done lurking, time to post

[KnottedYet]

You say you moved the handlebars "forward". Farther away from the saddle, more toward the front wheel?

Can I ask why?

Because with neck pain and mid-back pain, I'd think the bars were either too low or too far forward.

I would think a 53cm should be pretty close to a good fit, depending on your proportions you can tweak things to make it suit your individual preferences and measurements. If you feel good on the bike, perhaps it just needs some tweaking to feel great!

Edit: there is a really good book that lots of TE'ers seem to use. Andy Pruitt's Complete Medical Guide for Cyclists. (or something like that, it's by Andy Pruitt.) He goes into some great detail on fit and fitting the bike to YOU and YOUR riding style, rather than to some ideal. He also has lists of ailments, and what might be causing them and what to try to fix them.