I really cannot agree about the placebo claim. On the 60-mile ride on my hybrid I average 15.0mph with 3,000 feet vertical. On the 100-mile roadie ride I averaged 15.7mph with 4,000 feet vertical. On the flats speed was between 18-20mph most of the time. Longer, more difficult, yet still faster. The engine is the same, the bike is not. Whatever placebo effect there might have been was long gone by the time I finished.

I am nowhere near being an elite athlete. I'm a 40-year-old man with bad joints and a Lipitor prescription. But I'm not trying to convince anyone to do anything, just wanted to share my experience in my quest for a bike that suites my goals. I have no agenda.

I spent perhaps 15% of the time in the drops during descents and sometimes on flats when I wanted to change positions. About 15% on the bars when climbing or wanted to change positions. The remainder on the hoods. If you're able to ride a flat bar for that distance without any hand issues, that's great. I wasn't able to and the road bar took care of that issue for me, so I'm happy.