Long story short, 4 years ago after riding my ex husband's waaay to big mountain bike to prove to myself (and him) that I would keep riding, I went out and bought a Cannondale cyclocross bike. At the time we lived out on dirt roads, I was terrified of traffic and there was no way, absolutely no way my shy introverted self was ever going to do organized events or group rides. Fast forward through a really ugly divorce and moving home to be around family, I'm still in love with riding but I've found that I prefer paved roads, local group events and now I don't think twice about riding 20-30 miles. I've signed up for a Bike MS charity event and I'm really hoping this will be my first 100 mile event.

But, I think the bike is just to big. After 3000 miles on it, I'm about out of small adjustment changes to make things work better. I know myself, I got this idea in my head and I wouldn't let the guy at the LBS talk me out of it. I wanted that bike and no amount of his "knowing better" was going to change my mind. I got a 50cm frame (which I've heard and found through searches that Cannondale recommends you size down for a cyclocross, meaning it would be like a 52cm frame) and I just think with my 5'3, 30 inch inseam, it's just to big. I could switch out the bars for something narrower, I could try a shorter stem to bring things closer and maybe shim my levers but am I just going to find after all of that work that it's just patching a sinking ship?

I have a decent component group now, Shimano 105, and any road bike in my price range is going to be lower than what I already have. Should I consider buying just a frame? I see there is an XS Look frame on the FS boards here, and just swap all of my current components to a new frame and then gradually update them as they start to wear out, or just buy an entry level road frame in the right size and upgrade in a few years? I'd really like it to be the last bike I buy until someday the kids are grown and I can afford a custom lugged frame. I guess I know just enough to be able to feel where I still have issues and I *think* I know how to fix it, but I don't know near enough about anything that matters to really make an educated decision.

Sorry for the novel!!!