A Posh & Practical Campus Ride
I was looking for a solid commuter bike that my daughter could use at college for getting to and from classes, running errands, and exploring the world just outside the campus.
While checking out CraigsList one day, I saw a nice TREK FX 7.3 WSD for a reasonable price. It was the 2015 model, but you can still find it online for around $450. The bike was still available the next day when I drove over to the seller’s place to inspect it. It came with several accessories including a Topeak Explorer rear rack and a water bottle cage. There wasn’t a scratch on the paint and the chain wasn’t even dirty. The tires needed air, but otherwise, it was perfect. The girl who owned it was moving to California and didn’t want to take it, so she was trying to sell it quickly. It was my lucky day.
After getting it home and pumping up the tires, I took it out for a ride to see how it handled. TREK did a good job with the design of this model. The aluminum frame and stiff frame angles make this a nimble commuter, but I wouldn’t recommend it for any long distance rides. I appreciate all the braze-ons and mounts for water bottle, panniers, fenders, and racks. They didn’t forget the kickstand brace under the bottom bracket. There was even a mount for a rear disc brake, if I wanted to add one later. I don’t understand why TREK didn’t put disc brake braze-ons on the front fork. It’s just as well because I’ll probably swap out the front fork for a steel one that has them for a more comfortable ride. Someday, I will upgrade the seat to a more comfortable one and change the bars to flat ones.
But this isn’t a review of the bike as much as the choices and customizations I did when preparing it to be a campus star. I hope that my experiences inspire someone to do some customization on their own. The following pictures show what I did and how it turned out.
The pictures I took of the bike a few weeks ago and posted here show most of the work done. I added a purple crank with a single narrow-wide chainring to turn it into a 1x9 speed and get rid of the front derailleur. I was disappointed that I could not simply modify the cheap Shimano triple to do this; I had to replace the whole thing. #BadDesign
Here’s a list of the things that I added that you see in the pictures:
- SKS Longboard B35 Road Fenders
- Pure Cycles Urban Front Rack
- Halo Hex-Key Anti-Theft Skewers
- ABUS U-Lock Facilo 32 + Cobra Cable
- Highland Purple Flat Bungee Cords
- Risk Aluminum Valve Caps
- Polar Insulated Purple Water Bottle
- Sunlight Commuter Tail Light
- Serfas Front Headlight


I purchased a Pure Cycles Urban front rack because I liked the size. Most front racks are too narrow to be useful and a few are very wide and would make the bike too unstable if loaded up. This one fits a backpack, if needed, and can fit “a twelve pack of beer” according to the product webpage. The fact that it has removable rails is a plus. There’s a U-lock bracket, but it only fits certain ones and didn’t fit my ABUS lock. I had to cut the rear braces and the attachment ears because they interfered with the brakes. I wish Pure Cycles would move the attachment ears about 2 inches forward. This would fit more bikes and not block the brakes. I was able to reuse the cut bars and attach them to the middle of the rack using 3/8" clamps. Thankfully, TREK put mid-fork pannier mounts that worked out perfectly for this.


I also created a mount for a headlight using a 2" elevator bolt and a cap from a bottle of Tri-Flow brand lubricant. The extra grip on the cap keeps the headlight from slipping and pointing at the ground. I drilled a hole in the brace at a slight angle so that the beam of the light would fall just in front of the front wheel. I wish I made it about an inch higher and angled it a little less, but I didn’t want to drill another hole. I tested the light mounted on the rack on a curvy and dark bike path in my neighborhood and it worked out well. Are you listening and getting ideas Pure Cycles?


One problem with mounting rear racks on short frames like this is that they won’t be level, so you have to get creative. I added a plate to the Topeak Explorer rack to extend the front mount out another inch or so and attached it to the already-extra-long metal straps.

The ABUS lock is highly rated and very secure, but it’s very heavy and hard to carry. Unfortunately, the mounting bracket that comes with the lock won’t attach to the rack directly. So, I secured a tube that I cut from an old ski pole under the rack and attached the lock bracket to that. The nose cone from an old firework rocket just happened to fit, so I painted that purple and stuck it on the front for fun. I painted the ABUS lock purple, too.



TREK puts a fender-mounting hole on the back of the front fork, but that doesn’t work when using the Longboard fenders. These are extra long fenders and using this hole puts them too far back on the wheel. Instead, I secured them to the front of the bolt along with the front rack.

I purchased the 35mm wide versions of the SKS Longboard road fenders even though the wider 45mm version would have been easier to install. But I wanted a slim look and decided to make these work. I had a problem with the little plastic clips that they give you to secure the rods to the fenders. They rub the tires when riding even when the wheels are true. This is because the fenders shake a little and the tolerances are so close that the clips rub against the tires. SKS could’ve designed this better, but I was able to trim a little bit of the plastic to give more room for the tire when the fenders shake. I also trimmed about an inch off the rods to make them hug the tires. This probably was the reason I had the problem wityh the clips rubbing in the first place. It took me several hours to get the fenders to fit just right, but I like the way they came out and the bike still runs quietly with these adjustments. I still recommend the narrow fenders with these wheels. Just be prepared to spend some time making them fit.
TIP: If you travel with your bike on the roof of your vehicle, I recommend using a Velcro strap to secure the front tightly against the tire to keep the wind from causing the plastic fenders from wildly shaking.



Halo hex-key anti-theft skewers are practical and good looking. They won’t prevent wheel theft on campus, but they will make stealing your wheels more difficult for thieves.

Risk aluminum valve caps are a nice finishing touch, but they might get stolen on campus. However, they are inexpensive and easy to replace. I like the Bontrager AW1 tires because they are nearly bulletproof, take high pressure, and give a comfortably smooth ride. The “TLR” on the Bontrager rims stand for “tubeless ready”, so I have that option, if I want to go that way later.

This was a fun project to build. I liked working with the TREK FX 7.3 WSD as a base. I could still do a few things to make this a sweeter ride. I wish TREK would make more frames with disc brake mounts. Obviously, weight wasn’t a big concern as I added all this stuff. That lock weighs a ton, but it won’t be needed on every ride. I already swapped out the crank. I could save a lot with lighter wheels. There are better choices for seat, post, bars, and stem.