So, the bike doesn't fit. Damn.

[bcipam]

When I bought my Lemond in 2002, the shop had recommend a 53 but I went for the 51 as in the shop, it felt more comfortable. It took a year but I realized the 53 was a better fit. That said I have been riding the bike comfortably since then. It was a matter of a good fitting and then some adjustment of handlebar, seat position, pedals etc. and the bike has done me well. Thankfully I have now saved enough money to have a custom frame built but I still ride the Lemond.

I can't imagine the bike is so small it can't be adjusted. It doesn't take that much money - find a good fitter in your area and see what he can do. $150 for a fitting is much less than money for a new frame. And having a good fitting and the measurements will keep you from repeating your mistake.

Good luck with the problem... Loraura gave you excellent advice. Alot of what you are experiencing I believe just comes from lack of fitness. And I agree with a flat bar - unless you are biking mountain a flat bar is not good. I assume you are sitting very upright on your bike which is why you want a flat bar and a wide saddle. That positioning causes alot of the problem you are complaining of. There is a reason most roadies want to be bent forward at the waist. Using your core to support your weight will definitely take pressures off your hands and wrist. You are riding with your arms bent - correct? And wider saddles are not always better.

And yes Hybrids are generally cruiser bikes - for short easy distance but that is not to say you can't do a century on them. I've seen people do centuries on beach cruisers (hate them). I think as you train for your century alot of problems will go away.

[OakLeaf]

Trouble is that if the seat height is too high above the handlebars for her comfort, she's going to need a new fork to do much about that.

[bcipam]

"Lady, I can try to help you, but the bottom line is that that bike is too small for you."


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Just remember - a bike shop needs to sell bikes... if you came into me I would also tell you to buy another bike...

A good owner would have said "let's try and make this work for you... here's what I recommend for a stem, saddle etc..."

[bcipam]

3. What new bike would I even get?? I have a goal of doing my first century by Fall 2011. I mentioned this to my favorite repair shop and the guy told me I'd probably want a road bike. What I have is what he called a "flat-bar road bike". I've never ridden one of the curvy-bar kinds. Would I even want to? Also, can you take those on a crushed stone trail? I don't even like riding the one I have now on those trails; my thin tires slip all over and it's a lot of effort to stay upright. Would I need two bikes to do those? (So far this summer we've been staying on pavement, but we miss the trails and there are a lot more stone ones around here than paved.)


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I have both mountain bikes and road bikes. I would never think to take a road bike on a crushed gravel trail - not to say I haven't done centuries that involved "alternative" roads - such as the Tour de Tucson with its river crossings, but generally paved road - road bike, dirt, gravel etc., mountain bike.

You decide - what do you ride most? If gravel trails stay with a mountain style bike and not bother with a road bike. If you want to do a century I recommend for the ride, putting on road slicks so it is easier for you. You know by fall 2011, a rodad bike might fall in your lap. Just enjoy what you have now. Get out and ride and things will get easier.

[bcipam]

Trouble is that if the seat height is too high above the handlebars for her comfort, she's going to need a new fork to do much about that.

It might be an issue of a longer stem, putting the saddle back and lowering the risers. Most likely flexibility is also an issue - again a fitness issue that can be resolved.

[bcipam]

They sold you a 15? I'm not an expert, but if that is in inches, that puts you at 38.1 cm. Pretty small. A 17 would be 43.18. (Am I doing this right people? 2.54 cm = 1 inch, but I know measurements are based on some esoteric stuff I haven't figured out yet!)

!

Not certain it works that way. I am 5'8" and my mountain bikes are 17 and 17.5 and the road bikes are 51 and 54. The road bikes are just different geometry. The 51 has a much longer top tube, the 54 is shorter, more WSD. It really has to do with the bike's design and where the manufacture measures height. On some bikes I can ride a 56! A person say 5'3 - 5'6 would ride a 15 mountain bike.

I can't imagine the OP on a bike bigger than 15. A 17 would be way too tall! The most important measurement is actually length not height. If the OP can comfortably reach the shifters and brakes, then the bike is probably the right size. I would even think at 5'3" she might try a 13...

[OakLeaf]

Yeah, it really depends on geometry.

My custom road bike is a measured 47 cm c-c and a perfect fit. My off-the-shelf road bike is a nominal 50 cm, and probably pretty close to that center-to-top; a decent fit. My hybrid is 13" and definitely too big for me - even though it's a step-through frame and sold as a women's bike, it's not really built with a short reach.

[WolfGirl]

Hey gang, it's been a couple of weeks but work got crazy. Thank you so much for the suggestions and replies; going to go over them eagerly!

I did send Trek a letter regarding the whole issue. Heard nothing back. Called them this week, talked to the manager. He did give me some crap about it taking me two years to figure this out, and then offered $200 off a new FX 7.5. I basically told him that I really didn't feel that $200 was enough to counter a $1000+ mistake, when I didn't actually MAKE that mistake. He said he'd go talk to some high-up mucky-mucks. ....and then came back with $300 off.

I very politely told him to forget it, and that I would not be patronizing their brand in future.

So, now I'm not sure WHAT to do. Get a new bike? Just a frame? Try to get this one to work? Like I said, I'll go over the posts and gather all the nuggets of wisdom. Feeling pretty discouraged about the whole thing, not to mention extremely apprehensive about buying ANYTHING after this experience.

[WolfGirl]

How does the bike feel? Is it still bothering you?

I've hardly ridden since I started this thread, because of work craziness. However, my summer clinic is over, and so my boy and I will be biking a bunch for the next few weeks. When I have ridden recently, my hands (lower palm and heel) bother me a lot and quickly. The saddle thing (not really sitting on it) is also ever-present. I'm going to really evaluate over the next week or so, and try to figure out the next step.

[Cataboo]

I've hardly ridden since I started this thread, because of work craziness. However, my summer clinic is over, and so my boy and I will be biking a bunch for the next few weeks. When I have ridden recently, my hands (lower palm and heel) bother me a lot and quickly. The saddle thing (not really sitting on it) is also ever-present. I'm going to really evaluate over the next week or so, and try to figure out the next step.

take a pic of how your bike is set up now and post it so we can see. Better yet, take a picture of what you look like on it. It sounds like you're putting too much weight on your hands, which doesn't make me think your bike is too small - but I guess if your seat is a lot higher than your handlebars, you could be pitching forward with your weight on the handlebars. How upright are you when sitting on the bike?

I'd go get ergon grips for your hands for now. I rip all the padding out of my pearl izumi gloves because the padded gloves actually hurt my hands more.

I think you probably should be able to make that bike work for you - but lots of people outgrow their trek fx's fairly quickly, flat bars are hard to go the distance on.

[Cataboo]

I did send Trek a letter regarding the whole issue. Heard nothing back. Called them this week, talked to the manager. He did give me some crap about it taking me two years to figure this out, and then offered $200 off a new FX 7.5. I basically told him that I really didn't feel that $200 was enough to counter a $1000+ mistake, when I didn't actually MAKE that mistake. He said he'd go talk to some high-up mucky-mucks. ....and then came back with $300 off.

Well. Figure out what you can sell yours for. If that + $300 could get you a new trek fx that fits you... maybe take them up on that. The reality is that they're being fairly generous offering you $300 towards a new bike - when they really don't have to. yes, a bike shop fitted you wrong (we think maybe, according to another bike shop) ... but how much of that is trek's fault vs the bike shop that fitted you? and then there is the 2 years issue...

how many other things in life can we buy, have for 2 years, and then go back to the manufacturer to tell them that it really wasn't what we wanted and see if they'll give you a discount on a new one?

Did you try asking trek if they'd just give you a discounted frame?

[uforgot]

Oops. Edited because I repeated an earlier post of mine. Anyway, I've ridden both the 15" and the 17" many miles on the Katy Trail and they were both equally comfortable. I don't think it's as critical for a hybrid to fit perfectly. I spent months tweaking my Surly Cross Check to get it comfortable with the drop bars, but the hybrids...no time at all. Have you tried different stems? You can certainly get the bars higher with a stem with a larger angle on it.

I also think that Trek was very generous with the $300. The bike you have retailed for $789, and if you could sell it for half of what you paid, (that's generally what I've gotten on them), you are out only about $95. Frankly, I'm impressed that Trek offered it since the bike is 2 years old, and the fit was the responsibility of the shop and it was also your responsibility to let them know sooner that it wasn't comfortable.

I think you should post pictures, as suggested, because we have a lot of women who have been trained as fitters and I believe they can help you. I really think you can make that 15" work.