need your expert advise again

[aicabsolut]

Just slapping straight bars on a road bike isn't going to change your posture. It would be similar to just riding on the tops of your drop bars. You'd need to change the rest of the front end (stem height and angle). That could affect handling (for the good or not). It may be impossible for you to get sufficiently upright and still reach the bars, because of the road bike geometry.

It would be helpful if you could describe what you have trouble doing and why you feel uneasy on the road bike versus the other. Is it just the more responsive feel of the road bike, or do you feel unstable turning, or can you physically not relax for some reason (e.g., support your own weight over your seat)? Something else?

[Crankin]

Thanks for the advice; I have taken the Road 1 course. At this point it's mostly a confidence issue and fear. I think you've given Cyclechik good advice, too.
I'm one who generally avoids things that I know I'm not good at. Cycling has already pushed me far beyond a lot of my boundaries.
I guess that unless I get a cycling therapist, I have to work on this myself!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I think we all have fear boundaries- they just extend out to differing places for different people. Our fears are natural- they are there to protect us from going into harmful situations- whether rational or not.
I'm afraid of a lot of stuff. I handle it by never pushing myself way into my fear area, but rather doing very little pushes at a time to just nudge those boundaries further out.

Cyclechick-
the only thing I am 'channeling' from your somewhat nebulous balance problem description is this possibility:
Since you do well on your mtn bike, but have balance issues on your road bike- I am thinking that perhaps they put you on a bike that was maybe one size larger than ideal, and then 'fit' you to that bike by putting a short stem on. A short stem (like 5mm perhaps) will certainly produce wobbly balance issues. I had to find that out the hard way for myself. Is it wobbly on uphills in particular?- that was my symptom, and it was a bit scary when griding up a steep hill with traffic. I had to keep jerking my handlebars left and right in small increments constantly to stay upright when going slow speeds or uphill in particular. Constantly compensating my steering, as though I was a brand new rider. But it wasn't me- it was my short stem.
I know you said that an 'expert' fit you to your bike, BUT-
Often these experts are men who never have a problem with long top tube 'issues' like many women have, so they put the woman on the same bike they themselves would feel comfy on, based on her height and inseam. They forget that her arms might be shorter, so to address her sudden reach problem, they put a shorter stem on the bike. This can work fine if the frame is the right size and the new stem not too short, like 7mm. But if they were selling you a frame that was borderline too big (perhaps they had it in stock already and didn't think it was that vital to order a smaller one, figuring they could 'fit' you to it), then they'd have to use a too-short stem to make you comfortable with your reach- resulting in wobbly/twitchy steering. Is this something that sounds possible in your case?

I'm a firm believer that you can often fit a bike to you, but you should never be fit to a bike. What I guess I really mean is that too often people get the wrong sized frame and are convinced they can make it fit by merely swapping parts.

[Triskeliongirl]

Crankin, I think you are missing the point. Balance issue often are fit issues. Just because you have been professionally fit doesn't mean you were fit by someone that really understood the issue petite women face. Just because your body can comfortably reach the handlebars doesn't mean the bike will handle well. For example, if the stem and bars and are shortened rather than the top tube to improve reach, that can make the handling twitchy. I have ridden bikes that were so stable I could barely get them to turn (super high trail) as well as bikes with trails so small they were twitchy. I am the same person, yet depending on the the geometry of the bike, I too can have trouble taking my hands off the bars.

[SouthernBelle]

Do you have a poor sense of balance generally? Or is this a bike only problem??

[sundial]

CyclChyk, your post # is 666!

[GLC1968]

Trisk makes a really good point. While everyone has different body mechanics and coordination, the bike is a HUGE factor. And not just fit, either. From what I gather, the Bianchi 928 is a race bike. Words I've seen to describe it center on responsive, tight, quick...these words can also be translated into twitchy, wobbly and difficult to ride. While I'm not saying that you should buy a new bike (hardly!), because of the bike that you have, it might take more time than usual to get confidence on it. Don't sell yourself short, it might not be you!

A bike that is designed to be 'responsive' means that the slightest movement, and you are off your line. This may make learning to look behind you while on the road exceedingly difficult and frustrating. Does it mean that you can't? No, not at all. But it may take more time working on it and working on building balance muscles than just 'riding more' would do. Skills courses, core work, balance work (lifting weights while standing on wobble boards, etc) all contribute to building all the small muscles that often get neglected and that would be critical to getting confident on this bike.

I had a similiar experience. When I first started riding, I was convinced that my balance sucked because I was so uncoordinated on the bike. Funny thing was, I had excellent balance in other areas (gymnastics, ice skating, skiing, etc). I even did well and had much more confidence on my mountain bike. It wasn't until I got a different road bike that I realized that it wasn't me, it was that my bike wasn't the right one for me. I actually switched to a much more stable bike and while having the right fit made a huge difference, having confidence in my ability to control it, made biking fun again.

[Crankin]

I do value your advice, Trisk and Lisa, especially, since you know me personally! But, my balance issues didn't appear when I bought my road bike. I've had 4 road bikes in 6 years and until I am done with school, I am done, despite the fact my current frame was "free." My first two road bikes were 47 cm wsd bikes with very short top tubes. Both had 650 wheels. I didn't feel any different then. And I still feel like my head is flying off and I am going to veer across the road when I descend on my Jamis, with the flat bar and a 44 cm frame. I think some of it is my intense dislike of not feeling in control, which is what I feel once I am going faster than 28-30 mph.
I didn't even learn to ride until I was 10 years old. I couldn't stay upright. And don't even ask me about learning to drive; I'm fine now, but I'm glad I wasn't on the road in another car, when I was first driving! And come to think of it, if I am on a high bridge or in the left lane of a freeway, I don't do too well, either.

[Triskeliongirl]

Crankin, I honestly don't know what your personal issues are, but I can tell you that balance on a bike is critical, and the frame geometry can have a large impact on that.

Another example is how much of the riders weight is on the front vs rear of the bike (as Lisa pointed out). For example I ride a smaller framed bike than my height would predict, cuz I have long femurs so need the seat to be very far back (and need a very slack seat tube angle, <73) but then to feel balanced on the bike, I need a very short top tube (48-49cm!) which means a 24" front wheel to get a bike without TCO and with decent handling (i.e. I have a classic terry body).

My point is the original poster needs to consider all these things.

[Crankin]

I realize geometry is exceedingly important; it's just every time I buy a new bike or make a component change, I really don't feel any different... well, except for the new short reach bars and brifters. There isn't anything unusual about my arms and legs in terms of length of femurs, etc. I am in proportion for my size.
The person who fit me is one of the best in the state. It's true that he may not know everything about fitting a petite sized woman, but there are lots of other women my size who are very happy with their purchases from him. I guess next time I could go custom for about the same money as I spent on my current bike. Seven is right down the road.
In the mean time, I will keep working on my core. Despite my complaining, I have improved my skills a lot.

[malkin]

If the current ride isn't working, it's a fine enough plan to try something, and if that doesn't work, you can try something else.

[SouthernBelle]

I think some of it is my intense dislike of not feeling in control, which is what I feel once I am going faster than 28-30 mph.

Does this happen AFTER you look at your computer and go, "OMG!"? Take it off for a while. OR if you're a mileage junkie, put it where you can't see it when you ride. There are a couple of hills where I put my Garmin on screen 2 which doesn't display mph. That enables me to concentrate on what I'm doing rather than going, OMG!".

[Crankin]

Some of the time, yes, to answer your question, but I make myself NOT look at the computer mostly, when descending. I can pretty much very accurately tell you what speed I am going because I get "that feeling" without looking at the computer. I am better on straight descents (but what descents are straight?). Also, I am fine with turning left, but not right. For example, every time I leave my house, I have to go down the hill, which curves right. My husband routinely tucks in and is going 35-40. The only reason he slows down at times is because of the local x country ski team which uses the hill for practice on roller skis. Once I get to the top of the hill, which is right before the curve to the right, I just clam up. I actually squeeze the brakes so hard I stop in the middle of the road at times. For some reason, it's getting worse. I can't make myself get in the drops, even though I can reach them fine now and the braking action is much better. I tend to go down this hill at 15 to alleviate my fear. Yet, there are other places where I am fine, if it's not too curvy. Ha, you should have seen me on the 7 mile downhill in Austria. My husband was waiting like 15 minutes for me. I actually enjoyed the climbs more, despite the fact they were very tough.
I m sure you guys think I am nuts, but considering where I came from in terms of skills, I've come a long way. I even lead rides and just tell people I am a very cautious descender, feel free to pass me and wait at the bottom.
Trisk, I understand what you are saying about the geometry, but frankly, all that technical stuff gives me a headache. I do not feel competent enough to go into a shop and talk about it on more than a superficial level. i've read up on all of it, but I'll never be entering into a long discussion about it. I do know that I've never had toe overlap, though and I've always wondered what the deal was about it.
Sooo, in deference to CycleChik, I will end here. You gave her good advice. I'd be wary about the flat bar, too, because my hands do hurt when I ride my Jamis.

[Triskeliongirl]

Trisk, I understand what you are saying about the geometry, but frankly, all that technical stuff gives me a headache. I do not feel competent enough to go into a shop and talk about it on more than a superficial level. i've read up on all of it, but I'll never be entering into a long discussion about it. I do know that I've never had toe overlap, though and I've always wondered what the deal was about it.

The problem isn't toe overlap, the problem are the things they often do to prevent it. Bottom line, in simple non-techie terms, its a distinct possibility that you do not feel balanced on your bike because the frame is too long for you, so too much of your body weight is shifted too far back on the bike, making it difficult to control the front end.

[eclectic]

Trisk makes a really good point. While everyone has different body mechanics and coordination, the bike is a HUGE factor. And not just fit, either. From what I gather, the Bianchi 928 is a race bike. Words I've seen to describe it center on responsive, tight, quick...these words can also be translated into twitchy, wobbly and difficult to ride. While I'm not saying that you should buy a new bike (hardly!), because of the bike that you have, it might take more time than usual to get confidence on it. Don't sell yourself short, it might not be you!

A bike that is designed to be 'responsive' means that the slightest movement, and you are off your line. This may make learning to look behind you while on the road exceedingly difficult and frustrating. Does it mean that you can't? No, not at all. But it may take more time working on it and working on building balance muscles than just 'riding more' would do. Skills courses, core work, balance work (lifting weights while standing on wobble boards, etc) all contribute to building all the small muscles that often get neglected and that would be critical to getting confident on this bike.

I had a similiar experience. When I first started riding, I was convinced that my balance sucked because I was so uncoordinated on the bike. Funny thing was, I had excellent balance in other areas (gymnastics, ice skating, skiing, etc). I even did well and had much more confidence on my mountain bike. It wasn't until I got a different road bike that I realized that it wasn't me, it was that my bike wasn't the right one for me. I actually switched to a much more stable bike and while having the right fit made a huge difference, having confidence in my ability to control it, made biking fun again.

Very interesting read on all the views and opinions, I can relate to a lot of them.

when I decided to upgrade to an entry level road bike from a fat tired, leisure bike I tried the Specialized Dolce - it TERRIFIED ME it was quick and twitchy . . . I didn't feel stable or balanced on it at all.
I ended up buying a Specialized Sequoia. Solid and firm.

THEN we got to all the fit issues exactly how Bleeker St. girl described. I am a female who is very out of proportion, I can wear petite tops but need medium tall pants. I had to argue w/ my LBS guy to change out my stem to the shortest one available. Many problems solved.
I would go 43 mph down hills on it before reason would rule and I would start thinking about the worst case scenarios and slow down.

But it still took me over 1000 miles, a century and a week long tour on the Sequoia to feel truly comfortable.

But THEN I wanted an over all faster bike so I switched to the Specialize Ruby Expert last year. The bike fits me well but the learning curve has gone up.
I no longer go down hill at 43 mph but only at about 32 because the bike feels so light under me. I use a glasses mirror at all times because I don't trust myself to turn around and look. I can still reach down for water. I love the bike but I have less than 1000 miles on it and I just know it is going to take time for me to truly get comfortable with it. So for now I ride in my comfort zone and I don't draft too close.

You mentioned balance problems, just going from fat tire to skinny tire made a huge difference to me and took awhile to get used to.

My most stable postion is riding on the hoods. I go into the drops only when it is really windy out. I go on top when I want to stretch my back or ride w/ one hand.

I put aero bars on and although I love them they present whole new balance issues.

So to make a long story longer. IMHO if the bike fits properly , is set up properly, and is a fast road bike just by virtue of model, modify what you aren't comfortable w/ (helmet or handle bar mirrors instead of shoulder checking, camelback hydration instead of water bottle, etc) and ride w/i your comfort zone.

Putting a lot of miles on and riding w/ riders who push but not beyond your ability helps greatly.

moving from paths to streets - well that is a whole different ball game, I only ride in town long enough to get out of town. I have good skills, good balance, but I HATE riding in town where there are so many variables, kids, dogs on long, expandable leashes, drivers on cell phones, sun in their eyes . . .

Good luck and blessings that you can sort all the advice and find what works for you.