Originally Posted by
morgothaod
I'll ride it a bit more to see how it makes my back and shoulders feel. The bike previous to this one was a comfort cruiser with a just about upright riding position. My initial impression after riding it for like 15 minutes is that I'm sitting really high and the bars are way too low and I feel like a giant on the bike. With my seat at the current height I barely touch the ground with my big toe pointing downwards.
reach to the ground from a seated position has NOTHING to do with how a bike fits. it's not a scooter, so your ability to reach the ground from the saddle is irrelevant. when you want to get off the bike, take one foot off the pedal, stand up, and shift your weight forward in front of the saddle.
as I noted above, neck and shoulder pain are likely the result of a saddle that is tilted down.
I think your frame is too small. as a bike frame size goes up, the head tube usually gets taller, and the frame gets longer. sometimes a longer bike is counter-intuitive, but it will likely fit better.
edit: that's the right size bike. something else is going on.