Gary Fisher Fast City

Price Paid:  $300.00 at Craigslist

Favorite Ride:
Gary Fisher Manitou Luxe

Summary:
I bought this bike to ride about 12 miles a day. I live in Portland Maine and there are plenty of potholes and rough roads along the way. The bike rides about as fast as my road bike but is much smoother.

Strengths:
Light weight, shocks, & components.

Weaknesses:
None

Price Paid:  $700.00 at e-bay

Favorite Ride:
commute home

Bike Setup:
Platinum Series ZR9000 double-butted aluminum Genesis 29" Geometry, Bontrager Select wheelsystem and tires, Fork: Manitou Luxe Super 75mm travel, Components: Shimano Deore XT SGS rear derailleur + Deore shifters + Deore LX front derailleur + Deore 48/36/26 crank, Shimano 420 V-Brakes

Summary:
My 30 minute commute includes paved bike paths and dirt paths and the GF Fast City is the perfect bike for it. It's incredibly light, truly fast and comfortable. Even with the addition of the rack, light, lock, computer and my stuff in the new Trek trunk/panniers, this beauty remains easy to handle and a pleasure to ride!

Strengths:
The Genesis frame, no question about it. Great for hilly terrain.

Weaknesses:
The seat is uncomfortable. The guy who sold me the bike was kind enough to throw in a seat gel that works very well.

Similar Products Used:
None

Price Paid:  $1485.00 at Sykkelspesialisten

Bike Setup:
Standard equipment except XT brakes, shifters and derailleur. May upgrade cassette at some point too

Summary:
I have been using a good quality mountain bike for the last 10 years, but wanted something faster. The Fast City from Gary Fisher Bikes seem to fit the bill quite nicely!

Strengths:
I upgraded some components and ended up with a bike that weighs around 25 lbs. Not bad! The weight and the nice Manitou fork, which has 75mm travel and the 700c wheels make the bike a breeze to ride. Fast and very smooth! And with 27 gears it is always possible to find one that suits.

Weaknesses:
So far I haven't really found any major weeknesses. Ideally I would have preferred XT level components and possibly a hydraulic disc brake on the front wheel. I have fixed this for the most part by upgrading parts.

Similar Products Used:
Looked at and almost bought the Gary Fisher Utopia, but decided that the Fast City was better. Also considered the TREK 7700 which has more XT gear, but it is heavier and doesn't have the same fork.