Hi Dogmama,

Thanks for the reply. You make some good points. Another idea I got from another forum I posted this on was the short stem length (since I am only 5'2", I need a short top tube and stem just to have a bike that fits me). So, it is probably a combination of smaller front wheel, narrow handlebars, shorter stem, narrower tires, etc. than the cruiser bike, which was probably way too big for me but fun to tool around on.

My bike is fine mechanically - no headset problems that I know of. It's only a bit over a year old.

The aerodynamics thing is a slight concern but not a big one - I'm not a racer. On the other hand, I want to go as fast as possible. But I also want to be able to climb out of the saddle! My husband has 40cm bars on his bike, and I tried them out (just standing over since his bike is too big for me), and they seemed fine; didn't feel "too wide". But a quick test like that is not the same as actually riding a bike with them.

Emily