New at Tri Training...Discouraged about bike :(

[teawoman]

Also, if you have the courage, clipless pedals allow you to use the rest of your legs to spin more effectively.

Oooo...that does scare me. These are normal spiky pedals. I am as yet terribly klutzy and anything clippy would make it worse!

And 85 is by no means my average cadence...I can do that for a few blocks if the roads are flat and smooth.

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When you say "1", do you mean the largest or the smallest chainring?

1 is the smallest. On the back, it seems to be the reverse, i.e., 1 is the biggest and 7 the smallest. So I guess I am in pretty low gear already.

And on sizing: I have short legs, so my seat has to be low. When I ride this bike for over 1.5 hours, I find the reach to the handlebars tiring to my shoulders.

You guys are great! Thanks so much!