Saw this post in a google search...figure I should post an update in response to myself!
So, a couple weeks after this thread, my father gave me his old 1986 Scwhinn Prelude road bike. 3 months later, 2 of which I have spent commuting just about every day, my perspective has changed a good bit.
The Schwinn is close to stock. It was a middle-end road bike in Schwinn's lineup. I switched to aero brake levers, added a new chain, freewheel, tubes, tires, and a nice Tubus rack. It clocks in about 5 lbs less than the Trek.
After all the blah blah about my Trek being relatively fast, which it is, I grab ride the Schwinn every day. I keep trying to come up with ways to justify the Trek's existence, other than it's fenders. Oh, I have to ride clipless on the Schwinn currently, so that forces me on the Trek if I want to wear regular shoes. The Schwinn begs me to ride faster, while the Trek just does what I tell it to do.
Little changes to the Trek have/may help. Previously, I flipped and lowered the stem and moved the grips/levers/bar ends in. This gave a lower position and brought my arms in. However, I still want more hand positions (I like the road bar better)...I just wrapped my new trekking bar today. We'll see how I take to it. Also removed the dopey crankset and put on an old Sakae set I had on another bike. Experiment to see if cranksets make any difference. The stock Trek one sounded bad and it was ugly...that's probably it. At least it looks less amatuer now.
I propose a new advice system for would-be hybrid buyers. Ask, "can you touch your toes?" If the answer is "yes", then reply "your future self will thank you for biting the bullet and getting a road bike". If the buyer says, "but I need a rack and fender!", kindly point him to a touring, cyclocross, or commuter-friendly road bike. If money is an issue, patience must be had to find a good used bike. Please don't assume that commuters won't want/need/like going to work quickly or that riding in traffic on drops is hard. It isn't. Don't mind me, I'm done ranting...still need to vent my hindsight wouldadoneitdifferent frustrations
