Trek FX+ 7S e-bike is a premium city commuter – Ars Technica
The FX+ 7S improves just about everything from the FX+ 2, but doubles its price tag.
Post-pandemic, my creed became “Bicycles deliver the freedom that auto ads promise.” That belief is why I’ve almost exclusively used a bike to move myself around Portland, Oregon since (yes, I have become a Portlandia stereotype).However, that lifestyle is a lot more challenging without some pedal assistance. For a few summers, I showed up sweaty to appointments after pedaling on a $200 single-speed. So in 2024, I purchased the FX+ 2, based primarily on my managing editor’s review. It’s since been a workhorse for my daily transportation needs for the past year; I’ve put more than 1,000 miles on it in eight months.So given my experience with that bike, I was the natural choice to review Trek’s upgraded version, the FX+ 7S.First off, my time with the FX+ 2 has been great—no regrets about that purchase. But my one quibble is with the battery. Due to the frequency and length of my rides, I need to charge the bike more often than not, and I sometimes experience range anxiety riding to the opposite side of town. Even though both e-bikes are considered lightweight at 40 pounds, they’re still not the easiest things to pedal sans assist, and I’m reliant on their built-in lighting systems after dark.But I didn’t have to worry about my remaining charge with the FX+ 7 and its 360 Wh battery. Its extra capacity gives me much less range anxiety, as I can ride without fear of losing juice on the route home. And the LCD on the frame gives you a clear indicator of how much distance and time you have left in your ride, which is always handy. I would caution, however, about relying too much on your estimated distance remaining.During a 15-mile, hour-long ride while fluctuating between the first two assist levels I had modified, I drained 61 percent of the battery. While the estimated time remaining on my ride was consistent and accurate, the predicted mileage dropped occasionally, although that’s probably because I was changing the assist level frequently.There were also a couple of occasions where I was trying to drain the battery completely on a ride home, and after switching the assist level, the motor gave out at around 10–15 percent charge remaining, according to the LCD info (the lights, however, stayed on). It wasn’t a terrible inconvenience since I was close to home, but it’s not ideal for anyone hoping to ride consistently with some level of assist.(Trek offers a 160 Wh range extender for $550. I doubt you’ll need it, considering the range on the bike—which can be around 60 miles on an unmodified eco setting—but it’s available if you want the extra juice.)The TQ-HPR50 motor is also a big improvement over my bike’s Hyena Gen 2 (50 Nm versus 40 Nm of torque). The timing for the FX+ 2 pedal assist was unadjustable and always a bit slow to kick in, but after tweaking the settings through the Trek Central App, the extra power on the FX+ 7S was evident in all aspects of my ride.I no longer experienced a lengthy lurch as I began pedaling from a full stop, and using a Level 3 assist made any uphill climb a breeze. The bike is also remarkably quiet; on one occasion, I was riding alongside a friend who was riding a different manufacturer’s e-bike, and the noise coming from his ride was noticeable; mine wasn’t. It’s also a Class 3 e-bike, which means it can offer pedal-assisted speeds of up to 28 mph (45 kph), but it doesn’t provide any throttle.Trek markets this bike as the ultimate city commuter, and can I see why. I’ve ridden it for several weeks during a dreary Pacific Northwest winter, where the roads are constantly slick and full of debris. Did any of that affect the bike’s performance? Not that I can tell. Despite the gunky roads (and panniers filled with groceries), the aluminum-frame bike performed great, and the hydraulic disc brakes provided plenty of stopping power in wet conditions. The Shimano CUES U6000 drivetrain with a 10-speed shifter never experienced a hiccup.Even riding through the foliage muck and with extra cargo weight, I experienced smoother pedaling and was less impacted by all the bumps and debris in the road, making it even more comfortable to ride than the already-pleasant FX+ 2. The only rough spot I experienced was getting a punctured tube due to a shard of glass in the road, but that’s not the tire’s fault (and it’s typical of Portland).Trek also added other upgraded commuter considerations:The price of the FX+ 2 ($2,500 at the time; it’s now being sold at $1,850) was a downside we noted in our review, and it’s the main gripe I have with the FX+ 7S, which sells for $4,000. While it’s a better bike by every measure, is the advanced model worth more than twice the price? Your budget and feature wish list for a commuter bike will have to answer that question.If price isn’t a concern and you’re looking for a bike that is built to last longer, opt for the FX+ 7S. It’s better in every regard (except it looks more like an e-bike than its predecessor due to the LCD screen; I did appreciate how often people were surprised to hear the FX+ 2 was electric). If you’re mostly concerned about the range and are unwilling to spend $4,000, opt for the FX+ 2 and get the range extender.In either case, you’re getting a quality bike that will perform well and give you the freedom to ditch the car for many of your daily commutes.Ars Technica has been separating the signal from
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