How can I 'soften' the ride of a Trek 7.2 fx?

Question

I recently got a Trek 7.2 fx. It's a great bike, but it's a very stiff ride.

Any suggestions on making it less stiff?

Thanks.

Answer 1

I agree; give it some time to let your body get used to it.  And stiff is good for a bike; it means your pedal power is more efficiently getting tranferred to forward motion.  You can also help by getting out of the saddle as you approach bigger bumps and unloading the front tire by sliding back as your front wheel hits unevennesses in the road.  If you have a lot of your weight on the wheel that is taking the bump, you will feel it more than if you use your legs and arms to help absorb bumps.

If you are running the tires near the max pressure, try lowering the tire pressure to about 45 psi or so.   One last thing to try is getting knobbie tires; the k***s are made for better gripping in dirt, etc, but they also provide more cushion on hard pavement.

Answer 2

You could swap out the fork for a carbon fiber fork, like the one the 7.5 FX has.

But that's an aluminum frame for you. Stiff. Depending on how recently you got the bike and if it's in like-new condition, maybe your bike shop would let you trade it in for a different bike?

Answer 3

When I first started riding to work last year on my old hard-tail mountain bike, my first thought was, "OMG, this seat is made out of cast iron!"  After a few weeks of toning my muscles, it stopped bothering me.  When I traded my hard-tail for a road bike, I had the same issue again with the same result of getting used to it after a few weeks.  I would advise you to ride for a few weeks before making any radical changes beyond a good pair of bike shorts.

Good luck!

Answer 4

well i just looked at it, and according to Google images its a hardtail with a rigid fork. If you change to a suspension fork the ride will be much less "stiff". However that is expensive and you may want to first try some thicker wheels.

Answer 5

The 7.2 has 700 X 35 tires mounted on 32 spoke rims.  Unless the tires are inflated unnecessarily high, that alone should provide some comfort.  Do you have a gauge to check your tires?

The bike's also spec'd with suspension seatpost.  I don't have any riding experience with these, but I do understand some really help...while others don't work so well.  Also, Bontrager seats aren't touted as being the most comfortable seat in the world.

Changing the fork might be an option, but I don't think you're planning on spending that amount of money.

Maybe you need something more plush, or...as another suggested...you need to put in some miles on your new bike.