I took my bike to REI to have the computer installed today, and the guys were nice enough to tweak a few other things on it that needed tweaking. Then (at my request) one of them watched me ride and determined that the seat was fine, but the handlebars needed raising -- and wow! What a difference! I can't wait to go out and ride tomorrow morning and experience the new ride, plus finally see how slow I'm going, etc.

But.

Here's my prob.

Every time he motioned me to come back over to him so he could check something, I'd pull up along the curb so I could rest my right foot on it. This is my preferred way to stop. (I know, I need to break that habit, I guess, and learn how to do it right.)

But!

It wasn't until I was driving home that I realized -- when I was at my gynecologist and she mentioned that she fell over once waiting for a race to start, because she said, "You know how you balance on your tiptoes, well, I just lost my balance and felt like such a dork."

And when I first told the guy I wanted him to watch me ride because I wanted to make sure everything was adjusted right, since I have trouble (gads!) stopping without falling. Exaggeration, so I laughed, but he laughed harder and said, "Well, everybody does when they're first starting out. It's because your seat is so high you're balancing on your tiptoes and it's a hard thing to get used to."

But I guess he didn't notice because of me using the curb -- my tiptoes don't touch the ground when I'm on my seat. The only way I can touch even a tiptoe to the ground is to come completely off the seat and drop down to reach.

Is this normal for some people?

Because when I'm pedaling, it's clear that the seat needs to be that high for my long legs to stretch, but then they don't reach the ground when I'm stopped.

Help!