To further clarify my earlier statement - I have not ever been or ever will be a Cat-anything racer, so I don't really want or need a bike with 'twitchy' race geometry. I prefer a bit more relaxed 'sport' geometry for the better ride. I also rarely ride in a gear higher that 85-GI because I'm perfectly OK with riding at less than 20mph - I cruise at 18-19 in still air on flat terrain -- which I consider not bad for an almost 60-yr old. Besides, as a borderline 'Clyde', I'd probably exceed the weight limitations of many lighter frames or wheels. I'm a middle-income, middle aged 'old' guy whose wife does not ride and doesn't understand the whole 'bike thing', much less spending a lot of $$$ on anything bike-related. In fact, the most I have ever spent on any complete bike was the ~$200 for the Fuji when it was brand new. Anything Italian or Campy-equipped would bust my budget. Besides, C&V SunTour drivetrains shift better than C&V Campy anyway.

So I want a 'better'-grade bike -- Not top-of-the-line - because that's who I am. I drive no-nonsense cars, have a no-nonsense truck, live in a modest house... Joe Boring Workingman.

I worked in a bike shop back in the mid-'70s. Trying to figure our the 'logic' for component threading was downright maddening. French threading, Italian threading, English threading... So I simplified things and stuck to the Japanese (English threading) bikes, and left the 'exotics' to others. That meant clincher tires, and not anything equipped with tubulars. Friction shifting.

The above are my justifications for 'mid-grade' Japanese bikes.