thanks to everyone that helped with their input and advice - i really appreciate it!
the orbea -- the reason i didn't consider it - it's a carbon bike that comes with a $200 wheelset! if i got this, just because i am compulsive, the 1st thing i would do is try to upgrade the wheels... and $700 later, i'd be over the cost of an fx 7.9 .....
panthers -- that 5 year stipulation on the carbon frame was one of the biggest cons against the 7.9 after i read about it about 2 days ago. what use is it buying such a high end product when the warranty has less support than models below the 7.9? didn't make sense and i decided against the 7.9.... at the dealer today, however, he was offering the 7.9 to me for $2300 - taxes, shipping, etc included.... i considered it but then stuck with the 7.7.
my 7.7, just like my 7.2 which i had for a short time, will only see paved trails and little manhattan street use. i hate riding in traffic - especially in manhattan, so my street riding will be strictly limited to the 5 minutes it takes me to get to and from the westside bike trails... the remainder of the time will be on the paved bike path which has absolutely no dirt areas. the westside trails run the length of manhattan and are about 13 miles long from north to south.
the white 7.7 looks soooo clean... i did see the fx 7.5 in black/red that someone mentioned - it looks insane!!! the 7.6 - like the pic i posted - has that same/similar gray color like last years 7.7 did. the 7.7 this year is white and only white - no other options. the 7.9 looks identical to last years with the exception of the seat post and ultegra components... there are probably other differences but again, i looked at the specs for only a couple of minutes...
I will definitely be posting pictures and my first impressions the day i get it. the LBS is about 8 miles from my place and i plan on riding it back to get a feel for it. ;-D
Last edited by sh00k; 08-23-09 at 08:02 PM.