Thank you Downtube and Chaad for your helpful and informative posts — much appreciated.
I had noticed the long brake lever travel; the action felt a bit spongy but they worked well enough for my non-panic test ride stops. Point taken about the importance of fit, which again felt fine but I'm not much of a judge. The dual chainrings are apparently uncommon these days, but I sure used the full range on my Cannondale (no idea of the tooth counts), so this is a criteria when shopping.
I've been on the fence since yesterday... not fully enthused but unsure why. I'm going to sit this one out. I could be waiting a good while longer but when spending this sort of money—or more if need be—I want to get really excited.
Thanks again.