Anything I should know before I buy a Cannondale Quick
 

I need a good commuter bike for work and pleasure. I dont know a thing about bikes. I want to keep it below $600. I like the Quick 4 because the majority of the components are upgraded from the Quick 5. I'm 6'0, 175, athletic. Anything else I should be comparing the Quick 4?

Trek FX
Specialized Sirrus

FYI - the Quick uses Sram x5 shifters. IMO, they suck. Well, I actually had SX-7 triggers and they sucked. Not sure if the X5 triggers work the same way.

What was the problem with the Sram shifters?

When I compared the Quick and FX I was partial to Cannondale because I had previously ridden Cannondales. However, it didn't fit me as well as the FX. I'm extremely happy with the FX, but my suggestion is to ride both and see which one feels better. From a brand quality perspective I don't think you will go wrong either way. Cheers, Matt.

Nothing's wrong with them functionally. I just didn't like their design. On normal Shimano shifters, you use your thumb to get to a bigger cog & trigger ffinger to get to a smaller cog.

With the SRAM SX-7 I had, I had to use my thumb for both up & downshifting. I find the traditional thumb/pointer format more intuitive.

Test ride the bike and see what you like and don't like. Who knows, maybe you'll love how SRAM shifters works.

I just went through this excercise myself. I opted for the Quick 2.

I tried the Quick 3, the Trek 7.5 FX and the Gary Fisher Mendota. All had nearly equivilent rides in terms of road vibration, but the quick felt, well, quicker. Riding it around town, it felt quick off the mark, and very responsive - I felt more "kidlike" riding this bike, and it seemed more fun. On the Trek, I felt that it didn't respond to my handling quite as well. I also think that the Trek kind of looks pretty standard - and to my eye it had too many visible welds. The Cannondale frame looked very sleek and smooth.

As others have posted though, it ultimately is about how the bike feels. Since you are new to bikes, whether the shifters are push / pull, or push / push, it will make no difference. You get used to that stuff very quickly. The best thing to do is try them all first, and then make a decision.

On Quick vs. FX Cannondale usually gives you more bang for the buck in terms of components. I chose the Quick 3 over the 7.5 FX based on it's slightly better selection of components and the better looks. I didn't test drive the FX but I'm happy with my Quick.