Okay, Mimitabby! I'm a little confused - you have a nice bike (with a new fork). What is the difference between the old and new fork? What were you trying to fix by buying it?

It kind of sounds like you might be too stretched out when you say you are the normal gal, long legs, short torso! You say the bike is twitchy in the front end?

It's always hard to tell someone what to do with a bike if you don't see them on it. But, how long is your top tube? How long is your stem? What size is the bike? Do you have a lot of seatpost showing? Is it a compact frame?

Of course, they make bike to fit you that are not tug boats!

I'm 5'4" (sorry, i'm not real short torsoed), but I have always been able to ride a regular men's frame bike (not all of them) but some. I have the best luck with the new compact frames. They seem to fit a woman of our size better. You should be able to get a light bike to fit with a few adjustments, seat position, stem length, etc., etc.

Tell me some more so maybe we can help! Thanks jan

P.s: Sometimes twitchy in the front end means you are hanging on for dear life and if you get your weight off the handlebars, RELAX, support yourself with your core and bend your elbows, mysteriously your bike isn't twitchy anymore! A lot of girls that have horses all talk about how their instructors used to tell them to keep their heels down! Well, I rode horses and taught riding for years so I'm quite familiar with this. On the bike, the term is "bend your elbows, relax your shoulders, get the weight off your handlebars!"