My first bike in more than 16 years of not riding (that's since I was a teenager) was a 7.1 FX. I wanted -- nay, needed -- a road bike within a year. But I have to say that I'm glad I have both. If I want a leisurely ride on an unpaved path, of which there are many around here, the FX is perfect. If I'm going somewhere around town, I'll use that too. That lets me save the road bike for...well, the open road. It's nice to have the choice.

If I had to do it over, I actually would've gotten a higher-grade FX because the 7.1 is as standard as it gets.

Yeah, you'll outgrow it, but it's handy to have around and you can save the bigger bucks for a nicer road bike.