Thinking of a road bike, steel? Touring?

[molasses85]

That half an inch is a big difference in bike fit, and the standover height is different as well, they should be considered in relationship with each other.. I had a 46cm LHT and the 42cm would have been too small for me. It will be very hard, however, to find a 42cm for you to test ride. The smaller the ride, the harder they are to find to test ride, sadly.

It is sad. I'm not comfortable with just going by numbers and order without trying.

Did he only raise the seat? That does change angles, so perhaps once the seat was raised that it needed to be adjusted to assure the proper knee-over-pedal position or perhaps the stem needed adjusting.

He did adjust the handlebar stem as high as it could go. Still it wasn't as comfy as the first time.

The LHT has a touring geometry so they aren't comparing apples and apples. Personally I dislike and cannot use drop bars (arthritic hands can't handle weight) but I can literally ride my flat bars all day long without pain and have been known to do so. Proper fit is so very important, and the important thing is to get what works best and feels best for you.

I am enjoying reading about your search, it reminds me of my most recent one when I was trying to decide between the Jamis Coda or a custom bike. I went custom for specific fit issues I have, but I do like Jamis bikes.

I would hate to invest in a drop bar bike if it doesn't work for me. From your experience and my first test of a Specialized Ruby (but not with the Synapse?), it sounds like I would not want all the weight on my hands. I just know with flat bars, I should have bar ends with the Ergon-type grips to help my hands.

Custom sure would be nice...unless there's a windfall, I'll have to wait until after my almost 10-year-old goes to college.

P.S. Glad I'm figured out the quote thing!