Weirdly, I've loved bikes since I was little and have ridden a lot, but I have never ridden a real road bike...only mtb's with city tires and drop bars. I went right from bmx to mtb and just never, ever even really considered road bikes. Last week I got a free Centurion ironman and did a little shakedown ride around town. I never realized just how much faster a real road bike is. It's mind boggling. Whole new world.

I've got winter to get through, it's a salt bath every day here, so any money spent on good stuff is only really for the spring/fall/summer anyhow. there is absolutely no way I can see riding a $400 wheel in the salt/sand bath that is my winter commute.