Jake.briscoe

Hello all,

I am a 23 year old college student moving to Northwest Arkansas from Texas to finish school and looking to upgrade bikes as soon as possible. I am riding a 2015 27.5 Cannondale Trail 2 hardtail and its been good, but its time to switch to FS 29". I found a 2016 Trek Fuel EX7 online closeout at VIllage Cycle Center for $1,750, and a 2017 Trek Fuel EX8 closeout for $2,799. My question is, should I hold out and save for another 6-8 months in order to get the EX8 or is the EX7 a really great bike and worth getting to save $1000? I've demo'd the EX8 and loved it, but I have never rode an EX7 and there no LBS that has one in stock for me to see. Are the bikes similar, just a few different components and thats all? I want to be smart about my purchase and enjoy my rides.

Thanks in advance!

ct-vt-trekker

save your money and buy the EX8, it's a massive upgrade from the EX7. The RE:Aktiv shock being one of the most important differences. When I bought my 2016 EX8 I also rode the EX7. Wow what a difference in the ride, you couldn't even compare the 2 bikes I felt. I'm so happy I bought the 8.
the EX8 has the Fox34 shock, the RE:aktiv rear shock and a dropper post. You don't get any of these with the 7