Man, I love that bike! I know my weight loss has a lot to do with it as well, but it just feels so effortless to stand up and rocket up the hills now. My old bike was a nice ride, but it definitely had a lot of give and flex when it really came to hard efforts. I told my wife that when I attacked that hill in Chappell Hill to see how fast I could make it up it, I was actually popping little wheelies with each pedal stroke for about the first 15 pedal strokes. It is just the perfect blend of stiff and responsive, but smooth for me.