Two Things I've realized this week

[Crankin]

Age has nothing to do with it. I am almost 59 and I am one of the youngest riders in the group I ride with.
As far as the numbers on the shifters. You don't need to know the number. It just begins to feel intuitive... I don't ever think, gee, I am in the 50-15 gear. I bet you know when you need to go to a lower or higher gear! So, maybe it's that you are getting confused about which way to push the shift levers. That just is practice and memory. Don't focus on what gear you're in, just how it feels. Start riding in the small ring (left side) and play around with the gears in the rear (right side). See how each one feels. Then do the same thing in the big ring. Do this on flat ground, so you can really feel the difference. When you get that, start making switches between the big and small ring on the front. Experiment with different combinations. You don't have to know what the numbers are, just how it feels. Eventually, it clicks.
There are people who give riding lessons; maybe you can find someone who is willing to help you.

[goldfinch]

The one issue you may have getting wider 650 tires is that there are very few choices available. My Madone with 650 wheels will not fit a tire wider than a 25. I found only one 25 tires in the 650 size. The Felt may be the same. If it happens to accept a tire as wide as a 28, Terry sells a 28.

Here is a link to the 650 tire in a 25 width. Not too expensive so worth trying: http://www.amazon.com/Panaracer-Pase...racer+650+x+25

[ny biker]

If I want to know what gear I'm in, I look down at the cassette.

I know several riders who are in their 60s and early 70s. They ride almost every day and do lots of touring. They have road bikes, but I think most of them have bikes that are designed more for touring than racing. in terms of things like frame material and tire width. They're not the fastest cyclists I know but they're great at maintaining a pace that will let them go on for miles.

[OakLeaf]

I think pinsonp nailed it. Age doesn't have anything to do with absolute strength or speed or flexibility (though individuals will lose a little over the years, most of the 70 year olds I ride with can leave me in the dust, too) - but age DOES affect our ability to adapt to new things. This is something I saw over and over again as a disability claimants' advocate, and it's even part of the statutory structure of disability eligibility. Ability to adapt starts to decline around age 45! And even though just like physical fitness, we can slow the process quite a bit by staying mentally fit, it still happens to all of us at some point and at some rate.

That said ... it depends on how much you WANT to learn to ride a road bike. You can do it if you want, I know that for sure without even knowing you, but there are some things you really have to want to do. You're the only one who knows whether you want it that badly.

As far as triple vs compact, many bike shops will swap drivetrain components out for you on a new bike for free or for just the difference in cost. Check before buying, since this isn't universal, but it's kind of one of the things that will let you know how customer-oriented a bike shop is.

[Crankin]

And this is why I'm an advocate of giving yourself lots of time to get used to a change. I am terrible with change that has to do with adapting to new mechanical or technical stuff, but this has nothing to do with age for me... I was ready to throw my custom bike in the garbage, if you remember last fall. I still feel a little shaky every time I get on it, but I have made myself ride it almost as much as my other bike, and I love it now. I just have to remember to push myself higher up on the saddle when I start, because of the geometry, after too many times of getting my shorts caught on the nose of the saddle! Yesterday I was on a longer ride with this bike, with my Trail Rider on the rack. That adds another dimension for me. Since I was with another AMC leader, as we were scouting a route for a future ride, I just made myself concentrate and not get too out of whack from the slightly different feeling. I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of him. Really, most of these things are in our heads and I use a lot of self talk to improve them.

[Custardcup1]

I think pinsonp nailed it. Age doesn't have anything to do with absolute strength or speed or flexibility (though individuals will lose a little over the years, most of the 70 year olds I ride with can leave me in the dust, too) - but age DOES affect our ability to adapt to new things. This is something I saw over and over again as a disability claimants' advocate, and it's even part of the statutory structure of disability eligibility. Ability to adapt starts to decline around age 45! And even though just like physical fitness, we can slow the process quite a bit by staying mentally fit, it still happens to all of us at some point and at some rate.

That said ... it depends on how much you WANT to learn to ride a road bike. You can do it if you want, I know that for sure without even knowing you, but there are some things you really have to want to do. You're the only one who knows whether you want it that badly.

As far as triple vs compact, many bike shops will swap drivetrain components out for you on a new bike for free or for just the difference in cost. Check before buying, since this isn't universal, but it's kind of one of the things that will let you know how customer-oriented a bike shop is.

O.K. I've decided I'm not giving up on the Felt yet. I took it to the lbs today (not where I bought it) but where I bought my Trek2, and they made some adjustments to the seat and most importantly to the brakes and the shifters. It seemed to make a big difference. Also, I am starting to practice shifting and using all the gears. I still feel like the bike is pretty squirrely, but I'm hoping I will get used to it now that it's not so difficult to shift.

[emily_in_nc]

O.K. I've decided I'm not giving up on the Felt yet. I took it to the lbs today (not where I bought it) but where I bought my Trek2, and they made some adjustments to the seat and most importantly to the brakes and the shifters. It seemed to make a big difference. Also, I am starting to practice shifting and using all the gears. I still feel like the bike is pretty squirrely, but I'm hoping I will get used to it now that it's not so difficult to shift.

Great! What everyone has said is so true. Heck, even if you grow to love and get totally used to your road bike, if you take months or years off from riding it, it's going to feel really strange and squirrely again when you do get back on, especially if you ride a mountain bike or cruiser bike in the interim. Our first ride on our Bike Fridays (which are road bikes with drop bars) in the US in August after riding only beach cruisers in Belize for a year was frightening at first! By the second ride, it was much more comfortable, and by the third, it felt like we'd never taken a break. So the adjustment period is shorter for a bike you've previously ridden and gotten comfortable on, but the first time; yeah...it takes time. I've gone from upright road bikes to tandems to a hybrid to a recumbent and back to road bikes, and each time, there's an adjustment period. I always think the road bike feels way too squirrely and scary at first. Until it doesn't.