I bought my road bike about 10 weeks after I got my hybrid and I'll tell you that I gained about 0.5mph average (back then I rode only 2 or 3 routes so it was easy to see changes). My hybrid had the stem flipped, bars lowered, and I had ergon GC3's to help stretch me out even more. By the 10th week I did a century on it, and it felt great, however I still wondered what I was leaving on the table by not having a road bike.

As it turns out the difference wasn't *that* huge. The extra hand positions of a road bike are nice, and I can get a bit lower on the drop bars. The road bike also weighs 7lbs less than my hybrid which is great in the mountains.

So if you think you're in this for the long haul, go for it. If you know yourself, and can see yourself burning out in a few months, stick with the hybrid for now and know it's not a huge handicap at your skill level just yet. In the meantime you can start working your bars lower, and dialing in your seat height, and pick up various cycling bits and bobs that you'll need down the road that can transfer over to any future bike (fancy computer, clipless pedals and shoes, a saddle you can sit on for 4-8 hours, nice shorts, etc).