To clarify, I really can't say if the Zertz inserts was the major factor. I think that the bike may have been designed with comfort as an important feature if the sales pitch was anything to go by. It happened to sit in about the same price range as the other bikes I tested, which were more geared towards racing. Also, it was the only Specialized bike I tested so my opinion is restricted to that model, which isn't in the same class as your bike HHS. I was looking at that level as I'm new to riding this type of machine.