argh... the continuing saga of bike fit

[mimitabby]

Triskelion, thanks again for your long and thoughtful response. I think what bothers me most is not the squirrellyness, but the pain. Pain on a short ride
translates into SERIOUS pain on a longer one. I will take it all with a grain of salt and ride the bike for 200 miles before i make a decision because a dozen wise women on this forum suggest that this is best.

The thing about the 2 different sized wheels is this:
Human beings of all ages, from tiny tots to giant men can ride bikes with 2 wheels both the same size. What is so different about petite women that we can't? Why must petite women (argueably the most perfectly proportioned humans ) be singled out as the only humans that MUST have a bike with 2 different sized wheels?
I find the name of the Terry Symmetry rather ironic myself.

As for toes touching the front wheel, I have probably had that with every bike i've ever owned and it's not a big problem to me. It's something you get used to. That goes right along with getting grease on my thighs and remembering not to brake too hard with the front wheel.

The biggest thing for me that i am going from a fairly comfortable hybrid with straight handlebars and crummy gearing to this great Bianchi which sings up hills and can charge across the flats but has these silly handlebars that really seem to be situated in the wrong place.

I really appreciate all the time that folks have given to this dilemma and I hope that I can return the favor often!

[SouthernBelle]

Does the tilt on her handlebars look too extreme to anybody else, or is it just me?

[farrellcollie]

My handlebars are tilted like that - bike shop did it when I took it back to see what could be done for neck pain.

[mimitabby]

Yeah, she's messed with the handlebars A LOT (the bike fit lady)

[Kathi]

My fitter charged $150, 2 years ago, for my refit. she checked my flexibility, spent a lot of time talking to me about my goals and type of riding.

However, even if you didn't pay for the fit she is trained by Serotta and is using the Serotta philosophy of fitting.

One tip from the Andy Pruitt book, on the hoods "your wrist should be in a neutral, handshake position as much as possible. If your wrist angles toward the thumb or little finger, you'll experience numbing nerve pressure"

In the picture your hands look like they're angling toward your thumbs. If you ride that way it could be the cause of your problem.

If you kept the same handlebars were they the right size? Also, was the new fork the same as the original?

Your position looks good, better than a lot of riders I see, you have a nice flat back, flat shoulders, not to stretched.

Andy Pruitt says reach is hard to dial in for any fitter because it is so personal, so I still say give it some time before you make any changes.

[mimitabby]

My fitter charged $150, 2 years ago, for my refit. she checked my flexibility, spent a lot of time talking to me about my goals and type of riding.

However, even if you didn't pay for the fit she is trained by Serotta and is using the Serotta philosophy of fitting.

One tip from the Andy Pruitt book, on the hoods "your wrist should be in a neutral, handshake position as much as possible. If your wrist angles toward the thumb or little finger, you'll experience numbing nerve pressure"

In the picture your hands look like they're angling toward your thumbs. If you ride that way it could be the cause of your problem.

If you kept the same handlebars were they the right size? Also, was the new fork the same as the original?

Your position looks good, better than a lot of riders I see, you have a nice flat back, flat shoulders, not to stretched.

Andy Pruitt says reach is hard to dial in for any fitter because it is so personal, so I still say give it some time before you make any changes.

Oh, Kathi, i PAID for the fit
thanks for the observation about where my wrists are bending. We went to a bike shop today and i sat on two WSG bikes (one was a specialized
the other a trek) and DH said i looked better on the Bianchi when I sat on the Specialized... (he wasn't watching when i climbed on to the trek)

I think my handlebars are too small. They are 36's and i would fit a 38... but i was afraid to Spend MORE $$$$$

Will do 20-25 miles on it today with DH at my side. He has a good critical eye.
Thanks Kathi, Knotted, SouthernBell and FarrelCollie!