Trying to adjust to a road bike

[kat_h]

It sounds like you're dealing with a really great shop.

[aicabsolut]

Mine is an '06, Gerolsteiner team paint. I'd definitely go with expert or pro (or S-works ) if I could afford it, but the comp with 105/ultegra/fsa is doing pretty well. I changed saddle and bars. Just needs a race wheel upgrade.

Keep in mind that the Cannondale geometry will be pretty different from the Roubaix. Generally, I think people go down a size in Cannondale, but that's not written in stone or anything. It may mean you'd want a different stem or something though than with the other bike.

Something else to consider while you're testing this stuff out is handlebar width. if you've got 42-44cm men's bars on there, you may not feel as comfortable riding on the hoods as if you had 38cm or 40cm bars (mens or women's--though I think only women's bars come in 38). Bar width and the reach to the levers and all of that can affect how your shoulders and neck are feeling. It's usually more comfortable to be too wide rather than too narrow, and some people prefer a wide bar for climbing, but there's wide and then there's way too wide.

Sounds like you've got a fantastic shop!

[Becky]

Keep in mind that the Cannondale geometry will be pretty different from the Roubaix. Generally, I think people go down a size in Cannondale, but that's not written in stone or anything. It may mean you'd want a different stem or something though than with the other bike.

Absolutely! Fuji measures center to top to get the frame size, while Canny measures center to center (at least they did the last time I owned one). Bike sizes are just like clothing sizes- what fits in one brand won't necessarily fit in another brand. Stick with the actual frame measurements to compare, rather than sizes, and you'll be fine. It sounds like your shop is really taking this into account, and won't assume that you need the same size in both bikes.

[OakLeaf]

Sounds like your shop is taking care of you. But for the record, I actually went up a size from the 48 cm Ruby I demo'ed for three days, to the 50 cm Synapse Feminin I wound up buying. Specialized and Cannondale seem to size their WSD frames about the same, and it's just that the Ruby felt maybe a weedie bit small on me. For comparison, my old custom steel frame, without a sloping top tube, was a measured 47 cm c-to-c.

Is it the WSD Synapse you're trying, or the "men's" frame?

[Yen]

Yes, I think this is a great shop. They seem very conscientious about taking care of the customer.

The fitter (he doesn't work at the shop, he goes in to do fittings there) recommended narrower bars for me. This week we have a pair of top-'o-the-line C'dale Synapses, boy are they nice. I haven't had a chance to ride mine yet (53cm) because I've been at work, but I'll take it out tomorrow. Hubby already rode his today and said his reach was too far and his shoulders and neck were very uncomfortable. He's feelling a little disillusioned and wondering what other options he has if neither of these two very popular comfort-geometry road bikes can't be adjusted to set him up high enough. He rides an old Schwinn road bike (steel) and his angle is about 45 degrees and he looks very comfortable on it; he wants to be at the same angle on the new bike.

I told the fitter than I wonder if a WSD might be best for me to shorten my distance to the bars. Even if I do get more comfortable, I really don't want to be leaned over a lot -- I know this is heresy in the road bike world, but I enjoy being a little more upright (less than a hybrid, but more than a typical roadie) so I can relax and look around and wave at folks. I'm in this for the fun, fitness, and recreation with my husband -- I'm not competitive. We just want to be able to ride as far as we want, join group rides and not have to work so hard to keep up, and work up to some century rides. And we prefer a more upright position (my husband has an artificial shoulder and the other one will probably need one in a few years) for comfort.

The fitter strongly recommends against WSD for me. However, he also told my husband he wouldn't put on a 35 degree stem "because it doesn't look good". My husband told him he doesn't care how it looks, he just wants to feel comfortable. I hope we won't have to wrestle with him to get us as comfortable as we want to feel, regardless of how we look.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Maybe you should be on a touring bike which puts you in a more upright relaxed position (set up for long distance riding rather than speed) rather than a road (racing) bike.
And some people just like hybrids more than road bikes anyway.
Comfort is important, especially when you are not in your 20's anymore.

[Starfish]

+1 on checking out the touring bikes out there...