Ha. I have to admit that I am looking for justification to get something "new". Could be because my wife has bought two nice new bikes in the time that I bought one used one. I guess I just want some kind of new toy too. Thank you guys though for the advice and input.

The discomfort in my hands could very well be from just not being "conditioned". That does make a lot of sense and I'd probably adjust just fine, maybe. But after riding so many bikes in shops recently of differing sizes, I just know that a 55cm frame is just right.

I have been wanting to slowly upgrade my bike and have been apprehensive about starting with this frame. I know it would work, but I just have this feeling that if I start from a frame that truly fits right, not just something I'm settling with, I'll be happier in the long run. In reality though, I could upgrade all I wanted and then transfer to a new frame later anyways or move everything over now and upgrade slowly from the new frame. In the short term anyways, the only upgrade that I plan on doing right away is wheels which have no bearing on what frame I'm on at all. All the components on my bike are in good shape while the tires are a hair out of being round. They are true left/right, but not in the round. A decade of many miles by the previous owner and the much smaller bit of miles I've put on them has just taken their toll. It makes a very slight bumpy ride. Nothing endangering, just something I should address at some point.

With all that said and before there were any responses to the thread, I went ahead and purchased the aluminum frame. I felt the price was right and I think the frame is in fantastic condition. The only difference between the frame that I got and the new frame besides size and material is that it is 1 1/8" threadless, while my current frame is 1" threaded. Everything else is the same, so all I need to buy is a stem, cabling and tape. I'm going to do all the work myself as the only tool I need that I don't have is the Campy BB tool. If I run into any major snags, I'll just defer to the experience at my lbs. My wife is buying me a stand for my birthday as I also want to do a bit of work on our mountain bikes as they are pretty old and could use some love and I've got everything else, toolwise already. I'm a pretty quick learner of mechanical things and have found some great resources to help with any work I'll be doing, ie. Zinn's book and Sheldon Brown's website, among the countless other resources on the web.

For the time being, I'm planning on keeping my current frame, fork and stem and can always go back to it if I want to. I know there is a market for it, so I could sell it at some point. The good thing about the frame that I just got is that I've seen similar frames sell for about what I paid for it plus shipping, so if I decide to keep or go back to the steel frame, I shouldn't be out much money if any at all. I'd mainly be out the time, cables, bike tape, etc. which, worst case, just gives me experience working on the parts.

I don't do any real climbing at this point. We ride in a mainly flat area and most our rides are in the same region. Will I notice a huge difference between the aluminum frame and the steel frame considering the level and type of riding that I do. I've only ever really ridden the steel frame. They both have carbon forks if that makes any difference.