Wrong choice

[marybethmc]

I recently bought a Trek 7300 after an agonizing search. I test rode many bikes.
Unfortunately I feel the bike I ended up with is not right. The shifter on is on the grip and I constantly turn it when I am not meaning to especially while going uphill. Is it possible for the shifters to be changed to a more user friendly type. It seems like I only have a few inches on the grips before the shifter.

I feel like the bike is heavier and cannot get up to the speed I was riding on my old bike, is it the weight or tires. I had a older Raleigh that was a also a hybrid. Could it be the different tires or am I just crazy like DH claims?

[KnottedYet]

First, is it too late to return the bike? Or maybe trade it in on something else? If you really don't like the bike itself, that might be worth looking in to.

If you like the bike in general, and it's just the shifter that's throwing you off, that's a fairly easy fix. Shimano makes some nice trigger shifters that your LBS could switch for you. (try a bike with trigger shifters before you change, though!)

I like grip shifts for commuter bikes. They are simple and elegant and you can run thru multiple gears at once. You can also try to retrain yourself not to pull so hard on the bars when you pedal, and to down shift sooner on hills so you can use your legs rather pulling with your arms.

I get the feeling from your post, though, that it's the whole bike that is bugging you.

Maybe it's time for a faster lighter bike?

[mimitabby]

have you weighed it and compared it with your old bike?
it could also just be the gears. If the older bike had better climbing gears, you bet it would make a difference.
But you're not crazy.

[marybethmc]

Thanks for your response.

My husband also feels maybe the difference is in the speeds. My old bike had fewer speeds. Some friends I was riding with on Sunday also suggested I was not in low enough speeds to go up the hills. Maybe it is just an adjustment. I was thinking of taking out my old bike for a long ride to compare. I do love the higher handle bars. I was having a lot of trouble with numbness in my hands which has improved.

[northstar]

I used to have a Giant hybrid that had the grip-shifters. It was really weird at first, and I was really afraid that I would constantly be bumping it and messing with the gearing. Have you been out on your new bike more than a couple times? I think the shifters are something that you would probably get used to over time...at least that is what happened in my case.

[marybethmc]

Yes, I have been on it about 10 times with a total of 125 miles. Some of the time was on roads and some of it bike trails. The last ride I took was on crushed limestone, which is a little harder than paved trails.
I think I will give it a little more time. We lost probably a month of our biking time due to travel and house guests. I have to take it in to the bike store in a few weeks for the 200 mile check and I will ask them about the option of changing the shifters.
Thanks

[Laterider21958]

After trying, and never mastering the old lever type shifters of the 1970's vintage racer I still have, I am really happy with the Shimano EF29-24 speed digit shifters on my Avanti Pioneer 2006 (hybrid) bike. It took me a little while to get used to moving the correct lever, (keep thinking right means rear and I'm OK) but now I am quite confident in their use. My bike felt great right from the first ride, and now that I am a better and stronger rider I have put the seat up higher and changed the tilt, which has made it even better.

Perhaps your new bike just needs a bit of tweaking to make it fit you.

[Livin the Dream]

If you like the bike with the exception of the shifters, I'll bet you'll get used to it in time. Just this past weekend, I went from a Trek 7100, also with the grip shifters, to a Trek Pilot with the not-grip shifters (I don't know what they're called ). Going to the shifting on my new bike has been an adjustment, too. I took a 15 mile ride tonight and purposely changed gears a lot, and it's already starting to feel natural.

About the weight of the bike -- if the 7300 is the same weight as the 7100, I'll agree that the bike is heavy and clunky. I didn't think so until I started test-riding some lighter bikes. The tires on the 7100 were 35mm, my new bike has 28mm tires. The LBS recommended to DH that he switch to 28mm tires on his 7100 to get a little more speed. So, the LBS thinks narrower tires will make a difference. His bike is still there, so we don't yet know if the narrower tires will make much of a difference.

Hope this helped and hope you find a good solution.

[Eden]

I can't help but wonder if you are reaching too far or if the shifters are too big for your hands? I've never had a bike with grip shifters, but I had, for a little while, a scooter with a throttle that you had to turn, and brakes that you had to squeeze, kind of like a mt. bike. My hands are quite small and I found that especially with gloves on, and I was a bit chicken to ride it with no hand protection... that when I would squeeze the brake I would also be turning the throttle!!! A little scary to say the least and I had to be very, very careful.