Maybe with a more upright seat and smaller wheels you'll fit, but I expect you're too big for an x-stream.  And you haven't been on bents long, right?  It takes a while to get the muscles trained up enough to climb well, but keep at it - the best way to climb better is just to do more - at least in the beginning.  I have done hilly 200ks on my wife's v-rex and climbed cherry pie hill and ridden from glen rose to bluffdale, so I know it's actually an exceptional climber.

Oh the xstream is great - myself and Pual did the prototype testing for RANS so I'm pretty familiar with the bike and have one of the production models.  It's no doubt superior in speed and climbing ability than anything else they make.  But even at 6'1" I feel like I would really enjoy another inch or two of room to slide the seat back, so I think you'll end up feling even more so.
 
Great job on the training - keep it up, and I hope I see you at the rbent ride this weekend.

Quote from goldentouch on Jun 18^th, 2010, 7:14pm:

 
 
No clue - never ridden one, but Mike at City Cyclist sells them, so he may be able to tell you.  Though I can't see it being faster than a stratus xp - it's much more upright and has a small front wheel, yes?

Well I will take the Stratus in for a tune up the front derailer needs adjusting and have it looked over.  I am throwing the chain off the big chainring when changing from the middle ring.   A big bummer when going down hill.  Sure cuts into your time and have to stop and put thing back together.
I might have to just enjoy the Stratus and upgrade when the Ti frame comes out.  
 
Mike said he was getting in a XStream and he is putting together a Tour Easy which is close to a Gold Rush and I should find out what the difference is.
 
I will just have to use the V-Rex for my speed and find smoother roads.  
 
Thanks again for the advice.

Might want to see if there are any V3's still around. I might be persuaded out of mine since I am eyeballing something new even though I am not sure there would be much of a performance jump for the price difference of what I am eyeballing. LOL  A really great bike though and my favorite so far and I have rode everything.  
 
COMPONENTS
 
Frame Tig Welded 4130 CroMo Steel (Made in USA)  
Fork RANS Alloy 1 1/8"  
Headset FSA Threraded 1 1/8"  
 
Bottom Bracket Truvativ
 
Crankset
 Truvativ Elita 52/39/30  
 
Cassette SRAM 950 11/32 9-Speed  
Chain KMC Z9000  
 
Front Derailleur RANS
 
Rear Derailleur SRAM X5
 
F/R Shifters SRAM X5 Twister 9 speed  
 
Handlebar RANS B-39
 
Riser RANS Top-load B-28 into B-35  
 
Brakes Tektro MT15  
Brake Levers Tektro MT2.1  
Seat RANS Sling Mesh  
F/R Wheels Jet Set 26 Disc-Hub  
 
F/R Tires Primo Racer 26 x 1  
 
Pedals Wellgo
 
   
SPECIFICATIONS  
Gear Inches 22.5-113.3
 
X-Seam  37" to 48.7"  
Wheelbase 65.25"
 
Overall Length 90.25"
 
Seat Height  Ft.-25" To Rr- 23.25"  
BB Height  26"  
Bike Weight 31.5 lbs.
 
Weight Limit 325 lbs.
 
Colors Frost Blue  
 
MSRP $1,650.00
 
Current listed prices and specifications subject to change without notice.  

I would never go from an SXP to a goldrush.  The only reason to switch to a goldrush would be if you want a lower bottom bracket.  I had both a goldrush and a xstream.  The xstream was much faster, but in the end for my city riding the short wheel base just worked better.  I am currently very happy with my vrex.

There will be a practical limit as to how far you can recline the seat... typically around 50 degrees.  Any more than that, two things start to happen: 1) you lose back support when pedaling hard (steep climbs or sprints), because you start sliding up the seatback when applying pressure to the pedals, and 2) the front edge of the seatpad starts hitting the backs of your thighs uncomfortably, since it starts to tilt up as the seatback is reclined.  However, you are dead on as to the ride quality of the Stratus -- it's a pleasurable "Cadillac" ride compared to most bikes out there.  It's an excellent bike for long distances.  On LSR 200Ks and such, I found myself typically averaging about 16mph, rolling in the 16-20mph range, and in faster "pack drafting" situations like HHH100, my average was up in the 18-20 range... and smiling all the way.  There's a reason that bikes like the SXP and the EasyRacers series have been so popular for long-distance touring and such...