Hello all. I had a 1995 Specialized Crossroads that was stolen lat August. So I'm looking for a hybrid to replace it with and am having a hard time choosing. I looked at a Trek FX and 7100 at the bike shop, and settled on the FX for it's faster design, but their prices are a bit undoable for me. I found a 2002 7500FX and a 1998 Cannondale Silk Path 300 on Craigslist. They both seem to have had similar retail prices at their time, so I'm guessing they're similar quality and are both the same size and women's bikes (which is importantas I want a bike that fits this time). And the FX has very little use, while the Cannondale has been used. but maintained. I'm having a hard time finding any reviews or info on the Cannondale. Does anyone know about this bike? I can get the Cannondale about $100 cheaper, so I'd like to go with that if they're similar enough, but I know more about the FX and know that's what I want. I ride about 20-30 miles and have back problems, so I don't want a full road bike. Thanks.

Can't really say without seeing the actual bikes. Some people worry that a hard-used 10-year-old aluminum bike like the Cannondale might be coming to the end of its life, but my Cdale mountain bike is that old, used hard by a 240-pound rider, and it isn't falling apart. A bike like the Silk Path probably wasn't owned by a nutjob curb jumper or hardcore mountain biker, and miles on a bike path don't do a lot of damage.
I'm not sure what you mean by the Trek's "faster design," but a lot of that is probably due to the tires, which you can swap easily. I've used my Atlantis on everything from fire roads to centuries with just a tire change.
Are you able to ride either bike, or are they too far away? In this case, I'd say to go with the one that's most comfortable. There isn't a lot of difference in the bikes, but small variations in things like top tube length or stem height might matter in your case.

Here's the Cannondale's specs:

https://www.bikepedia.com/QuickBike/B...+300&Type=bike

Pretty standard hybrid setup.

Well, I meant faster in that other bikes, like the Navigator, seemed to be slow and Sunday-stroll-ish. If that makes any more sense. They're both about an hour away, so I'm trying to make somewhat of a descision without the drive, though that has proven difficult Here's the Cannondale Here's the Trek (is it ok to link that?) The Cannondale guy just emailed me back and said that the C has shocks in the seat and front, where the FX does not. And that it's more upright and heavier. It sounds like the difference between the Trek 7200 I looked at and the FX. The salesman was leaning me towards the FX, but I didn't get to ride them, as it was raining and I didn't want to go back and waste his time, since I'm not going to buy from them. Thanks for your help. I should probably just make the drive, eh?

I'm going to throw another bike out for you to thnk about. The shop I work at has been selling a few of this model https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes...ncia/valencia/ . If I didnt allready have a comuter I cuold be tempted.

As a note: Trek states in their user's manual, for the FX bikes, that they are warrantied for riders who are at or below 300-pounds.

Trek's website makes no mention of a weight limit for any model on the warranty page. The website also states that there is only one Bicycle Owner's Manual for their various models. Where does your information come from ?

Edit:The Trek online bicycle manual does list a 300 lbs weight limit for most of their bikes.

Well, I went back to the bike shop this afternoon and road a 7100 and a 7.2FX. I do not like the FX. I thought I would, but I don't. It's a bit too jarring for me. So I'm going to go try out the Cannondale. Hopefully I like it. Thanks for all your help!