radius

I'm riding a 7.3FX (discless) as a commuter and I like it overall. I don't worry too much about how fast it goes because I go through so many intersections that I never really get a chance to get up to speed anyway. I do almost all of my riding on the middle ring. Also, I have a road bike for recreational riding.

I decided on a 7.3FX instead of a SU series because the frame looked less beefy and I thought it would be lighter. That said, the bike is already heavier than I like (especially after all the accessories like lights, rack, bags, kickstand, U-lock, fenders etc.)

$599 sounds like an awesome deal to me, because my bike shop originally wanted $690 for the 7.3FX without discs and I had to bargain hard to get it for $580. I like the bike, but if I had to do it again, I might ask the LBS if they would swap narrower tires (maybe 700x28) for me so I would definitely not want mountain bike style knobbies on a commuter.

I also looked at the Kona Dew Deluxe and rejected it for being too expensive for me (I think it comes with fatter tires too).

Edit: For a commuter, I didn't care about suspension because I ride mostly on pavement and gravel track. When I go over curbs, train tracks, potholes etc. I just stand slightly and loosen my hold on the handle bars a bit.