Upgrade tires & rims for faster ride?

[Velocivixen]

When you say you want to ride more "efficiently" do you mean you want to roll faster? One thing about your bike, which is similar to mine, is that being more upright means your torso is catching air like wind in a sail. So, although you may go faster with new rims & wheels, not sure you would get what you're looking for. On the other hand it may be just what you like.
I know you said that you hesitate about road bikes, but just to throw it out there-there are many road bikes which are not racing bikes. There are commuting bikes with drop bars. Good luck and let us know what you end up with.

[redrhodie]

You can be comfortable on a road bike. They'll be able to set it up so you're upright, plus with drop bars, you'll have more positioning options, and that might really help your neck problems.

[wineberry]

I’d rather upgrade to a road bike than upgrade rims on my hybrid if I can be comfortable on a road bike. I ordered new tires (Hutchinson Atom Comp), and hope I’ll see a difference going from size 28 to 23.

I can request a Body Geometry Fit at my LBS. I know I will have trouble finding shops with size 46/47 road bikes. I recently went shopping for a road bike for my 9½ yo nephew. We didn’t have luck trying out smaller/shorter frames because most dealers don’t stock them as they’re considered dead stock.

The Synapse starts with size 48, and the Jamis Femme & Specialized road bikes jump from size 44 to 48. Can anyone recommend relaxed geometry road bikes that come in sizes smaller than 48? My LBS carries mostly Cannondale, Jamis & Specialized.

Thanks.