Originally Posted by Panthers007

From what I was able to glean from Trek's current website, as well as doing a bit of tracking down what has been said/written regards the new frame material - looks like you have done just fine. The frame of the 7.7 nowadays is carbon. So you do have their top-drawer aluminum. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want a hybrid made of carbon. I'd be concerned regarding the shock I'd be putting it through on some of the trails I ride up here in northern New England. On regular pavement, or loose gravel, carbon is fine these days. But our woodlands are pretty tough customers - just shy of meriting a switch over to mountain bike material.

One thing you may want to keep an eye on is the wheels. On my 7.5 they were hideous - Made during an era when many bike companies were into telling their customers that "everyone" wants wheels with fewer and fewer spokes. This was a disaster! The wheels that came stock with my 7.5 went out of true if I so much as looked at them cross-eyed. So I bought some Mavic A719 rims and a pair of Shimano Ultegra hubs and DT spokes and went to work. Result: Bomb-proof wheels. Tough enough to encourage riding on very rough trails that could well kill off a carbon frame.

I hope you fare better on what you got stock. The howls from the cycling community (which is where you are now) were loud & clear enough to clamp down on this idiotic marketing ploy.