PedallingNowhereSlowly
Über Member
I've bought and ridden another bike, so that means I get the pleasure of writing another review.
The Trek FX Sport 6 is the 'lightest' and 'fastest' fitness bike in the range of Trek FX bikes.
With an RRP of £2,775 (+ £25 for the current flavour) this is a very expensive hybrid bike. And weighing in at 9.5kg, is not particularly light compared to some road bikes you can buy for that money. It does seem on par with competition though from Specialized and Canyon.
I, of course, bought it at a considerable discount relative to RRP, which made more sense. Although given that I already owned a Trek District 4 (a 'slow' hybrid) and a Felt Broam (gravel bike configured for all year road use), you'd be right to wonder what sense, if any, I had.
The answer is probably uninteresting. I try and get a ride in most days - usually between 10 and 15 miles. And I try and mix thins up - leisurely rides on off-road routes and sub-optimal cycling infrastructure and faster on-road rides when I'm actually wanting a bit of a work out.
My shorter on-road loops invariably involve passing through town once or twice - and although traffic flow is impeded by the sheer number of drivers using an inefficient mode of transport for their morning commute - I find myself doing a lot of stopping and setting off from roundabouts and traffic lights. The Trek District - as comfortable and wonderful as it is - isn't the optimal bike for repeatedly doing the 0-20+ mph dash away from traffic lights - my preferred tactic for getting clear of the junction before the drivers have started to wake up.
The Felt Broam in theory is ideal for these rides, save for one thing in that it has dropped handlebars. I do much prefer drops on bikes if I'm going any kind of distance but they, for some reason, bring out the worst in drivers - especially around town. The Felt is also set-up with pannier rack/trunk bag/kick stand and other things that slow it down, so there was perhaps room for improvement.
Thus, I sprung for the FX Sport 6 and it has not disappointed.
The Bike
So what's to say? It is just another flat barred hybrid.
It has components from various tiers in the Shimano GRX range and Shimano's entry level hydraulic disk brakes - which i find more than adequate.
It is supplied with 40mm gravel tyres on 700c wheels (23 mm internal rim width). IIRC it will accept tyres up 40mm in width with mudguards and 42mm without.
The frame, despite being rather 'sporty', affords all the usual practicalities so pannier racks and frame bags can be mounted up.
The finishing kit is all aluminum - with an isozone comfort feature in the handlebar.
And the wheels are somewhat fancy, with semi-deep carbon rims. I don't think they are the lightest or the most aero, but they should be farly reasonable.
The 2025 Version
I believe this has same frame/geometry/finishing kit/wheels but the 11-speed Shimano components have been swapped out for 12-speed SRAM Apex e-Tap (electronic shifting).
Tweaks
So far I have swapped out the stock plastic pedals for some MKS Sylvan Touring Next pedals - which seem really high quality and buttery smooth, by-the-way. The supplied gravel tyres have been swapped out for a pair of Continental GP5000 S TRs tyres which I'm running with TPU inner tubes. The latter are in a 32mm width on account of the state some of our local roads are in. The stock saddle has made way for an Selle Italia SLR Boost Gel ti316 - what a mouthful. On account it was the cheapest version of the SLR saddle I could find with titanium rails.
Finally, I added some traditional looking Bontranger mudguards.
All up, the bike is weighing 11.15kg. That is including pedals, reflectors, two front lights, three rear lights, two bottle cages and a seat pack with spare TPU tube, tyre levers, ratchet tool and electric pump.
In future - if I were to make any more changes - I might change the handlebar, on account that supplied IsoZone bar is a bit of a chonker. I think carbon finishing kit could perhaps shave nearly half a kilogram off the bike. And I suspect the GRX400 chainset isn't the lightest.
Disbenefits
Before even riding the bike, there are a few negative aspects to it I'd like to point out.
First Impressions
I've covered 150km so far on this bike. It fills it's brief (both mine and Trek's) perfectly.
I was expecting the riding position on the bike to be much more aggressive than it is - I guess the reach is not as long as it looks. The bars seem to be set at a very sensible height for comfort relative to performance.
I don't think the frame is overly compliant - it certainly is not as forgiving over lumps and bumps as the other road bikes in the fleet. However, I don't think that's what this bike is really about.
Once it is up to speed, I think it is slower than any of my drop bar bikes for a given power output - but not much. Not much at all. In fact, this thing has been trading Strava PRs with my road bikes every since I've had it (with admittedly a couple reclaimed by the road bikes). I do think without a dropped bar, some aero advantages are lost.
In terms of acceleration, and to a degree hill climbing, this bike is absolutely superb for what it is. There's a railway bridge I regularly ride over and I was surprised to see I last rode over it, not only did I set a PR but I finished in the all time top 3%. From a standing start. Without particularly trying.
I'd averaged about 37.9 km over that whole segment, which is good for me considering the climb involved.
This bike may not win too many points for comfort and it certainly does not win them all for practicality but it elicits lots of smiles and to be honest, so far, I'm blown away with it.
The Trek FX Sport 6 is the 'lightest' and 'fastest' fitness bike in the range of Trek FX bikes.
With an RRP of £2,775 (+ £25 for the current flavour) this is a very expensive hybrid bike. And weighing in at 9.5kg, is not particularly light compared to some road bikes you can buy for that money. It does seem on par with competition though from Specialized and Canyon.
I, of course, bought it at a considerable discount relative to RRP, which made more sense. Although given that I already owned a Trek District 4 (a 'slow' hybrid) and a Felt Broam (gravel bike configured for all year road use), you'd be right to wonder what sense, if any, I had.
The answer is probably uninteresting. I try and get a ride in most days - usually between 10 and 15 miles. And I try and mix thins up - leisurely rides on off-road routes and sub-optimal cycling infrastructure and faster on-road rides when I'm actually wanting a bit of a work out.
My shorter on-road loops invariably involve passing through town once or twice - and although traffic flow is impeded by the sheer number of drivers using an inefficient mode of transport for their morning commute - I find myself doing a lot of stopping and setting off from roundabouts and traffic lights. The Trek District - as comfortable and wonderful as it is - isn't the optimal bike for repeatedly doing the 0-20+ mph dash away from traffic lights - my preferred tactic for getting clear of the junction before the drivers have started to wake up.
The Felt Broam in theory is ideal for these rides, save for one thing in that it has dropped handlebars. I do much prefer drops on bikes if I'm going any kind of distance but they, for some reason, bring out the worst in drivers - especially around town. The Felt is also set-up with pannier rack/trunk bag/kick stand and other things that slow it down, so there was perhaps room for improvement.
Thus, I sprung for the FX Sport 6 and it has not disappointed.
The Bike
So what's to say? It is just another flat barred hybrid.
It has components from various tiers in the Shimano GRX range and Shimano's entry level hydraulic disk brakes - which i find more than adequate.
It is supplied with 40mm gravel tyres on 700c wheels (23 mm internal rim width). IIRC it will accept tyres up 40mm in width with mudguards and 42mm without.
The frame, despite being rather 'sporty', affords all the usual practicalities so pannier racks and frame bags can be mounted up.
The finishing kit is all aluminum - with an isozone comfort feature in the handlebar.
And the wheels are somewhat fancy, with semi-deep carbon rims. I don't think they are the lightest or the most aero, but they should be farly reasonable.
The 2025 Version
I believe this has same frame/geometry/finishing kit/wheels but the 11-speed Shimano components have been swapped out for 12-speed SRAM Apex e-Tap (electronic shifting).
Tweaks
So far I have swapped out the stock plastic pedals for some MKS Sylvan Touring Next pedals - which seem really high quality and buttery smooth, by-the-way. The supplied gravel tyres have been swapped out for a pair of Continental GP5000 S TRs tyres which I'm running with TPU inner tubes. The latter are in a 32mm width on account of the state some of our local roads are in. The stock saddle has made way for an Selle Italia SLR Boost Gel ti316 - what a mouthful. On account it was the cheapest version of the SLR saddle I could find with titanium rails.
Finally, I added some traditional looking Bontranger mudguards.
All up, the bike is weighing 11.15kg. That is including pedals, reflectors, two front lights, three rear lights, two bottle cages and a seat pack with spare TPU tube, tyre levers, ratchet tool and electric pump.
In future - if I were to make any more changes - I might change the handlebar, on account that supplied IsoZone bar is a bit of a chonker. I think carbon finishing kit could perhaps shave nearly half a kilogram off the bike. And I suspect the GRX400 chainset isn't the lightest.
Disbenefits
Before even riding the bike, there are a few negative aspects to it I'd like to point out.
- Pressfit bottom bracket (ewww!)
- ThrewSkew axles - the same diameter of a quick release skewer but they work in the same way as a thru axle
First Impressions
I've covered 150km so far on this bike. It fills it's brief (both mine and Trek's) perfectly.
I was expecting the riding position on the bike to be much more aggressive than it is - I guess the reach is not as long as it looks. The bars seem to be set at a very sensible height for comfort relative to performance.
I don't think the frame is overly compliant - it certainly is not as forgiving over lumps and bumps as the other road bikes in the fleet. However, I don't think that's what this bike is really about.
Once it is up to speed, I think it is slower than any of my drop bar bikes for a given power output - but not much. Not much at all. In fact, this thing has been trading Strava PRs with my road bikes every since I've had it (with admittedly a couple reclaimed by the road bikes). I do think without a dropped bar, some aero advantages are lost.
In terms of acceleration, and to a degree hill climbing, this bike is absolutely superb for what it is. There's a railway bridge I regularly ride over and I was surprised to see I last rode over it, not only did I set a PR but I finished in the all time top 3%. From a standing start. Without particularly trying.
I'd averaged about 37.9 km over that whole segment, which is good for me considering the climb involved.
This bike may not win too many points for comfort and it certainly does not win them all for practicality but it elicits lots of smiles and to be honest, so far, I'm blown away with it.
