I came from a 15 pound CF road bike, I bought a rans xstream and never looked back. the bike is fast as hell. climbing takes a little adjustment, spinning is key, but i never liked climbing out of the saddle anyways. on the flats I can be coasting and pedaling every few seconds and because of the stiffness and aerodynamics, cruising at 20 mph is not hard at all. It's actually relaxing riding with my DF buddies because while they are working their arses off pushing 20 mph, I'm just chilling. Much faster than my DF bike. just collecting dust now. oh and i'm much more comfy now!