Hello,
Nice forum. It is really helpful to be able to glean information from sources like this. Glad to find a good bicycling forum.

My interest in biking has grown in fits and spurts over the last 7 to 8 years. Fortunately (?) I have a good friend who is somewhat of a gearhead, like I have turned out to be. He often upgrades his stuff which mean he often has pretty good stuff to unload. He got me started mountain biking with a frame I bought myself but the rest of the components and parts where his upgraded garage clutter. Mostly XT level stuff. Well, that experience taught me to appreciate quality stuff and I was done with $99 Sears FreeSpirits.

I mountain biked (sorta a mis-nomer for the Dallas area) quite a bit over the years. I still like MTB but have a growing interest in road biking. Finally did my first "races" this summer and just returned from the Hotter'n Hell 100 in Wichita Falls (did the 100k). It was a great experience.

So, here I am learning more. Want to get a better road bike but want to know more about what to get. So, I'll be reading your comments.

Have a great day,
David