to sell it. I have a 2009 Trek 7.3 and it's a great bike. I have a road bike now, but will never sell the Trek - it's my do-it-all machine. The 7.5 has a carbon front fork which will make it a little lighter and less harsh on the road. The specification in the Trek link you provide also states there is a vibration-reducing coupling in the seat stay. I also see it has a compact rather than the triple on my 7.3: the gear range still looks hill friendly however and the 2 cogs up front will be easier to adjust and tweak than 3.

quozl

I have a 7.5 fx and really like it as a commuter.

The gearing (compact on front, 11-34 on back) is very hill-friendly. So hill-friendly in fact that it was complete overkill IMO and I replaced the cassette with a 12-26. Much more practical in Dublin anyway with smaller, nicer gaps between gears and I can still go up the moderate hills on the way to enniskerry with that.

The 7.5fx seems perfectly robust to me and it's nice and fast. I don't know anything about the stevensbikes but I wouldn't really want the triple or the front suspension personally.

[edit]ThinkBike in Rathmines do the 7.5fx Trek and offer 2 day test rides. So you could try it out and see what you think of it. I don't think they do Stevesbikes but maybe somewhere else offers test rides of those[/edit]

BailMeOut

I have put many 1000's of kms on my Trek 7.2 including several large sportives (e.g. ROK, Rebel) over last seven years and it still looks and rides like new. I can only assume the 7.5 is a big upgrade and improvement from the 7.2 so it must be a pretty decent bike.

ThisRegard

route66 wrote: »

the one you link to has a front fork. You almost definitely do not want one of these for a commuter bike - it adds weight and cost and takes away efficiency.

Unless the OP is really really really good at wheelies, I'd advise him to go with a front fork to be honest.

route66

ThisRegard wrote: »

Unless the OP is really really really good at wheelies, I'd advise him to go with a front fork to be honest.

Well spotted!

(Meant front suspension ...)

BadCharlie

Have the trek 7.1 my self, and find it very robust. Would love to have the 7.5 as i would think it would be alot better then my current bike.

RunRoryRun

Went for the FX 7.4 with disc brakes recently on the BTW. Only have it about 6 weeks but have had no issues so far. Sturdy bike and is fast for commuting. Really happy with it.

enoonan

I've had a Trek 7.2 in the past and it was bullet proof. Put up with the good ol Limerick back roads no problem even with the kids trailer behind.
Tried the 7.5 & 7.6 last year before buying and both were brilliant bikes.
In the end I went with a Ridley Tempo Cross. Just found it to be a better fit for me over the Trek but there was nothing in it.

Eoin

curiousbuyer

Thanks Gents.. i think I am swaying towards the 7.5,
I'm gone off the idea of the front suspension I would of thought it added comfort, but I am not really intersted in sacrificing the efficiency / speed.
Well definitely seek out the fella in Rathmines.

quozl

If you want comfort then get wider tires as you can run them at a lower pressure.

I'm not sure how wide tires the 7.5fx can take but it can definitely take 32mm at least - I think 35mm and mudguards would be doable. If you get smooth wide tires then it'll give a more comfortable ride without slowing you down much at all.

I got the 28mm bontrager hard-cases that come by default on it, but thinkbike did ask me if I'd prefer they put on different tires instead. Once I build my road bike then I'll only be using the trek for commuting and I'd rather have the wider tires for comfort. Some of the roads in Dublin are cut to bits.

curiousbuyer

Would you have to pay extra for the wider tires? In the last week alone I have buckled a wheel and new tyre, and replaced a tube.
Definitely want like wider tires. mudguards aluminum?

quozl

I doubt it - I would think that the bike shop would swap the ones that come with it for some equivalent wider ones for free. That's certainly how the offer when I got mine came across.

I got plastic mudguards. Can't say I put much thought into them though

BadCharlie

My 7.1fx came with 35mm & mudguards.

curiousbuyer

BadCharlie wrote: »

My 7.1fx came with 35mm & mudguards.

Where did you get?

dermabrasion

I had a Stevens as my first road bike. I bought it in Canada (and brought it back when I moved). It was more bike than i needed at the time, but as a 1st move into serious bikes, it proved to be a no-brainer. I am very grateful to my (former) LBS for putting me up on one. I think they are outstanding machines. This is quality German product. The cops in the city I lived in were kitted out in Stevens also, and their surplus fleet sales we're massively popular with people wanting to get police-spec stevens
I will be in the market for a new commuter and my wife will be needing a hybrid soon, I will go Stevens.

BadCharlie

curiousbuyer wrote: »

Where did you get?

I live in waterford so i got it local at this shop
http://www.altitude.ie/store/