Thank you for your reassurance. I was afraid you'd all say "If it's the right bike for you, then everything should feel comfortable immediately!"

Last weekend, we met with the fitter who took measurements and determined the best size bike for me. He also recommended narrower bars than what comes on the Roubaix (more like the Ruby dimensions). The fitter wants me to ride whatever bike I end up buying for a couple of hundred miles to adjust to the position before we do a complete professional fitting, since I am coming from an upright hybrid. I like that philosophy VERY much so when he suggested it, I was quick to agree.

Yesteday, The LBS owner did a quick fitting of me on the demo bike, on a trainer. He had already swapped the bars to the narrower size and it was ready for me when we got there. On the trainer, he changed the stem to shorten my reach just a bit, and tweaked the saddle and stem height.

I went for a short ride alone after we got home. I noticed a light rubbing sound as I rolled the bike toward the door, and when I spun the wheel it stopped on its own after a few revolutions (without applying the brakes). The demo bikes are assembled elsewhere and delivered to the shop upon request, so I know it wasn't assembled at the shop. Anyway I could hear the same noise as I rode it, and it was making me feel nervous since it is not my bike. I think I was concentrating on that noise and expecting perfection from this bike (I tend to do that with everything I spend a lot of money for...) so I was also focused on that, as well as my reach, as I rode. I also noticed, however, that the bike does absorb bumps very well, shifting is smooth, and is a very smooth ride.

This bike is also a MUCH better fit than that of my hybrid which is too big for me overall. So, I don't doubt that the overall fit of the bike is right. A few weeks ago, I briefly rode (around a parking lot) a 54 Ruby which felt too small -- it's the size equivalent of a 52 Roubaix -- so I don't think I need to go the WSD route with this bike and the fitter does not recommend it for me.

I know my back, shoulders, and core muscles are not strong, and I'm working on that. My back and neck are not flexible, and I'm working on that too. I tend to carry a lot of tension in my upper back, shoulders, and neck. So, I have a lot of work to do in this area. In addition to strength training of my shoulders and back, if I can get myself to just relax and lean forward a bit, and keep my elbows bent, I'll feel more comfortable.

KNOTTEDYET: You mentioned something that I have read elsewhere and seems counter-intuitive at first. That is, that moving the saddle back a bit relieves pressure on the hands. It seems that moving it back would place more pressure on the hands because the rider would need the hands more to balance the further reach. Can you explain that? I will try the test with the string and keys. The saddle might also be a tad too high so we'll adjust that too.

I really, really want to make this work! Thanks so much again for your reassurance.

Jen