Quote Originally Posted by Juliegoddess View Post

Thanks for the tips! Yes, I am deathly afraid of leaning down too far on the bike. Not only is it going to be a huge change for me from the MTB, but I also have a herniated disk in my back that I have to watch out for. So, any undue stress back there is not good for me.
Just want to say, I have two herniated disks in my lower back, and I ride a Trek Pilot 5.2 WSD. I am 5'8". Riding the Pilot, plus gym workouts to strengthen the core and back muscles, finally got rid of the constant sciatica pain caused by the herniated disks, and I haven't been troubled by the sciatica for quite a few years. Just saying, don't fear a road bike because of herniated disks.

Maybe move up to a road bike when you have saved up more money, and look at the Trek entry level road bikes.