When I purchased my hybrid, last fall, my LBS wanted to put me on a "comfort" bike. He looked at me as a 50 plus, overweight man and he pigeon-holed me. In other words, he did not want to ask probing questions and find out what I really wanted to do with a new bike.

I wanted a bike that I could ride for fitness and not recreation. I defined his comfort bike as a recreational bike.

Last fall, that bike was doing what it was intended to do. I began to really like riding early in the mornings.

However, I wanted that bike to do everything and one of the other goals, after the purchase, was to ride back and forth to work. I purchased a bike rack and a Topeak bag. From there, the bike took on a new persona. It was no longer a semi-road bike, but a commuter bike.

I continued riding the hybrid, but when I started riding 20 plus miles, I wanted a road bike. A few weeks ago, I bought a Domane 5.2. I am very satisfied with the Domane.

Had I purchased the Domane last fall, I think it would have been a mistake. Just as the LBS wanted to put me on a big fat seat that comes with the comfort bike, a road bike seat may have been too much discomfort to develop a love of riding.

So, for me the hybrid was a good transitional bike and a good bike to develop my seat-comfort.

I don't intend to sell the hybrid, because last month I bought my wife a Trek Verve 3 comfort bike. With her riding a Verve and me riding my Domane, I think I would get bored really fast. My Trek FX7.3 hybrid compliments my wife's new bike better than the Domane.