After fussing and fussing with the fit of my hybrid bike and never getting comfortable enough to ride it more than 5 miles in a shot, I have come to realize that the bike was wrong for me from the get-go. The handlebars are too high relative to the height of a seat. Lesson one: just because the seat can go low enough does not mean that the bike fits. If I angle the handbars down to lower them, the handlebars are then too far away, hurting both my rear and my hands when I ride. Lesson Two: The stated "size" of a bike is only part of the story, the effective top tube length is very important. No matter how I adjust my seat, up, down, forward, backward, angle up, angle down, the seat is uncomfortable. Lesson Three: A so called plush and wide comfort seat may be far more uncomfortable than a harder, narrower seat.

I was told my bike fit me fine. Here I was, an overweight woman in her fifties lookng for a cheap bike. They weren't much interested in me and they asked next to no questions about me or how I would ride. Lesson Four: Do your homework and don't trust the bike stores to help until you can speak their language.

Good luck on working out your issues.