need your expert advise again

[RolliePollie]

Very interesting thread! I'm glad I read it...like Crankin and Zen, I have balance issues in general. Last year I had to go to PT for an ankle injury and the therapist told me I have about the worst balance of any patient he's ever treated

A lot of my problem is in my head though. I can't stand up to pedal and at this point, I know it's only because I'm scared as I can easily do it on the trainer. Same with stopping...I have developed quite a complex about it. So I try to either avoid stopping whenever possible, or I'll look for a very slight side slope to the right so my left foot will be closer to the ground when I stop. Luckily there aren't any intersections with stop lights around here...just stop signs, and I run them whenever possible

Just like Crankin, most people probably don't notice me compensating for these things. But I know my balance and coordination issues are not getting better and I don't think it has anything to do with my bike's fit. I'm still somewhat of a newbie with just two seasons under my belt, but I've ridden 6,000 miles in those two seasons so I should be doing better on the basics. I think some people (i.e. me) are just uncoordinated by nature and can't do much about it.

I have never had a professional fit and I didn't get to test ride a WSD Madone in my size before I bought my new bike. But I am extremely comfortable on the new bike and I'm not having any pain issues. It feels SO much better than my old bike, which was too small and cramped. I'm all for changing things out if it makes a difference. If road handlebars were not comfortable for me, I'd change them. Why not try different things and find what works best!

[OakLeaf]

I think some people (i.e. me) are just uncoordinated by nature and can't do much about it.

Well some people are uncoordinated by nature, but balance comes from muscles and nerves, and it CAN be improved the same way strength and cardio fitness can be improved: by working on it in a focused way. I hope your PT gave you plenty of balance exercises and that you HAVE been able and continue to work on it!

This doesn't have a whole lot to do with this thread... but I always make sure to incorporate balance drills into my aerobics classes at least once a week. Start with your basic one-legged drills, with a handhold if necessary (google "senior fitness" or "fall prevention") and work up from there... I don't know if I'll ever be able to do squats standing on a stability ball as I've seen people do, but it certainly is a goal!

Balance is only beginning to be recognized in fitness culture. So often people neglect it until their lack of balance is actually life-threatening to them (which is why there's so much about it in senior fitness circles). I just read that Americans are the only people who sit down to put on our shoes! Once I read that I stopped doing it, for sure.

[Crankin]

OK, I'm breaking my statement with another post. Yes, balance can be improved. If mine hadn't improved, I wouldn't be doing what I am doing now. But it's still pretty awful compared to most people. In the course of my PT for other things, she did give me balance things to do, and I also did them with a trainer a few years go. I continue to do them at home. Yoga has helped, too.
This just brings up lots of bad childhood memories. I can't play any sport that requires eye hand coordination and I was always picked last for teams. Then, when I was 15, I flunked the physical fitness test which was basically balance and eye hand stuff, they put me in "flab lab." Nice name, huh? Especially since I weighed about 90 pounds. But, this is where I discovered that I was good at endurance activities because they had us run and do calisthenics instead of stupid basketball shots. Of course, I aced the running "test" which got me out of the class and then promptly flunked the skills test again, that had put me in remedial gym to begin with! My former gym teachers are rolling in their graves, because I doubt they could ever think I was an aerobics instructor and a ride leader.
I can put my shoes on standing up, but it's not easy...
PS. Thanks for the kind words, Lisa. I am pretty tough now, mostly because of cycling!