Avanti Aria 3 or Trek 7.3 FX WSD?

[jillybean]

I am in the market for a flat bar road bike to use for commuting and the odd drive/ride trip. The above both fit into the price range that I can justify (given the number of other road bikes hanging on the garage wall) but I am after any personal experience/opinions anyone may have with these or the male equivalent bikes to help with my decision.

Thanks
Jill

[emc]

Hi there Jill

I can't really comment from personal experience but I bought my 10 year old daughter a Trek 7.2fx wsd earlier this year (she is very tall) purely based on colour in the end (she liked the blue). I have put a rack on the back of it for her for getting to and from school etc and I suppose it has been ridden a fair bit more roughly then the average adult would ride it. We have had absolutely no problems with it at all. It feels quite light to ride and if I was in the market for a flat bar roadie I think it would be top of my list.

Probably not very helpful info but......

Kazz

[Robdog]

Ride them, see which one you like better. Fit is the #1 as they say

[gorilla monsoon]

I can't speak from experience either but Mrs Monsoon has had her Trek 7.3 WSD for about 18 months now and reckons its the duck's nuts. The only mod she had done was to have the handlebars narrowed-off by about 20mm either side. She is a very petite lady and the bars were a bit wide. Now they are exactly at shoulder width.

She loves her bike to bits.

Thing is, Trek and Avanti are both good brands so it all comes down to two things: personal choice and price. Balance those two out and you will have a clear winner. If not, flip a coin.

[jillybean]

Thanks all - I have been able to test ride the Avanti Aria 3, but only the men's equivalent of the Trek. Will probably go with the Avanti simply because I can be sure of the size I need based on the test ride - I actually found a shop with both the small & medium in stock!!

Thanks again
Jill

[yogagirl]

Hi Jill, Please be sure to give an update on how you find your new bike...I have been looking at similar models myself...

How tall are you- I'm 1.73cm/ 5"7, and will prob go with the mens model in whatever bike I get...but would be interested in how you find the fit and overall experience...also what is your main use- commute/fitness etc?

cheers!

[jillybean]

The bike is ordered through my LBS (doing the right thing and shopping locally) but won't be here until late Nov/early Dec. Looking at sizing/geometry etc I thought I would need a small, but the test ride showed the medium to be a better fit - I am 160cm/5'3".

I particularly wanted a women's model to get the lower top tube as I plan to fit mudguards/rear rack etc and use this bike for commuting/shopping mainly and the lower top tube will make getting on and off with a load in the panniers easier - plus I already have a standard road bike that I use for group rides.

Will update further once it arrives.

Jill