can Trek 7300/7500 handle 80 miles a day?

[whorl1uqote]

We are planning to attend the multi-day cross state bike tour in North Carolina ... It's going to be on paved road with an average trip of 80 miles a day. It will be 7 or 8 consecutive days.

We own two hybrid bikes Trek 7300 and 7500. I wonder if we can get by by using thinner tires rather than buying brand new road bikes? Here are the pro and cons of both approach:

Replace Trek 7300/7500 with thinner tires:
-- more cost effective
-- up position is more comfortable for long riding?
-- we are used to ride hybrid bikes on paved trails. Road bikes' thin tires scare me if i go fast. I am afraid of falling.
-- bikes maybe too heavy? not designed for fast performance?

Buy new Road bikes:
-- better performance so it means we can probably finish the trip within 4-5 hours.
-- thin tires scare me. would i fall if there are small rocks on the road?
-- more expensive and we need to get trainned from scratch.

What are you guys' suggestions? Any comments are appreciated.

 

[Walrus]

I would stick with your current setup. The mileage won't be a problem, and if you're ok with riding at a slightly slower pace, then don't worry about the weight of the bike.

Save your money.

 

[John M]

We are planning to attend the multi-day cross state bike tour in North Carolina ... It's going to be on paved road with an average trip of 80 miles a day. It will be 7 or 8 consecutive days.

We own two hybrid bikes Trek 7300 and 7500. I wonder if we can get by by using thinner tires rather than buying brand new road bikes? Here are the pro and cons of both approach:

Replace Trek 7300/7500 with thinner tires:
-- more cost effective
-- up position is more comfortable for long riding?
-- we are used to ride hybrid bikes on paved trails. Road bikes' thin tires scare me if i go fast. I am afraid of falling.
-- bikes maybe too heavy? not designed for fast performance?

Buy new Road bikes:
-- better performance so it means we can probably finish the trip within 4-5 hours.
-- thin tires scare me. would i fall if there are small rocks on the road?
-- more expensive and we need to get trainned from scratch.

What are you guys' suggestions? Any comments are appreciated.

Based on your analysis, I would also suggest riding the Trek.

 

[Bob Ross]

if you're ok with riding at a slightly slower pace, then don't worry about the weight of the bike.

This past spring I completed an intensive 8-week group riding course with the New York Cycle Club where we rode between 30 & 70 miles each day. I completed the entire course on a 10 year old Trek 750 hybrid, and by the end of the 8 weeks I was probably the fastest member of the group (at least going uphill).

Keep the Treks, they'll handle 80 miles/day easily, and the fact that you're already familiar with how they ride & (ostensibly) comfortable on them will make the ride both faster & more enjoyable than if you try to hop on a brand new bike whose "feel" & posture are completely unlike your current ride.

 

[RickF]

The only change I would make to your Trek, if you have not already done so, is to add clipless pedals and invest in some good, well fitting cycling shoes. I will be riding the MS 150 in New Bern on a Specialized Crossroads Elite, a bike that is very similar to the Trek 7300.

 

[artmichalek]

Go with what you're comfortable with. If you put slicks on the hybrids you'll finish slowly, but if you try to adapt to the new position on the road bikes without enough lead time you might not finish at all.

 

[RickF]

Go with what you're comfortable with. If you put slicks on the hybrids you'll finish slowly, but if you try to adapt to the new position on the road bikes without enough lead time you might not finish at all.

The Trek 7300 and 7500 do not need slicks. The standard tire is the Bontrager Invert Hardcase, 700x35c. It is durable,has minimal tread, and is comfortable on the road. Without changing the rim, I doubt that any other tire would be any better. What you lose in efficiency you gain in not having to repair flats.

The question is not whether the bike can handle 80 miles a day, but whether the rider can.

 

[whorl1uqote]

Thanks for all your responses. We will stick with the treks.

A couple posts have suggested a few alternation/additions to the bikes. I'd like to get more suggestions on:

-- do we better off using existing tires (original from trek) or use other tires? If other tires, what you recommend?

-- clipless pedals? Are they recommended? Will these add to performance? What would i gain to buy cycling shoes?

-- any other alternations/additions that i should consider?

 

[RickF]

I think the original tires are fine. If you had the Trek Navigator, which is the hybrid with knobby tires, then I would get slicks, but the tires on the 7300 and 7500 are not bad. There are smoother tires available that would reduce some of the road vibration, and therefore reduce the fatigue. You probably could get by with 32mm tires on your same rim, which would reduce the rolling resistance, and therefore the amount of work you have to do to maintain your speed, but the difference between 35mm and 32mm tires would not be that great.

The advantage of clipless pedals is that you can pull as well as push on the pedal stroke. This distributes the workload more evenly between the quads and the hamstrings. It helps a lot, especially with climbing. If you do not want clipless pedals, then the toe clip cages would be better than just using platform pedals. Toe clips are not quite as efficient as clipless pedals, but they are less intimidating for those who have never tried clipless pedals, and they do allow some pulling while pedaling.

Cycling shoes are a must if you are using clipless pedals, but they have advantages, even if you are using toe clips or platform pedals. Cycling shoes have the anchors to which the cleats for the clipless pedals attach, so there is no way to use clipless pedals without cycling shoes. They also have a rigid sole, which distributes the pressure of pedaling across your entire foot, thereby relieving the strain on the plantar tendon and fascia. Without rigid soles, you run the risk of hot foot or plantar fasciitis by the third day. Most street and athletic shoes are not rigid enough for long distance cycling.

Bottom line is that I would put shoes first on the list, pedals a close second, and tires a distant third. If I was to change the tires, I would look for a durable 700x32c slick. There are many brands that fit this bill.

 

[RickF]

Other suggestions are only to restate the obvious for any unsupported ride: at least two water bottles, a pump or CO2 inflation device, spare tubes, patches, tire lifters, and a multitool.

I do not know what size frame you have or whether your wife has a woman's frame or a unisex frame, but there are a few issues with the 7300 and 7500 when it comes to attaching water bottles. Although there are anchor screws for water bottle cages on the woman's frame, a water bottle will not fit in the cage once the cage is attached. On the small unisex frame, it is only possible to have a water bottle on the down tube. The seat tube is two short for the second bottle. In these cases, you either need a Camelback, or a dual bottle cage that attaches to the seatpost, like this one: http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=18690&subcategory_ID=4342

 

[dgregory57]

Depending on lead time...

I would not try switching anything from what you already use if you are doing the ride in the next few weeks except for possibly cycling shorts.

If you have several weeks, explore shoes and clipless pedals, along with cycling shorts.

 

[whorl1uqote]

Thanks Rick and everyone.

Our lead time is a little more than 2 month. Not sure if it will make a difference to favor switching to road bikes?

Also it's a supported trip so i am not too worried about having a flat tire or bikes needing a tune-up etc. Having two bottles of water is a good suggestion. Currently our bikes can only hold one. We will definately buy a good pair of shoes and try different type of pedals.

Does anyone recommend buying jersey and pants? Does it help for long riding?

 

[artmichalek]

Does anyone recommend buying jersey and pants? Does it help for long riding?

Good bike shorts are very important, and a jersey will keep you much drier than a t-shirt.

 

[dgregory57]

Shorts help to minimize the pain of sitting on a saddle for hours, and the compression of the quadriceps also seems to help with pedalling efficiency.

The first time I wore cycling shorts, I rode the same route as the week before... with no rides in between. There may of course have been other factors, but I saved about 5 minutes on the ride which takes me about 2 hours. That is a 4% + decrease in elapsed time.