Hello, I’ve been wanting to get into road cycling recently and was saving up for a new road bike. My dad found this old Trek 7.2 FX at his work. It has some wear/damage to it (rusty chain, flat tires, foggy shifter plastic thing) and was wondering if it was worth investing to fix it up and upgrade wtv I can to be able to train on it. I’ll be more than happy to hear your thoughts!
by internettboy
10 Comments
Can you do the work yourself, or will you need to take it to a shop so they can fix it?
As a home mechanic and someone who has been doing this 15 years, fix it yourself for $150ish
$400-$500 at a shop could hold some people back.
Cables, brake pads, tires/tubes, chain, maybe cassette/freewheel, and all adjustments add up quickly when you pay someone else. If you can do it yourself, it’s a few hours of work.
It’s perfect if you’re four and a half feet tall
I wouldn’t
If you’re 4’10” – 5’1” according to Trek’s website and you know how to do the repairs or are good at following instructional videos.
That’s more of a hybrid or comfort bike, great in town and good to ride to the shops, etc, for about 20-30 miles maximum per outing.
If it fits you it could be OK to start out with. Chain will be $20+ and a tuneup at the bike shop probably at least $100, before any parts.
Follow Bikefarmer on YouTube, he makes his living refurbishing these and selling them as used .
You need to spend a week watching YouTube “How To” videos on bike repair / maintenance. You need to clean and lube everything, gears shifters, derailleurs, brakes and the frame supports, replace the chain, you may need to replace the innner tubes as well and check the brake / gear cables. If the bottom bracket is good, you should be in great shape. As far as riding, if the bike is too small, I would still practice maintenance / repair as it will save you money in the long run.
If it’s the right size for you it’s a good bike. If you can spare the money I would take it to a bike mechanic for some maintenance. If you’re a little hard up I would replace the saddle, tires, and chain, and then lube up the chainrings and rear cassette, and make sure the brakes work alright. Park Tool has good instructional videos on YT.
Chains, tires and tubes aren’t too expensive, see what’s on sale. A saddle doesn’t have to be expensive either, honestly, a $20 saddle off Amazon can be pretty decent for the time being.
Another idea: find a coop, or shop with a similar mentality, with mechanics who value fixing something as cheap as possible. If ypu bring it to many typical shops they will want to bring it to their standards which will cost 100s of dollars. The right kind of shop might be able to make this thing road worthy for a whole lot cheaper to get you started. Then think about spending more on a new bike when you are more invested in the sport.
Don’t ever bring that thing to your bike shop, you’ll pay hundreds & then thousands!
Do everything yourself.
I’d prolly start out a little higher than FREE, pro tip!