Sounds like you're much more serious a rider than me.   I never race, and typically peak at anywhere from 60-100 miles of a lazy casual ride in a given season. So the softness is a plus, while the other stuff mostly not that important or even negative e.g. twitchiness (skis on the other hand I want as responsive as possible - the reason why better skis are much worse for beginners - always fun to see the ones with too much money and too little sense) Plus I've never broken a bike - been riding the same one since before college and it still serves me well, though maintenance and upgrades have cost quite a bit more over the years than a new bike.