Originally Posted by
kaisersling
Yeah my Mercian is very much set up for touring and comfort and I wanted something a bit more racy....I am a bit nervous about the level of aggressiveness but I am sure I will get used to it. Have you done any longer rides on the GT, centuries? One thing I do know, before really putting it through its paces, is that it will be much better in the hills than the Merc. Its three pounds lighter for starters and has a compact crank.
Yes, the GT is a good bike for hills, with light weight and excellent power transfer. I have not ridden the GT for centuries; I've done 50 miles or less per ride on it so far. While the geometry is more aggressive, you should be able to get used to that. One thing I have done is change out the tires, and put 25s on it instead of the 23s it came with. That smoothed out the ride a lot and should make longer distances more comfortable.