I'm a newbie to biking and hope someone can give me a little advice.
I bought my first bike- the KHS Urban Uno, a single speed- last summer, at the behest of my girlfriend. She enjoys casual biking, and wanted me to get one so we could go on weekend rides around town, bike to the bars on Friday night instead of driving, etc. I got the Uno because the guy at my local bike shop said it was one of their better values (it was on sale for $475), and I thought it looked pretty cool.
10 months later, I'm finding that I'm enjoying biking a lot more than I thought I would. I went on my first 30+ mile ride last weekend, and I'm now using the bike as much for fitness as for casual commuting. Now that the weather is getting warmer, I anticipate two or three 20-25 mile rides during the week, and one 40-50 mile ride on the weekend. So, my question is, can an entry-level commuter bike like the Uno handle 100-125 miles of hard & fast riding per week, or should I upgrade to something oriented for longer/competitive riding? I'm not sure I'll be doing any actual races in the near future, and the Uno is great for getting a workout (not having gears makes the hills a real challenge), but if the components can't handle that much wear and tear and will need to be frequently repaired or replaced, it might be a wiser investment to just get something better. My LBS has the Orbea Aqua T105 available for $1479, and they also have the Aqua TTG on closeout for $999, so I would probably go for one of those two as my upgrade.
Would it be worth spending the extra cash on something more durable, or could my Uno probably handle another couple summers at my current rate of use?