chalkdusty,
Another point might be the wheelbase. It seems to me that most modern bikes
have a much shorter wheelbase than bikes of old. As a novice rider the first time I
tried taking my hands off the handlebars I almost freaked. My guess is that the market
for bikes for the past few years has been the younger crowd who are more interested
in performance than comfort. Even the new Trek Pilot series, touted as a comfortable
bike, 'Ride Hard Without The Hard Ride', has a wheelbase shorter than my Trek 1200.
Just my .02 worth. Keep the rubber side down.
LastPlace