StephenH

Just a thought- if your rides are going to involve long climbs, try for a light bike.

And another thought- riding conditions vary tremendously. I hear lots of good things about California cycling in general. You may have gotten spoiled by whereever you lived previously. Anyway, you may find that local riding conditinos are still better than what some other people have in other places. But check it out, learn to deal with the heat and you can get a lot miles in when other people are sitting at home. Start shucking some pounds while you're shopping, too, no reason to wait. If you have some good long steep hills, go walk up 'em every day, that's good exercise that helps with some of the bike muscles.