Quote Originally Posted by Catrin View Post
I am not even attempting the drops right now, even on the trainer it is way too uncomfortable to get down that low and there are saddle issues in that position as well. I am just waiting to get the bare minimum of miles on this bike to get a full fitting done - the LBS I am going to requires a min. 150 miles before this - but then the fit is guaranteed for the life of the bike.
My thought: Don't make a judgement on the shifting until you get the fit right. If you aren't comfortable holding in the drops it's obvious why you'd be uncomfortable shifting down there.

Sounds like you have some pretty significant bar positioning/fit issues to work through and they are ABSOLUTELY effecting your comfort and ability to shift, no question.

Focusing on using your core (abs) to hold your body up on the bike (rather than your arms) will help in the long-run, especially if your goal is a lower/more aero position. But it does sound like your bars are too low and potentially too far out in front of you, especially for right now.

One thing you could potentially do is work on "moving" on the bike on the Trek you are more comfortable with. Ride one handed (both sides), try no handed, one handed and lean/bend over to reach something, reach for bottles, reach for imaginary bar-end shifters, sit straight up and stretch (that's way more advanced than it sounds, don't try to do that all at once!), etc. Balancing a bike while doing these things is a learned skill, and it's by no means easy.

You'll have to practice again when you transfer to the LHT because the bikes will handle differently, but you'll be more confident and it will come easier if you can already do it on the Trek.