This is a SUPER thread. And Common Man really has me thinking. Up at the very top end of my budget is a Trek 7.3 at my LBS for 519. (When I started shopping 500 was my whole budget for the bike and a few basic accessories!) That's 40 bucks more than a 7.2 I test rode a few days ago. THe 7.2 felt good, but as this thread pointed out the gearing was clunky and the shifters felt a bit cheap to me.
I plan to get out for some more test riding in the next couple days. They've ordered a Globe Vienna 2 for me to try since I liked the feel of the Carmel 1, but wanted 24 speeds. It has the same shifter/derailler as the 7.2.
I'll go with whatever feels right but are the components on that 7.3 worth stretching my budget to it's limits? Maybe I should try waving 5 hundred dollar bills at them and see if they'll play.
I'm getting back to cycling and have been doing tons of research over these last few weeks and riding quite a few models, many based on recommendations I've read here. Perhaps you don't realize this, but all of you who contribute to these forums are doing a wonderful service for people like me who lurk for a long time doing research. I thank you for all your wisdom and opinions!