so in other words, join the club of all of us cyclists who have a box with stems etc that were too long, too short, not angled right etc.
Yeah, I can see how that would happen. I am really glad though that I'm experiencing with this bike to get some more experience before buying something new. I feel like I am starting to understand what works for me and how my preferences might be different depending on the kind of riding I'm doing. All great stuff to keep in mind when upgrading to a new bike down the road.
With that said, I just came back from my Sunday morning ride, and I have to say I like my new setup more than I thought I would. My neck felt a lot better so I think I will keep this stem for a while and get some more rides in before I make the call. The Ergon grips were also great. I finally feel like I can rest my hands more naturally rather than gripping on to a round bar. Even though I bought the large size, I still wish they were a little bit bigger, but I think I can live with it.
I do not use padded shorts. Perhaps that's that is something I should look into. I need to do more research on different shorts though. I feel like just a little bit of padding would help a lot.
Also, you mentioned tires, that is definitely on my list of stuff to look into next, so let me know if you have any suggestions.