Thanks for the info late! Wow, that was perhaps more helpful than the hour of reading I just did around the internet.
The riding I want to do is definitely long distance. Start with the century, work up to Furnace Creek, that sort of deal. I am 6 foot 3 and weight 220 (Gonna drop weight though). Why shouldnt I worry about the components? Wouldnt it be better to get the higher quality ultegra components?