Thanks for all the responses so far.

Yes, I am a very patient man. I am actually a Nats fan, although I did give up my season tickets after their first year of 100+ losses. But it was more fun to watch them lose last year as they at least had some offense.

But back to the original subject, I think I'm going to have to test ride them again to get a feel.

Mr. Foster, I'm not sure what you mean by "Shimano smoother and SRAM more precise." I've always felt if a bike was precise, the shifting tended to be smooth. If it wasn't smooth, it wasn't very precise. What am I missing?