Thank you all for your thoughts and suggestions. One of the reasons I'm leaning towards the mid-drive is the aluminum frame is a concern for a hub mounted drive. I like the idea of the weight concentrated low and in the center of the bike. I've only had the opportunity to ride 3 types of Ebikes, 2 were different models of Pedego with rear hub drive and the battery mounted over the rear tire. I found them very fun but not very "bikey" more like a two wheeled motorized scooter. Then I tried an Erad mid-drive conversion on a fat tire mountain bike. This felt much more familiar and gave one the feeling of really riding a bike with a seamless assist.
My biggest concern here is the road bike aspect and the aluminum frame. Most of the ebike I've seen place a premium on upright non aggressive riding poster with large soft tires. As road bike riders we have placed a premium on light weight & low rolling resistance.
I would very much like to hear from anyone with experience on a road bike conversion.