Hi all, I'm looking for some advice.

TLDR: bought a trek fx 7.1 last fall for a good price but I really don't like it. Trying to decide between spending money on upgrades or buying a different bike.

Last fall I got a deal on a 2015 Trek Fx 7.1 ($290) at an LBS. The problem is that I hate it. I was previously riding a single speed with a chromoly frame, but the city I live in now is way too hilly for that. I find the trek to be too heavy and slow--the rear gear is 14 instead of 11 and I find I spend most of my time in the hardest gear. Going downhill it's not easy to get good speed. The bike might also be too big for me. I'm 5'8 with a 33 instep and have a 20" frame, but have dropped the handles for a sportier feel.

I'm thinking of selling the trek and buying a new bike - giant escape 1 or 2 (probably 2). I feel dumb doing this as I should have just bought a different bike last fall. The alternative is to upgrade my trek.

So do I sink money into the Trek or buy a new bike?

Your city is hilly. You find yourself in the hardest (highest) gear. You want an 11T cog but the Trek comes with a 14T as the smallest. You live in a hilly city. There is some incongruity in what you are saying here.

Do you want a lighter bike that can handle hills better, but with high enough gearing to go fast on descents? Is this right?

Haha I noticed that too. Thanks for your reply. I think that is a good summary. I want a lighter bike that can go faster. I'm not too concerned about the hills as I'm never below 2x5. I am concerned about feeling nimble and going fast

Edit: I'm also concerned about cost because I'm a student, and I don't want a road bike because I work in a high theft area.

Wouldn't take much to change the cassette, other than that, if you don't like the bike you should find a new one.

Having bought it for $250 you could probably sell it for that much or more. Use the proceeds to buy a bike that you do like and that fits properly.

It sounds like your primary problems are gearing and fit. Gearing can be changed easily, but fit cannot. If the bike is not a good fit, then I don't think I'd put a lot of money into it. I will say that Trek claims the FX weighs about 27 pounds -- that's not all that heavy. I think you'll be hard-pressed to find something that's appreciably lighter. You might ask your local bike shop to weigh other bikes in the same class to see if you'll achieve a significant weight savings by switching to another bike. If you do decide to sell it or trade it, I'd advise something with a carbon fork. That's going to be your best chance of finding a package that's noticeably lighter.

Best of luck!

Riding a geared bike is different than a single or fixed. You have to let the gears do the work. A triple crankset with a 7sp cassette gives a tremendous range of gears.

Spin faster. 100rpm is a good baseline cruising speed. A 46x14 will hit 30mph at 120rpm. As for downhill max speed, I usually just pedal til I spin out

Thanks for the advice everyone! I've decided to replace my bike. I think with a pretty significant upgrade to a Giant Rapid 2 or a Rapid 3.