How much does the bike really matter?

[kiwibug]

I have a specialized dolce elite and I LOVE it. I kind of stumbled into buying it, I didn't do nearly enough research and I probably didn't need such a light bike - I'm not nearly fast enough to do it justice, so I guess I fit into that category of people with a nice bike who can't ride Sometimes I wonder whether a Surly long haul trucker would have suited me better, and I figure that I can always add one to my stable later! My dolce feels like.. a second skin? I don't know how to explain it.

My advice to you would be to go to your LBS and try some bikes out. See how they feel. See how you feel. And if you have a nice bike, and then you realize that you aren't as fast even with a light bike - that's honestly the worst that can happen - And it's not even a huge deal. It sounds to me like you're a younger rider (I myself am still in university), and I figure we have years of cycling left, years to build up fitness. I'm okay with being able to grow into my bike a bit - I just started getting serious about cycling last year, so I have some time to get as fast as I want to be, and that's okay too.

Edit: I'd just like to add that I know nothing about racing but I support you in your quest for a new bike!