You can say what you want about "walmart bikes" but yesterday I got hit by a truck and not even a scratch on the bike. I was able to ride the bike home without any issues. My leg and arm are gonna be black and blue but other then that everything is good.

I was looking at the diamondback pedals on Amazon for 20 bucks, but then I found some "black label" pedals at a LBS, they're nearly 4'' wide by 4'' long, nice upgrade.

FS? You will probably come to regret it TC, at first you can't take the bumps and want all the comfort in the world. Later you get used to it and wonder "how much power am i being robbed of, i should have gone with a hybrid" :thumb:

I've been thinking about it and I actually like the rear suspension. I lift heavy weights 5 days a week and I always dread doing any considerable cardio or pushing it on legs day. With the rear suspension on my bike I've noticed my legs/calves have grown and I've gone from 2 loops on my belt to 3 (lost weight). Another issue I've seen is my wrist kill me when I drive the bike over 10 miles. Looking online I found what I needed, handlebar extenders. I should have those installed tomorrow and probably going to get some handlebar tape shortly after so that it looks like 1 piece.

So out of curiosity, why do you attribute that to the rear suspension? Bigger legs/calves, and a smaller belt size, both sound like something I would attribute to biking a lot more in general...why do you think the rear suspension is specifically the cause?

On a completely different topic, I lift to - more like only 3 times per week. I'll say one thing, riding a road bike hunch down is easier ever since I've gotten enough squat flexibility to go ATG... :-)

I got looking @ my dad's bikes and since he only rides 1 of them he said take any parts you want off them. I took one of the seats and a nice water bottle. I decided to give his bikes a try. What I noticed was it took a lot more "strength" to pedal my bike then my dad's. Each time I pedaled my bike my legs were engaged more like I was @ the gym vs pedaling a bike. This is because each time i pedaled, my bike would sinks down maybe 1/2 inch. This is what people mean when they say there is a "power lost" from having a rear suspension. I've grown to like this, because at the end of a bike ride my legs feel like I've worked out at the gym.

The weight lost is purely due to cardio, that and your legs make up such a huge portion of your overall body that when you work them hard you burn even more calories.

This is just a mockup of the handlebar extenders. Looks pretty good so far. I havent put them in all the way, or the end cap, or put them in the position I want.

http://i39.tinypic.com/3013a8n.jpg

Lol, you know - I also ride my mountain bike when I want to slow myself down (biking with much slower people, or I want to get exercise but don't have a convenient long route to travel).

If you find that more fun, more motivating, etc, etc - that's totally cool. Just be aware that you're going slower than you could be. It just depends on your priorities - if getting a workout is your priority, awesome. If getting to your destination faster if your priority, be aware that you're going slower because of the rear suspension. It will significantly slow you down. While it definitely sounds like your route is far more varied than most of mine, and things like hills, bad road, etc, will definitely slow you down, on average on a road bike an hour ride will cover 15 miles, even at the beginning of the season when I'm not in great shape.

Have fun!