Do female-specific bikes really make the difference?

[estronat]

I ordered a riser handlebar with some sweepback.

This one (Amazon)

Sunlite Mountain Bike 3" inch Rise Alloy Black Handlebar



27-1/2" Wide (which I will have the ends cut down to match the existing handlebar length)
3" rise
Alloy
1" diameter at center

I will go to the specific shop location where I purchased the bike instead of the one close to my house. Maybe they'll take pity on me. I did need a longer top bar for a proper fit, so a longer stem was the only way to accomplish that. The current bar is even with the bike seat in terms of height, but I need a more upright position The bike height was good as it was the only one I could actually standover, but I ended up too crunched with the shorter top tube.

I don't think my bike shop will do the swap of the cables (labor) for free, but I bet they'll give me a 10% discount. Believe me I agree with you -- they should do everything to get me a good fit with no pain. I didn't ride the bike enough during the test to realize I would have this neck/back issue.

This is a process, isn't it? Getting old sucks but the alternative isn't any better!