I’m shopping hybrids pretty hard right now. I’m currently riding a 25 year old Klein Rascal that I’ve had since it was new. I bought the frame and components from mail order and had my LBS build it. It’s been a wonderful bike, seen Moab many times and spent day after day in the mountains around Park City. I’m taking this bike to the grave which will keep the afterlife colorful with its purple/pink fade. Now I’m 65 and my rides often never leave asphalt. I’ll still do single track once in awhile but I’d like another beautiful bike—this time built for comfort. I hate drops so I’m looking at the Trek 7.7 FX and Specialized Carbon Comp or Expert. I’ve ridden the Specialized Elite and really liked it. Here’s my problem: I know Trek is an excellent bike and my local dealer is an excellent guy. He spends lots of time with me and pours over sizing geometry. He wants to know every dimension of my Klein as clues to what I’ll like. Unfortunately, all he has for me to ride is a 7.2 FX rental bike and it seemed very ordinary to me. If I can’t ride something very close to the 7.7, how can I know if I’ll like it? Do I just trust that it’s a fabulous bike and this shop owner will make me happy?