I am Westerville, Ohio.

Boy oh boy there's a lot to learn, and I have to remember I'm buying a not very expensive bike, and whether it's a Townie or a Specialized, I'm going to have a good time riding. I like spending the better part of my day just riding the Rail Trails, and being able to do 40 or 50 miles round trip opens up more trail rides.

After doing some reading I'm learning that apparently the weight of the bike isn't important.

Crank/seat placement matters. I'll bring my Townie into the shop and put it beside the Specialized I think I want and compare them. We raise the seat height on my 24" Townie, but on the 26" Specialized the seat is almost all the way down.

Gears: 8 on my Townie, or the Specialized with either 7 or 21. And now I know what IGH stands for. Thank you, google.

When I go to the shop Tuesday I'll ask about changing out the gear hub on my Townie, and comparing what they say with what you are saying. The shop that said it would cost as much as my bike to replace it - I don't go there any more. It's where I bought my bike. They couldn't even put the fenders on correctly.

The conversation here is fantastic as I end up doing a lot of research. As always, thank you.