Thanks all...this is much closer to where I was trying to end up with this thread. I think the guy at the shop is full of it. And I don't know what irritates me more -- the thought that he gave me the wrong advice unintentionally (ignorance), or intentionally (to sell me another bike).

It also goes to show that you can never take a fitter's advice blindly (someone else made this point above). I have been to 2 or 3 people now who the cycling community holds up as being some sort of fitting experts, and who charge a good deal for advice, and I still haven't found a pro fitter who has correctly devised a grand unifying theory of bike fitting.