Well, I've been searching these forums for over an hour now, so I think I'm safe to ask something that's already been discussed to death.

First (although really it's second) I'll say I'm new to the forum and it's nice to meet you all, as it were. Here's the situation: I only have two years left of undergraduate campus commuting and find myself in need of a new bike; however, I'd also like to take this with me to commute in Denver after I graduate, and it'd be nice if it lasts me a while. As HandsomeRyan will probably understand, the Detour Deluxe from Raleigh has gotten my heart throbbing recently. Of course, as a college student, I'm not sure that I have the 700 dollars to spend on the DD. I'm looking then at some of the lower models in the line (the 3.0, the 4.0) and hoping that I might be able to upgrade them over time.

I guess my first question comes in here: I'm pretty new to bicycling so I know just about nothing when it comes to specs. When I compare the 3.0 and 4.0 back to back, I have no idea if it's worth the 50 bucks extra or if the difference is negligible for city commuting. I would be SOOO appreciative if someone could look at the two bikes on Raleigh's site and let me know what their five-cent evaluation is of the difference in components. I'm honestly not sure which to get between the two.

My second question would be if anyone knows the Raleigh hybrids enough to know if they are capable of being upgraded, i.e. if I'll be able to put discs on these later without having to replace the wheels altogether.

You'll have to forgive me if my ignorance is showing. Thanks for the readthrough!

In peace,
-brian