Bonjour from Montreal!

[Helene2013]

So far, the groups we have in the area are all too fast paced for me. Maybe one day when I get stronger (I'm just back into training from injuries) it may be something to look into. Time will tell.

[ny biker]

My current tires are 700x23. I know I can switch to 700x25, because last year I spoke to someone at the LBS who had measured the frame for another customer who had the same bike, to see if she could put 700x25 tires on it. However I could not go wider than 25. I think the issue (and what he measured) is the amount of space inside the forks. I would not need new wheels to make the switch.

It may be possible for you to use a wider tire than what you have now, just not as wide as the ones you asked about. And you would not necessarily need different wheels.

[Helene2013]

Thank you. I will check again. All I know (and I'm very limited in road cycling stuff...but it is improving slowly but surely) is that my wheels are American Classic 420 Aero 3 aluminium. It is written ERD700C 572. It says Rim depth 34mm. Tires are Vittoria ZaffiroPro 700x23c. I may also write to the rim maker if I can't find a safe answer. Husband thinks it may be possible, but when I asked LBS (it was more like hybrid tires then, for gravel trails - just out of curiousity) and he had said no.

[Crankin]

You can put the 25c tires on your wheels. They are not the same as tires for gravel roads.
I would go to another shop that has good experience fitting. There's no reason to be tied to the one you bought the bike at, especially since they are not treating you well. Read, read, and learn. It may well be that the Kuota is just not the frame for you.

[Helene2013]

Crankin,

I would not be ready to say they are not treating me well. On the contrary. I'm sure it's me who did not ask the "correct" questions before goint out of the store with that bike. I loved the look of the bike so much, I never thought of asking more. And they did tell me when I told them I was not sure about road bike handlebars, they could change it for me to flat ones if it made me feel better/safer, etc. Which they did, free of charge, like many other things they did for me. I think most of my "frustation" is why would the mechanic think that the bars may have been too narrow for me (which made it harder for a newbie to control the bike) and no one else noticed that!! This is what got to me. Note that I did not know much, but enough to question. My husband's LBS was ready to send me to Marinoni to have one customed to me. It would have come up to same price but wanted me to get a steel bike. I wanted carbon. Seriously....I did not need carbon bike that much. Just that hubby is drooling over his and he pushed me to carbon: lighter, smoother, blablabla. And the worst is to admit that hubby's LBS may have been right all along.

Last night I was having a discussion with him and told him I don't know anymore if I like riding it. I'm afraid. Afraid of what? Don't know. It's just I'm not sure I feel safe on it. Hard to explain I know...I'm confused myself. lol I don't get that "losing control" type of thing on my old 1992 hybrid. But then again you have to compare apples with apples. That hybrid probably weighs over 30 pounds. Totally different handling, etc.

My husband is asking what I fear on this bike. And the more I think about it...the more it is crazy as unfounded. They are too easy to get flat tires. I'm afraid of that. Last night, he went with his bike club and a girl had a flat tire. Every ride someone gets a flat (our roads are bad! - Seriously). So I tend to remain on bike paths. What's the point of having a "racer" bike if you're not speeding (and I mean cycling at a decent road bike speed), not wanting to be on roads heuh!

He said we should try to change my tires. But not to dream as 2mm wider won't make a huge difference. But it may be just enough to make me feel more secure on my bike as I would "feel" like having more grip on the ground, less air in the tires (now I have 110 psi), a smoother ride, etc.

Like hubby tells me: until you remove that mental blockage of yours out of your mind, no matter what type of bars or tires, you will be afraid. He's asked me: how many people have I seen lose control or fall while I was riding? NONE. So why worry. He's 100% right. He said I have to get out of my mind the way I have to "drive" my road bike vs old hybrid. 2 different things. And when I tell him I'll sell my Pink Lady and use my old hybrid he reminded me how sore I was from shoulder blades, knees, etc. Something I have not experienced with my Kuota. And again he's right.

So I may try the 25mm tires and if it does not do, then what? Change bike. Try to trade it with another bike at the shop? That would mean I'd probably lose 1/2 of what I paid. It's a lot of money. But I may have to bite the bullet and just swallow it all if it makes me enjoy riding. OR, I could just buy a trainer and use the bike on it, where I would feel 100% safe. Same end results for me.

Ahhhhh when your mind plays game with you.

[Crankin]

Helene, it seems like there is some anxiety surrounding riding for you; I can actually relate, and I've been riding a long time. Getting a flat is part of riding. Learn how to change a flat, and carry the appropriate tools, so even if it's hard, you have the tools and someone could help. Try visualizing yourself riding, carefree, down the road. Do some deep breathing before and as you start riding, and find a mantra to say to yourself while you are riding. In fact, I think we had a thread about mantras for riding somewhere.
I did find that the 25c tires made a difference in my feeling of stability; it doesn't seem like 2 cm would make a difference, but it did. In the end, you may have to find a different bike to feel comfortable. And stay away from shop guys and racer types that might push you in a direction that you don't want to go.

[OakLeaf]

It does take some time to get used to a bike that's less stable. That's completely normal. I still remember when I first got my race bike - which is more of a roadrace geometry, not as tight as a criterium bike. Even though I'd ridden tens of thousands of miles on diamond frame bikes, commuting, day riding, and touring loaded and solo all over the region - they'd all been relaxed frames. My race bike felt super twitchy to me, and it wasn't a good feeling at first. But I got used to it. And I grew to love the responsiveness. Give yourself a chance and you will, too.

Now, obviously I don't know how well this particular bike fits you, but if you're talking about all the discomfort you had on your old bike that you're not having on this one, that's a good sign that it fits you well. But, if your steering is extra twitchy because your stem is super short, then that could mean the frame is too big for you. Do you know how long the stem is? (Sometimes the stem dimensions are stamped on it, but that depends on the brand.)

As far as the handlebar width ... having bars of the right width is really important for comfort, but it could go either way as far as your feeling of control.

Are you keeping a nervous death-grip on the bars? That can make your movements jerky, and translate into a twitchy feeling.

Is there a rider skills class in your area that you can take? Those can be super helpful for learning your way around a new bike.

Anyway, good luck and welcome to TE!