Thanks for all the quick responses.

So from what I can tell so far I need to ride a lot of bikes to see how they feel. That makes sense. What about for long rides? As a marathoner I know that I can run in just about any shoe for 3-5 miles but over the long runs or as mile accumulate some shoes just don't work. Is it the same for bikes? I know what to look for in shoes, how they fit, where they will rub and so on.

When I was at a LBS the owner showed me one carbon bike and one Al bike and demonstrated how you could squeeze the back of the bike (not sure the correct term) with your hands on the AL but not on the carbon. He told me because of the "give" of the AL the ride would be softer. Is that correct?

From what I've been told Carbon is stiffer and therefore transfers energy better and also dampens road vibration. I would think that a stiffer bike would ride rougher.

Any thoughts?

Thanks again.