"Dane Bramage" wrote in
oups.com:

Not looking for a racing bike - rather something to take out for on day
rides of 100+ miles at a quicker pace, and preferably a more
comfortable ride than I'm used to.

Take a look at the 2005 Jamis Quest
(http://www.jamisbikes.com/bikes/05_quest.html)

The great thing about Jamis bikes is they make great all-day rides without
sacrificing a lot of speed. I have a Jamis, and I can tell you the steel
frame with a carbon fork is just velvet smooth. The frame is robot-made but
of high quality; no wobbles at speed on the downhills. At 20 lbs the Quest
is not super-light by today's standards but will certainly be a lot more
responsive and fun at pace than a touring bike. Plus the Quest is one of
the last road bikes that still comes with eyelets for a rear rack if you
want to put some panniers on for light touring. At around $1100 it's a good
value for what you get, which is a true all-purpose road bike.

Nah, I don't have any strong opinions on this :-)