Cataboo and Aggie Ama, thank you for offering up your suggestions. I have had total knee replacement on my left knee and need to have the other one done also. I am trying to get more physically fit before the surgery so that the rehab will go better, as well as better overall health in addition to that.

When I read about the rate of spin that people can achieve going uphills I find that amazing, but with your comments about 20-30 gears I can see how that could be achieved. Since I have been pushing myself and training for hills my knee has started hurting again. Since I started biking most of my pain has been aleviated, the stiffnes of joints and the arthritis has been in remission. I also had two bouts of pneumonia this summer and it has had an affect on getting winded. But the biking has helped all that also, I would never have imagined that I could condition myself to cycling at all let alone these longer rides and steeper hills and inclines.

New bike right now? Not in the budget at the moment, but something to strive for, I'd really like to see how my biking will evolve and what kind of biking I am going to end up liking the best and will purchase a better bike that fits that style. Right now, I believe that I will continue to commute (it's a very short commute, just over a mile), run errands, ride on paths because there are a lot of them around where I live and within short driving distances, and jaunts around town and an occasional road trip.

So far I do not like driving on roads as much as paths, anything other than the small sidestreets are very high speed roads and that small 18-24" bike shoulder isn't very comforting when cars are whizzing past at 60+ mph.

Maybe I am expecting too much out of one bike? What is a "flat bar" bike?

Aggie Ama, change a flat...I asked at the LBS if they had classes and they will be starting them up and I am now on their emailing list when they begin I'll be notified! I love to be self sufficient. Not afraid of wrenches or a little grease either, I didn't like the angle of my seat and fixed that, then it seemed like the handle bars were too low so I figured out how to raise them. Yes, it is greatly empowering not to be dependant on someone else.