Well Stubacca, I rode my brother-in-laws Univega road bike to work for about a year, when I first moved to New England. I've have tried a few others since then, but never liked drop bars. I have a slipped disc, so that makes me somewhat stiffer than the average bear. Having said that, I admit that I like the look of a road bike. Whenever I see cyclists riding them I think to myself... "There's a *real* biker" ) The Volpe, Aurora, and Castro Valley are all great looking bicycles and I envy those who can ride them comfortably.

I use our bike path for much of my commute. I don't know if the 700x28 tires that come with the Comp are puncture resistant... They would have to be. The contractor who paved path tried cutting costs by not grinding the glass-filler enough. Consequently, flats are a major problem for anyone who doesn't have mountain bike tires or some sort of kevlar protection. I was thinking about getting the 32c Conti's (4 Seasons) or Specialized Armadillos - or maybe even a cheap Performance tire w/ kevlar.

As for the riser bars, "Yeah," I'm going to talk w/ the LBS people about substituting the flat bar w/ something that has some rise to it. I hope they can manage that w/o having to replace the cables with longer ones. Thanks for your input.