A big thank you to all of you for your responses.

This weekend, I went to a couple of LBS. First stop (Friday evening) was Sports Basement in Sunnyvale. It was almost closing time, so I couldn't test ride any bicycles. I spoke to Alex who was most helpful. I was looking for Felt Speed and Jamis Coda Sport. Based on his experience, he recommended that I try a 19in Jamis Coda Sport. The standover height is 30.9in.

Today, I went to Tread Bikes in Campbell and met Shawn. Wonderful interaction. He said that he had run out of men's Jamis Coda series bicycles but could get a Coda Comp next week. Based on his experience, he also suggested 19in.

Then, I went to Summit Bicycles in Los Gatos. I tried the Trek 7.3fx 20in, the 7.5fx 17.5in, and the 7500 20in. I spoke to Ken who was amazingly helpful. Based on his experience, he said that a 20in would be best if I felt comfortable with the clearance. He ruled out the 22.5in. The 20in Trek has a standover of 30.8in. Felt is 30.7in.

I am 5'10'' and my pant inseam is 30in. With shoes, I measure barely 32in. While the 20in felt most comfortable (no cramping), the 17.5in with a 28.9in standover seems safest, clearance wise. Should I go with the 20in even though clearance is just about an inch? I guess the biggest concern would be a sudden stop when going up an incline or if the wheels are straddling a depression on the road surface. Any feedback greatly appreciated.

Also, it seems difficult to find a Felt Speed bicycle. I've inquired at various LBS that stock Felt and no one has a Speed. Please let me know if you know a South Bay LBS that has one in stock.

On another topic, based on test riding on rough pavement, the 7500 was most comfortable, the 7.5fx next, and the 7.3fx the most jarring. Riding the 7500 on smooth pavement was like gliding on butter. The 7.5fx was quite a bit more jarring than the 7500. Does one get used to the jarring? Or does replacing the saddle and using bike shorts do the trick? Or go for wider tires? Trek 7500 has 35mm tires; 7.3fx and 7.5x 32mm; 7.6fx, Jamis Coda and Felt 28mm. Ken said that the 7.3fx/7.5fx can accept 35mm tires and the 7.6fx can accept 32mm tires and this wouldn't void the warranty.

Thanks.