Trek 7100 or 7200?

My wife and I own 7100's. We have a 5 year old girl we wanted to ride with and are doing a triathlon (just want to finish not break a land speed record) so we needed bikes.

I have been quite happy with the 7100, I have put 1350 miles on it since Easter Sunday, it is holding up well and I am getting a good workout with it. The sales person we dealt with at the bike shop indicated for his money he did not think we would notice much of any difference unless we moved into the 7500 (We were considering the 7100 - 7300's).

I feel I made a good purchase, the only downside I can see is this bike has rekindled my interest in biking and I fear there is a road bike in my near future.🙂

The Navigator and the 7x00 series are very different. If you are riding on paved surfaces or well maintained dirt, crushed stone, or granite dust trails, then the Navigator would be slower and heavier without offering any significant advantages. If you ride on loose sand, wet grass, pebels, or other surfaces where traction is be a problem, then the Navigator might be better. If you are riding on really rough surfaces, then you should get a real mountain bike.

As far as the 7x00 series goes, the 7100 has a 7 speed 13-34 casette (13, 15, 17, 20, 24, 28, and 34 teeth), and the 7200 has an 8 speed 11-32 casette (11, 13, 15, 17, 20, 23, 26, and 32 teeth). This means that the 7100 has a lower gear for climbing, but lacks the highest gear. The 7200 has a higher gear for the flats and downhills and smaller differences in lower gears, but gives up the lowest gear. Most people, especially inexperienced riders, have a difficult time pedaling fast enough to control their bike in the small chainring (28) and 32 tooth rear cog combination, so unless you spend a lot of time riding in the mountains and are comfortable pedalling fast while moving slowly, the 28/34 combination is never going to be used. I would much rather trade the 34 for the 11 and 12 cogs that the 7200 has. Most people would use these far more than they would a 34 teeth cog.

The other difference is that the 7200 has a slightly better rear derailleur. On its own, this is not a big enough difference to warrant the extra expense, but combined with the difference in the casette, I would pay the extra for the 7200.

If you like the 7100 gearing and are satisfied that the derailleur shifts well enough for your needs, then I would seriously consider the 7000 and save another $50. The 7000 does not have a suspension fork, but I have not found the suspension forks on the 7100 or 7200 to be that useful. They have a pre-set tension that is not adjustable. If you are not in the weight range that is right for the fork (i.e., if you are heavy enough to bottom out the fork just by sitting on the bike or light enough that the suspension does not give when you hit a bump), then the suspension is doing nothing for you but adding weight and cost to the bike. The fork on the 7300 can be adjusted to match your weight.

My preference would be to have no suspension fork (7000) or an adjustable suspension fork (7300 and up), but not to have a non-adjustable suspension fork (7100 and 7200). On the other hand, if I could not afford the 7300, I would accept the 7200 with its non-adjustable fork to get the 8 speed 11-32 casette. I know that I would never use the 34 teeth cog, and I doubt I would use the 28 teeth cog (I rarely go above 26), but I would not want to give up the 11 or 26 teeth cogs. Your terrain and riding styles, though, might be different.

Thanks! We decided to actually go wieth the 7300 and spend a little more to get a little more that will last longer. I appreciate all the advice :p

Do you know what the weight range is for the front suspension fork?

RickF said:

The Navigator and the 7x00 series are very different. If you are riding on paved surfaces or well maintained dirt, crushed stone, or granite dust trails, then the Navigator would be slower and heavier without offering any significant advantages. If you ride on loose sand, wet grass, pebels, or other surfaces where traction is be a problem, then the Navigator might be better. If you are riding on really rough surfaces, then you should get a real mountain bike.

As far as the 7x00 series goes, the 7100 has a 7 speed 13-34 casette (13, 15, 17, 20, 24, 28, and 34 teeth), and the 7200 has an 8 speed 11-32 casette (11, 13, 15, 17, 20, 23, 26, and 32 teeth). This means that the 7100 has a lower gear for climbing, but lacks the highest gear. The 7200 has a higher gear for the flats and downhills and smaller differences in lower gears, but gives up the lowest gear. Most people, especially inexperienced riders, have a difficult time pedaling fast enough to control their bike in the small chainring (28) and 32 tooth rear cog combination, so unless you spend a lot of time riding in the mountains and are comfortable pedalling fast while moving slowly, the 28/34 combination is never going to be used. I would much rather trade the 34 for the 11 and 12 cogs that the 7200 has. Most people would use these far more than they would a 34 teeth cog.

The other difference is that the 7200 has a slightly better rear derailleur. On its own, this is not a big enough difference to warrant the extra expense, but combined with the difference in the casette, I would pay the extra for the 7200.

If you like the 7100 gearing and are satisfied that the derailleur shifts well enough for your needs, then I would seriously consider the 7000 and save another $50. The 7000 does not have a suspension fork, but I have not found the suspension forks on the 7100 or 7200 to be that useful. They have a pre-set tension that is not adjustable. If you are not in the weight range that is right for the fork (i.e., if you are heavy enough to bottom out the fork just by sitting on the bike or light enough that the suspension does not give when you hit a bump), then the suspension is doing nothing for you but adding weight and cost to the bike. The fork on the 7300 can be adjusted to match your weight.

My preference would be to have no suspension fork (7000) or an adjustable suspension fork (7300 and up), but not to have a non-adjustable suspension fork (7100 and 7200). On the other hand, if I could not afford the 7300, I would accept the 7200 with its non-adjustable fork to get the 8 speed 11-32 casette. I know that I would never use the 34 teeth cog, and I doubt I would use the 28 teeth cog (I rarely go above 26), but I would not want to give up the 11 or 26 teeth cogs. Your terrain and riding styles, though, might be different.