From what you've described, you will be happier with a triple, so I'd make that the centerpiece of any bike you're considering.
Aside from that, they all ride differently - so test ride, test ride, test ride. CF bikes, in general, are nice riding. I have a CF Giant OCR that is an excellent all-day bike, and I frequently ride 50-100 miles at a crack with no comfort issues.
Likewise with steel. While both of my steel bikes are Reynolds 531 and Columbus SL repectively, they are very comfortable all-day bikes as well. Reynolds 853 is highly regarded, so I'd expect it would be a nice riding bike, too.
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"Love is not the dying moan of a distant violin, it’s the triumphant twang of a bedspring."
S. J. Perelman
Last edited by bigbossman; 08-08-07 at 01:23 PM.