Thanks for the responses everyone. As far as my riding goes, it is mainly just for exercise, but I also think that it might be fun to join an intermediate group ride at some point. I don't think that I would ever get too serious with it though. Roads around me are all paved, but can get seriously jarring on my Trek 7.2 FX. My main goals currently would be to eek out another 2-3mph average speed over the Trek, have something more comfortable to ride, and to have something that would be worthy of upgrading in the future if I did decide to get a little more serious. If I went with the Fairdale, I think I'd ask the shop to swap out the tires for 32c size tires if it would make a noticeable difference in rolling resistance. Thanks again!