Nice looking bike Sunsanvil! I wanted a darker one in black or charcoal, but the $200 and something off on the 2013 leftover white ones were too good a deal to pass up. And the white is growing on me.
After my ride today, I broke out my old trusty road bike to go for another spin to see what I have been missing with this hybrid ... and to my surprise, nothing!
I did not feel sudden effortlessness, and new found speed! In fact I could hardly notice if I was going much faster with the skinny tires and a couple of pounds shaving, perhaps instrumentation would show a small difference ...
I did feel less comfortable in the hunkered over stance, with narrower arm spacing. The staring at the road under me view was less pleasant. And not being able to use the brakes when on the top bar became annoying fast. On the plus side, the slick road tires were silent, while on the DS they emit a hum at speed.
After hearing and reading so many comments that there is no way I could enjoy a hybrid, coming from a road bike ... must say, for me at least, it is the opposite, at least in the first few weeks.
And yes I do know the road bike stance would be a more comfortable and energy efficient posture on long journeys, and would win out on timed rides. But for leisure, exercise, and getting out in the woods, i believe I made a good choice in the DS!