Good luck with your new LHT; I'm sure you'll love it. I got one a few months ago, and it's easily my favorite bike of all time. I rode it from Seattle to Victoria, BC and back, and it was very comfortable and surprisingly fast the whole way, over pretty hilly terrain. As stated before, the bar-end shifters are actually a nice feature, especially on a long ride, due to the friction-shifting option. Be careful about the rear derailleur; since the chain is kind of long (long chain stays= long chain), it can be touchy.