Without much or any research, I bought a Jamis Renegade Expert, a carbon frame "adventure" bike. It was great except... riding on the hoods all the time made my hands numb and the gearing range was insufficient for the rolling hills where I ride. I began changing things

I eventually changed everything except the brakes and the front wheel, yielding a butterfly handlebar with mountain bike shifters and brake levers, a 10/42 cassette and 26/38 crankset. I currently ride 700x40 Schwalbe tires, and it is essentially a hybrid bike that cost over $4,000. I didn't mean to do that, but it is my favorite paved road bike.