I just thought I needed to answer RonH, regarding his dissing of recumbents. I road a Trek roadie beginning in 2001 and put several thousand miles a year on it, up and down hills and mountains. It was the best bicycle I had ever owned. I did notice, however, that I had lower back pain that became very uncomfortable on longer rides, and my neck got tired of bending back to look ahead. I rode mostly on the hoods or on top, and seldom in the drops. In July of 2006 I gave the Trek to my son and bought a long wheelbase recumbent, and now have close to 1000 miles on it. It's comfortable, fast, although heavier than the Trek, but I get a lot more "cool bike" comments and turned heads. My goal this year is 4000 miles of riding, mostly between March and November. The steel framed recumbent absorbs bumps better, I see ahead better, I can stay on the seat at a full stop, and have cool chopper handlebars and motorcycle mirrors. I climb and cruise as fast as I did on the Trek. And, no more back pain. So, regarding recumbents, don't knock it until you've tried it. I'm not switching back.