My road bike does not fit. Help.

[xeney]

JuJu, from what I've read the seatpost with the most setback of any on the market is 35mm. We're already there, so we've maxed out that option. (And I can't reach the handlebars.)

I think this bike is going on the block. Damn.

ETA: yeah, I did check that one out ... it only has 25mm of offset, so it's actually less than what I have now.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

A bike being the "right size" has little to do with whether it FITS you well or not.
Any LBS person who sends you off with a new bike just because it's "your size" isn't doing their job. You could take 5 bikes that are all your "correct size" they will all fit you differently. You will have a different body position on each one. ONe might be a perfect fit and another might leave you in pain after a couple hours of riding. Yet you are told they are all "the right size". The right size often is just a beginning point in the search for a good fitting bike- it only refers to ONE measurement on a frame- the seat tube. It doesn't have much to do with angles or arm reach or handlebar width/height, and a dozen other factors. Happily, some of these factors can be changed on a bike, but others you can't do much about.
This is an interesting article on frame sizing (with some definite opinions):
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-sizing.html
It also has some good links on the bottom to other articles by other people.

[xeney]

Well, I didn't mean she said, "Yes, you're a 53," and pulled one off the shelf and sent me on my way. She had me sit on different bikes, she moved the seat around, she had me test ride.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Xeney, I didn't mean that was necessarily what happened in your case, but unfortunately I suspect it happens too often. I'm glad your person at least tried to get the fit right for you.

[xeney]

Well, I think we are giving up. The Ritchie stem is about equivalent to 8cm, with some rise. It is still way too far. More than 3cm too far. The bike does not fit me and we can't make it fit.

I'm going to take it to a shop that will sell it on consignment. I'm not shopping for a new bike right now, because I really can't afford anything nice, and I am not excited about paying nearly $2K for an aluminum bike, as I would have to do with a Terry. I am just going to cut my losses and try to learn to love my mountain bike.

Thank you, everybody, for your help.

[Triskeliongirl]

You don't need to spend 2,000 for an aluminum terry. I just bought a beautiful 2003 terry isis frame, reynolds 853 steel , never been built on ebay for $100. I am buying a carbon fork for it for $200 and then transferring the rest of the parts from another bike. Some shops may even still have the 2005 Isis left which was made in titanium (you could try phoning harris cyclery where I bought mine). If you watch ebay, steel Isis and symetries are always available at good prices. If you go to the buy/sell section of the terry website, you can also find folks selling older models. But don't give up. There is a road bike out there for you at reasonable cost.

[xeney]

I don't think I would feel okay buying a used bike at this point without test riding it and being fitted to it. Not even a Terry, because I looked at the geometry page and I am having a hard time seeing where the miracle is. Maybe I am visualizing it wrong. The Isis has a slightly different angle in the seat tube than the Veloce -- 74 vs. 75 -- but the other measurements are really similar. My current bike is right between the 19 and 20 inch Isis in terms of standover and seat tube length, and it is also right between them in every other area. The only measurement that is really different is the top tube length, which is obviously where I most need an adjustment, but it's only about an inch shorter, and that is not going to be anywhere close to enough.

I know you can't just go off the numbers, but I would really need to ride one, I think, which means I probably need to buy a new one. Unfortunately I have never seen a Terry in a used bike shop, and the Terry dealer here only stocks the tiny ones.