was up in northern part of the lower peninsula of Michigan last week...rode on chipseal, paved path on Mackinac Island, and dirt with my 2007 FX 7.3.....took it all in stride....only difficulty was the engine was a bit in need of repair! ;-)

Black on a hyrbid is the very cool. Based on your intended riding profile, the 7.1 will probably fit the bill.

I agree that the 7.3 offers a lot of bang for the buck. My wife rides a 7.3 WSD because she loved the matte nickel color and hated the matte black on the 7.5 WSD.

The only problem with the 7.3 was the EF60 shifters; they were OK for me, but the trigger and thumb levers are poorly located for small hands. FWIW, I replaced the EF60's with Deore LX shifters (plus a 9 speed cassette and chain).

IMO, comparing a 7.2 and 7.3 in test rides is a bit unfair. The tires on each are very different and thus feel very different. The ride on my 7.2 felt vastly different after changing the tires to something narrower with higher pressure. I would venture to guess that they might feel much more similar with the same set of tires when comparing. I wonder if bike shops would allow swapping 7.3 wheels/tires onto a 7.2 for testing purposes...

Thanks....That's what I was thinking. Anything is a step up from my 15 year old 820

thanks for that info when I go out there Im going to ask

I'm both new here and new to biking, I haven't been on a bike for 20 years. I bought a 2009 FX 7.1 in May without much research, I went to my LBS and rode several bikes and seeing how my riding would be for fitness and playing with my kids, I didn't see the value in spending more. I haven't regretted my decision and enjoy my 7.1. I am only beginning to learn about bikes and all the upgrades that are out there, I will probably add a few things to my bike but I do not plan on upgrading any of the key components unless they break.

I ride on the road as well as paved and gravel trails and have not had any problems with the bike. I did a 60 mile ride this morning and the bike worked like a charm. I will probably do more research for my next bike but that won't be for while. The 7.1 is the bike for me.

And, I might add, not a bad choice after a 20 year absence. Nice Bike.

Hey thanks, rode through Aurora this morning.

I wish I would have been out there yesterday - I'm laid up with a dislocated ankle.

Interesting. It seems the jump in pricing is around 280, 7.2 to 7.3, 7.3 to 7.5, 7.5 to 7.6. BUT it takes steep jump to the 7.7, 660 bucks.

The 7.5 and up seems to have a carbon fork and a kind of damper on the seatstay. Reportedly they make them "smoother" in riding. The 7.6 seems to jump up the gearing to road levels; plus it goes closer to road with 28mm tires.

With an 18 year old bike, obviously I'm thinking about my next one (one thing I do NOT like about my 750 is the damn twist shifters, I hate those devices). The only thing I am 100% convinced of is Trek's "fitness" may be a very apt tag for the fx series. AND the more I learn about the fx, the more I think I should also consideer the 7xxx series, they SEEM to trade some of the speed for comfort.