I built up a Vendetta V.2 in 2015, when my lower back could no longer handle riding a diamond frame bike. The learning curve was fairly steep, but once I got over that, it has been one of the best road bikes I've ever owned (though now I ride a V20c). I also have one of the last S30 models, and have owned an S40 and a Quest, the precursor to the Q45. My lower back pain has been gone for years now, and the V allows me to go fast and far with no aching hands, feet, shoulders, neck, or butt. Climbing has always been my strength, and on the V I can climb almost as fast as on a DF bike, and it crushes a DF everywhere else. I can also climb farther on the V, with less fatigue. Your mileage may vary, depending on what kind of climber you are, but the V has not held me back when the road points up.