My road bike does not fit. Help.

[Triskeliongirl]

I do have few very short stems (6.5 cm), but they are old quill stems that fit a 1" threaded stearer tube, and hold a 25.4 cm bar. If these are of any use to you please PM me. I know you can buy very laid back seatposts, but be careful they adjust to give enough downtilt for a brooks. I noticed when switching from a butterfly to a brooks that the saddle rails are angled differently, so I couldn't install my brooks on my selcolf superlaid back post, but could on my alpha Q pro carbon. I also noticed if you push the leather away from the rails, you can get the saddle back further. I think if you get a super laid back seatpost, a shorter stem and a shorter bar, you can make this bike rideable. Also, while its most effecient if you achieve KOPS,its not essential as many triathaletes prefer a more forward position. Just look next time for bikes with shallower seat tube angles. I think you would be a great candidate for a terry bike. While they are expensive new, they are often available for a good price on ebay, and the terry website has a buy/sell/trade section that might work for you.

[xeney]

Thank you for the offer -- I do need a threadless stem for this bike, though, and I think I will be okay with the 7cm stem and the Eva handlebars. That should buy me about another 3 cm in reach, which right now feels like what I need.

But I really can't use a Brooks on this bike, I don't think. We just had a little breakthrough -- we put a series of men's saddles on it, and with every one of them, we were able to easily get the saddle far back enough to put my knee in the proper position. And I can ride a men's saddle, I think, if it is the right one, because I have narrow sit bones ... lately I have been feeling like my Butterfly is too wide and squishy. The best was my husband's Selle Italia Flite Trans Am, but he says I can't have it because he is a very bad husband. I also liked a Selle Royal Sport okay in terms of length and width, but it was way too squishy. Still, I think I can find something that will work. Thank you for the encouragement!

[jenxxs]

Ditto the recommendation for the inline (cyclocross-style) brake levers, mounted on the flat part of the bars. They are an inexpensive solution (~$30-35) to helping with the reach problem, if you're not ready right now to trade in your bike.

My first road bike was much too big for me, but I was stuck with it for the charity ride that I signed up for because I had no time to deal with it. My LBS suggested the inline brakes, and they definitely saved the day for me.

Even though my new bike fits me very well, I'm actually going to get the inline brakes installed again. They're helpful on steep downhills, because I'm still not experienced enough riding in the drops, and my hands are on the small side even for Shimano short-reach levers.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Xeney, For what it's worth:
My Rivendell road bike came with a 9cm stem. I had to push my Brooks seat all the way forward on its rails to reach the hoods better, but after a month riding it I still felt too much weight on my hands, and could not ride in the drops at all. The height of the bike was good, as was the crank and seat height and my leg/back position.
Anyway, we switched the 9cm stem for a 5cm stem, and then moved the saddle BACK about a cm so that it was better centered on its rails. End result: handlebars 3 cm closer to me. The immediate difference was incredible- suddenly I could grab the brakes better, ride in the drops, and my weight now felt CENTERED over my whole body and my legs rather than falling forward on my hands. I no longer felt I was trying to hold myself up with my hands. Some people might say that such a short stem will affect my downhill speed and/or my front steering. But hey I just went 36 mph down a hill the other day no problem (i don't need to go faster than that!), I can ride down in the drops effortlessly now, can get my hands all around the brakes now, and I see no problem with my steering...been dodging rocks and gullies on gravel roads for a week now with no squirrels in sight. I am thrilled at riding so comfortable now. So that's my little stem story.

[xeney]

Argh. So frustrating. My new handlebars came -- the Salsa Short and Shallow bars -- and I think my husband must have measured the old ones wrong, because these are pretty much the same size as what I have. I'm not sure it's worth the swap.

And my 7cm stem did not come, even though I ordered it last week and paid for two-day shipping. Grrr. I have a ride planned on Sunday and I don't think I am going to be able to reach my handlebars. My husband wants me to start calling local bike shops tomorrow, but I don't know why they would suddenly have a 7cm stem in stock now when they didn't before.

My husband pointed out this week that I am faster on my single-speed mixte -- a twenty-year old bike that I have outfitted with fattish tires, very heavy racks, super upright cruiser bars, and a relatively low gear -- than I am on the Bianchi. Which is crazy; that's like being faster on a mountain bike than on your road bike. Tonight on a whim I had him check my knee position on the mixte to see how it fits me, and damned if my knee isn't right over the pedal where it's supposed to be. Guess there's something to that.

[jenxxs]

Another possible reason you might be faster on your singlespeed is the lower gearing. Esp. if your crank length on that bike is shorter than the 170 on your road bike (which does sound on the large side).

[xeney]

Nope, 170 on both. And I'm slow in ANY gear on the Bianchi.

[Triskeliongirl]

Xeney- do you know your cycling inseam. Without your measurements its hard to advise you, but here are a few quick options I found. If the problem is you need a really short top tube and shallow seat tube angle, the pre-2005 isis or symetry could do the trick. I attached specs which I believe are true for the 2001-2004 models (at least the frame geometry is, although the exact steel used, etc. may have changed in that period). The biggest difference was in 2005 when she went to a 2 x 650 wheel on the 19" instead of the 700c/24" combo, and increased the STA by 1 cm and top tube by 1.4 cm, effectively increasing the reach by an inch. So when I bought my 2005 titanium Isis I bought the 17.5" even though I could have fit the 19" based on my inseam. It means I have more exposed seatpost (5") and a taller stem. FYI, I am 5'4" tall, cycling inseam 30.5", long femured, short torso and arms. I just bought a 19" 2003 steel Isis that also works. On this page there are 2 used 19" symetries for sale. http://www.terrybicycles.com/trade/i...ml?browse=sell. I am sure if you contact the sellers you could get them for less than the asking price, and turn them around to sell if they don't work out. All the 2001-2005 bikes are 9spd, in 2006 she went to 10 spd. All the 2001-2004 bikes are steel, in 2005 Isis was done in titanium with carbon fork, and in 2006 she went to scandium with carbon seatstays and forks on many models. I also noticed on her sale page she has 2 bikes that may also suit you. http://www.terrybicycles.com/product...e&sc=BicyclesA 20" 2005 Isis. I would send her my measurements, and if she thinks the 20" will work for you, ask her to ship it to a bike shop of your choice for assembly under her plan where you can return it for only the cost of shipping if you are not happy with the fit. These bikes also are equipped with short reach bars, short stems, etc. I have a 2005 titanium Isis and it rides like a dream. They were just made for one year, 2005, but if this bikes fits you and/or you can find out for the cost of return shipping I think its worth a shot. My gut feeling from everything you have told is though, is that a 19" 2001-2004 Isis/Symetry will do the trick for you. Georgena has carbon forks on order that will work on those models (I am waiting for one for the frame I just bought) that will sell for $200 each, although you will need to also change the headset to threadless is you choose to upgrade the fork. But that could be something you do only if you are happy with the fit but want to lighten up the bike. FYI, yoy say you want to be professionally fitted, but I've been there, done that. Many 'professional' fitters still put women on bikes too big/long for them. It was only when I took responsibility for fitting myself that I was able to find bikes that work. That meant figureing out what I needed and then searching for frames with specs in a range that I could make them work with available stems, setposts, etc. Good luck and please let us know how it works out. -e

[Triskeliongirl]

One last thought. Be really careful when you compare the terry bikes to the Veloce. You said you have a Veloce. This bike has a sloping top tube so you have to sure to be comparing the virtual top tube which on the 53 cm is published as 53.5 w a 75 degree STA. The 20" Isis has a straight top tube of 50.8 cm w a 74 STA angle. The 1 cm shorter seat tube angle shortens the reach by 1 cm, so if you correct for that its like the tt were only 49.8. The seat tube on the veloce is a center to top measurement while terry measures center to center, so more informative is the standover height which is 30 on the veloce and 30.4. So if your inseam is >31.4 you could clear the top tube on the 20" terry and have a reach that is a 3.7 cm difference in reach, coupled with a short reach bar and short reach brake levers I think would do the trick. Given you can still get the 2005 titanium isis in 20" on the sale page, and return it if it doesn't work out, I think its win win. Also, be aware they will swap parts, so if you want a different width handlebar I know they will make the swap (they did this for me). Maybe you can even negoitate about the price since the 2007 bikes are coming in and that bike is a 2005, although in my opinion I'd rather a 2005 ti bike than a 2007 scandium.

[xeney]

Thank you so much for your help, but I really cannot possibly afford a 2005 Isis. They are still running over $2000 and that is way out of my budget, especially since my budget is zero. My husband is going to hang on to the Veloce (it will fit him if he swaps the stem for a 120mm one). I just spent over $300 trying to make the Veloce fit me and I am tapped out.

SadieKate, I am going to go to Rex for a fitting and when I can buy a bike next fall, I'll have something to go on. Thanks for the recommendations.

[SadieKate]

Sure thing! I hope we get to meet sometime. I'd even brave the American River Bike Path to do so. Might need some valium for it, but I could do it.

[Triskeliongirl]

You should be able to pick up a 2001-2004 symetry on ebay or at the terry buy/sell site for ~$300-400, so perhaps your best bet is to watch ebay for that. Look over the geometry charts to see if you prefer a 19" (73 degree STA w 49 cm top tube) or 20". I find going down a size is fine as long as you can get your saddle and bars high enough, cuz then you can use a longer stem for better handling. You can always turn them around at the terry site if they don't work out for you. There are 2, 19" bikes now at the webiste, yes their prices are high but maybe they'll negoitate if they aren't moving. I think the 2001-2003 isis and symetry in steel are just wonderful bikes.