The FX was the bike model my wife and I choose, I looked at and test rode the DS and it was a nice bike, but in the long run I needed a bicycle to commute on hard surface with. I am very glad I went with the 7.5 FX disc (which they do not offer in 2013 line up it is now a CrossRip) and the disc version has an aluminum fork. I have a rear rack and panniers and I load them up and the 7.5 handles it well. I also test rode Giant's and Specialized bikes but kept coming back to the 7.5. The main thing is you need to test ride as many bikes as you can so you will know which one has the best feel to you, and try to keep it light as you can. As far as the other brands you mentioned, I do not have a local dealer that carries them.