[MENTION=131443]Kawriverrat[/MENTION] & [MENTION=425264]tyrion[/MENTION] - thanks for the info on the dropbars. Very helpful info!
[MENTION=122123]AngeloDolce[/MENTION] thanks for those notes. Very helpful as well.
[MENTION=210511]Slaninar[/MENTION] Those resources were awesome. I did the sliding scale test which was very cool and I am currently reading through frame size information to get a foundation on sizes. Great resources.
[MENTION=227213]wphamilton[/MENTION] Yes the uphill climb is a definite concern of mine. I am in decent shape and I'm looking forward to the challenge... but I also want to make sure I get a bike that's going to allow me to make the climb without having to get off and walk it. As I understand it, a bike with bigger rear cogs is going to have a lower gear which should make the uphill climb more doable. I will be looking into that for sure.
[MENTION=359895]Hub Spanner[/MENTION] [MENTION=313684]spivonious[/MENTION] leaning more toward getting the bike from a shop at this point for those exact reasons. Thanks for your advice on this. My initial concern was that I wouldn't be able to afford a new bike from a bike shop, but it sounds like there are some decent options out there for around $600 or so, which is perfect.
[MENTION=210511]Slaninar[/MENTION] [MENTION=426970]Hermes1[/MENTION] I'm also now leaning toward the idea of getting a rack because I know I will be biking from home to the gym, then to work on some days. So I'm going to need to bring a gym bag with me on my commute.
[MENTION=184345]old's'cool[/MENTION] yup it's going to be pretty much coasting all the way down with the exception of right by my house there's a small hill I have to climb. Other than that, it's pretty much all coasting.
[MENTION=31186]rmfnla[/MENTION] yeah we get some gnarly winds out here too. Excited for the challenge though.

You guys have all be incredibly helpful. Thank you for your advice and feedback. I will keep you updated on the progress and of course post additional questions that I have.