Originally Posted by hokiefyd

Kyle, even having read some of your replies, I will join others in saying that you really need to ride a few bikes, and spend some legitimate time on one, in order to get a good feel for a bike. I know first hand -- I'm going to a bike shop tomorrow to return a bike that I recently bought that ended up not being the one for me.

You said consensus tells you that you need a fitness/performance hybrid. Don't let anyone else tell you what you need. Try a number of different styles of bike. In Trek, the FX, Verve, and DS are potential fits for you (and those are all hybrids -- not to mention dedicated road or mountain bikes). In Giant, the same segment offerings are Escape, Cypress, and Roam. In Specialized, the same segment offerings are Sirrus, Crossroads, and Crosstrail. Norco likely also has a model in each of these segments. Though they don't have true names, I call them "performance hybrid", "comfort hybrid", and "dual sport" segments (respectively). Each segment will have a different feel, and each brand within each segment may also feel different from the others (they each will have slightly different geometry).

Reading between the lines of your post, it sound like you've joined a local club and they're mostly roadies. By their nature, they will probably encourage you to get the lightest, lowest, fastest bike you can afford. There's nothing wrong with that advice, but I wouldn't let that be the #1 factor in looking at bikes. Personal fit is WAY more important than anything else. WAY more. My family recently went to visit my folks and we did a lot of bike riding, and I pedaled my dad's new e-bike for 20 miles up and down hills. With no assist. That bike weighs 55 pounds. It sort of opened my eyes to the concept that weight can make a difference, but only up to a point.

You might find that you like an FX or an Escape or a Sirrus (or any other performance hybrid). And if you do, that's great. But buy it because you love the ride and how it fits you and how comfortable you are on it; don't buy it because someone else said it's the kind to get.

Your girlfriend's FX 3 has a carbon fork -- that's a nice feature, and you'd likely find that it helps smooth the ride some compared with a similar model, but with an aluminum alloy fork. You also might find that you like the option of running larger tires (the Verve/Cypress and DS/Roam will support much wider tires than the FX/Escape). Or you may find that you like the narrower tires. It's all personal preference. It's a great position to be in (yours) because you have little preconceived notion of what a bike should be or what brand you like or this or that. Your mind appears to be pretty open, which is great.

Good luck, and let us know how your search goes.