In my quest to find me a bike so I can start commuting to and fro work I stopped in at my LBS and test road the 7.2FX. I must say, even with my limited knowledge, I thought it road great. It was smooth, fast, responsive and very snappy when I would switch gears.

How do you all feel about this bike? Any experience with it? What are some other comparable bikes to look at? I really want the 'speed' that comes along with road bikes, but I will be using the bike to get me to and fro campus, work and anywhere else I need to go.

Thanks!

Doesn't really matter what we think about it (though the Trek FX line does get much love down in the Hybrid forum here), as we aren't the ones going to be riding it.

As far as similar goes- which brands are offered locally to you? Kona has the Dew, Giant Escape, Specialized Sirrus, Jamis Coda/Allegro... pretty much every brand has either a performance hybrid, fitness bike, or flat bar road bike.

I haven't seen the FX line yet, my LBS suggested the FX line though. I am looking for a commuter/tourer/fitness kinda road bike. I am torn between the FX line and the Trek Portland, I have not seen either, and my LBS is so small unless I make a purchase I doubt I can see one here. I know a couple folks have mentioned having one and they seem to like it and enjoyed the ride. I hope someone else can chime in and get ya a good hands on perspective.

I have an FX 7.5 & I like it quite a bit. Not sure of the differences between the two, but the 7.5 has been a reliable commuter for me so far.

thanks for the replys!

I think i'm going to make my purchase within the next two weeks! I'm really excited to start biking, we have some really nice parks where i live with 4-5 mile paved paths that will be a blast! I'm going to try to build my stamina up before i move downtown(the real reason im getting a bike to eliminate driving).

A WORD OF WARNING if your planning on using this as a campus bike and it will be left unattended for long periods of time you will want to budget extra cash for proper locks (yes thats plural) as this brand new $500 bike will disappear on you. College campuses are infamous for bike theft. I would recommend buying this bike (or one similar) for your leisurely weekend riding but try to find an older garage sale score for your campus commute.

With the right locks and proper lock-up could I prevent theft? I just check my fall school schedule and my bike would only be left out at max for 3 hours at a time.

Theft is a problem with anything, cheap, expensive, nice, crappy. Just HAVING a lock on it will reduce the likelihood of it being stolen, as campus thefts are generally crimes of opportunity. It also depends on where you live. My feeling is I would rather ride a nice, comfortable, and proper bike for 400-800 and just make it a pain for petty bored thieves. You will never defeat a real thief that wants what you have, anyway.