Hi Swan, the Ladies on this forum offer a wealth of wisdom and knowledge so I'm not sure I can add anything valuable. I just want to encourage you to ride; but riding should not be painful. Riding in pain indicates to me that you should examine your riding position. Given your location challenges, a fitting may be too burdensome for you now, but optimally you would get a proper fitting done by experienced professionals to address your pain issues. One cause for saddle soreness is neglecting to engage your core while riding or slouching, another is sitting too forward. Could be other reasons but that's what a pro fitter can examine for you. That being said, I think many of us get saddle sore from time to time, even those with experience and those who work on their core. I do think it's worth looking into a fitting someday if you can find a quality shop to do it. Like pll described, it should take around 3 hours and it usually does cost around $275-ish. But it's at the fitting where you will tell the fitter about your issues and from there, he/she should work on alleviating those problem areas.

Same goes for your hands. Are you leaning forward and ON your hands when you are riding? A fitter would look at your riding position to see if you are leaning forward and show you how to properly position yourself.

As for tweaking elements on your own for now, try youtube. I saw one video that seems like a decent rudimentary self-fit for starters. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrZBj...eature=related), but there are plenty out there.

You should be able to get fitted for a bike that will keep you happy riding for a while as you discover your preferences. Many of us like upgrading elements along the way but it's not necessary at the start, just improvements for our rides as we learn and can afford upgrades.

Cycling is fun, and should be painless unless of course, it's self-inflicted pain from climbing hills