Hybrid road bike?

trek8biker said:

I have a Trek 7.5 FX and I am looking into replacing enough parts on that bike so it has equal power to a road bike.
Can this be done? Is it worth it?
Or should I just get a Road bike and modifying it to have a straight handle bar?

I feel uncomfortable riding the road bike position so I am trying to stick with straight handle bar...:p

Any input is appreciated...

Yes, you should be able to make the "change" for about $100US ... of course, you can easily spend more ... possibly, less, if you are a wise shopper.

Just change the MTB crankset to a ROAD crankset (I did this on an "old" hardtail that I have -- whatever BB type you have is the type you want to match with the ROAD crankset regardless of whether you select a triple or double ... so, I happened to have a 118mm ISIS bottom bracket in my frame ... and, although the typical spindle length for a road crank would have been 113mm, the 118mm allowd the 52t chainring to clear the chainstay whereas a 113mm BB would have made it impossible to mount the road crank in the particular frame.

26" road slicks will help, greatly.

You can, with more money, fit 700c/ROAD wheels in your frame if you eventually want a wheel with a larger diameter ...

Depending on your current front fork, if you aren't going off road, then you may want to get a "solid" fork which will be at least two pounds lighter than most suspension forks -- a solid fork with disc tabs will allow you to change to 700c wheels more easily.

FWIW. I think that most people (i.e., those outside this Forum) who have "road" bikes do NOT ride with their hands in the drops the majority of the time ... some people may never put their hands in the drops.

Looks like a fast bike as it is, to get more 'road like' I think thinner tyres such as 700x28 slicks, which then means taller gearing is needed to compensate. A 52 chainring as suggested by alfeng, (that means a longer chain too) and/or a smaller small on the cassette; 11 or 12 if it doesn't already have them.

trek8biker said:

I have a Trek 7.5 FX and I am looking into replacing enough parts on that bike so it has equal power to a road bike.
Can this be done? Is it worth it?
Or should I just get a Road bike and modifying it to have a straight handle bar?

I almost bought a 7.6FX when I shopped for my present bike. Unfortunately you'll never be able to have "equal power" as a standard road bike, as the frame geometry isn't of road spec. I did a similar conversion to my Bianchi flat bar hybrid and was fortunate that it had a real road bike frame. So the conversion was relatively easy.

[censored] just go all the way and get the road bike. If you are worried about comfort, and positioning then check out the whole new line of "comfort" road bikes. Such as Bianchi's Via Nirone... bianchiusa.com07 c2c nirone 105 tr.htmlOpen ↗, and Specialized's Roubaix to name a few. You have nothing to worry about in regards to performance though. I have a Nirone 105 and can't get enough of it. Screw "racing bikes" that barely makes any difference at all, to me it's a huge benefit to not have your back screaming at you after 3 mi. To put it simply, it feels like riding on a couch.

Also, buying a road bike will give you so much more hand positions on the handle bars. I know that it doesn't seem like much, but trust me after 20 miles in the saddle your hands will get numb after so long. Plus, who knows you might really enjoy riding and decide to do a few charity rides which would be a whole lot more enjoyable on a versatile road bike.

Bikelyst said:

[censored] just go all the way and get the road bike...

Amongst all that dramatization with "[censored]", "nothing to worry about", "screw", "huge benefit" and "riding on a couch"... The only fact that remains is that the OP already has a FX 7.5.

trek8biker said:

...I feel uncomfortable riding the road bike position so I am trying to stick with straight handle bar......

I got a RANS Fusion, I like the way it feels a lot--but one cannot stand and pedal on it.
The Zenetic is their premier road bike.

Do Note: if you do sanctioned racing, I think these bikes are too long.
~

Thanks everyone for the input...
I think I will go down to my regular bike shop and see what they say.
I hope they dont try to scam me by telling me I have replace every from cassette, derailleur to the crank...
With what you guys tell me, I will be able to tell...
I will post updates as I continue my quest to have my bike customized...🙂
2007 TREK 7.5 FX "Stealth" bike!!

trek8biker said:

I have a Trek 7.5 FX and I am looking into replacing enough parts on that bike so it has equal power to a road bike.
Can this be done? Is it worth it?
Or should I just get a Road bike and modifying it to have a straight handle bar?

I feel uncomfortable riding the road bike position so I am trying to stick with straight handle bar...:p

Any input is appreciated...

What are you trying to accomplish?

All power comes from the rider. If you're not in your very highest gear a high percentage of the time and looking for more, regearing your bike isn't going to do anything for you. You still have to push your torso through the wind. If you're objective is to go faster, NOTHING else even comes close to improving your position on the bike.

If you do ride in your highest gear a lot, replacing the crankset with one that has larger chainrings may or may not be as simple as another poster indicated. I'm thinking that a 7.5FX probably already has a 52 or 53 big chainring.

trek8biker said:

Thanks everyone for the input...
I think I will go down to my regular bike shop and see what they say.
I hope they dont try to scam me by telling me I have replace every from cassette, derailleur to the crank...
With what you guys tell me, I will be able to tell...
I will post updates as I continue my quest to have my bike customized...🙂
2007 TREK 7.5 FX "Stealth" bike!!

My apologies for not realizing your bike already has 700c wheels ... for some reason, I thought it was a mountain bike rather than a hybrid.

I think your bike already has an 11-32 cassette, so there is no reason to change it.

Just start with a larger chainring (52t vs. 48t ... yes, they make them in 110BCD ... if the shop nearest to you doesn't, then try to find one that specializes in folding bikes since they will possibly have 110BCD chainrings in sizes up to 60t) ...

Later, possibly, switch to 700x28 ROAD tires (you probably cannot go to a thinner tire because of your bike's rim dimension) ... and, it is better to make just one change at a time unless your shop is really far out of the way for you to go to.

I strongly suggest you upgrade to some road tires before contemplating chainring mods. Set everything else up, then go for a cruise in top gear to see if you still think you need more teeth on the front ring.

You will generate more air resistance than if you used drops, and if you ever happen to commute with street clothes and bags, that's even more resistance. You will need the greater torque of a smaller chainring to overcome the extra drag. Tune your drivetrain to your actual torque/power requirements. I think you'll need more torque and less power than a roadie.

That said, I think race bikes have turned a lot of people off to drop bars. If you have the clams I would recommend trying one of the new road bikes with comfort geometry. On my old Schwinn roadie I set the top of my horizontal stem even with my seat, and I set the seat to have 20-30 degrees of bent knee at the bottom of the stroke. It's not only noticeably faster than a slick tire MTB, it is also quite comfortable.

Been there--Done that exact same thing last year.

I started out with a 7.5FX, but after my rides got longer in distance, I looked at converting my hybrid, but deciided to go with a dedicated road bike..I made a good decision for myself.
I put 1500 miles, and did a few centries with the new bike and am happy with the performance difference. Good Luck 😄

As I alluded to, FX 7.5's geometry is quite stretched and relaxed.

http://www2.trekbikes.com/bikes/bike.php?bikeid=1341000&f=26

So irrespective of the component change, it still won't be quite the same as a so called standard road bike. But I would agree that with all the mods done, it can travel as fast as a standard roadie, but just not the same handling that's dictated by the frame geometry.

OP really has to figure this into the plan or money could be wasted.