I apologize for dragging this thread along. I considered posting in "fitting your bike" but I am not sure how Athena-friendly it would be.
I got a new saddle and seat post -- saddle is a random amazon brand with a split down the middle and seat post is a zipp service course.
I thought I'd finally nailed it but ended up unable to ride for a few days due to saddle bruising (sorry for the TMI). I tried to adjust the tilt up but was unsuccessful. I also felt like I was sliding forward a bit during the ride, but I had no idea how bad it was until I got home.
Today I was a little afraid of my current bike so I took out my "old" bike, a hybrid from 07 or so. It felt good. I feel bad for all the years I yearned for a road bike, because this thing felt like a dream compared to my "new" bike. I wish I hadve just slapped a drop bar, new shifters and brakes on it years ago like I wanted.
I also stopped at a bike shop and tried a 54 inch Fuji. Not a ton of standover clearance but it rode like my hybrid. I just took it for a quickie spin but it felt soo good...saddle felt great, everything. Component wise, that particular bike may not be for me, but it convinced me that the idea of a 54 for a 5'3'' woman isn't so crazy.
I have started to ride less and less due to how frustrating the 'new' bike is, and that is not great for my goals....
I am a lot faster on the hybrid as well....I am not very fast at all and it sucks being passed by people all the time but on the hybrid my pace was much higher than I've been able to manage on my road bike. The hybrid has regular platform pedals. I do have toe clips but I did not use them today. The road bike has dual sided SPD pedals.....I struggle with clipping in on one side but Im usually clipped in on the other and still not able to transfer a lot of power.
My current hybrid's specs are in inches: Seat Tube is 15.5 inches and Top Tube is 21 inches.
I really am at a loss. I love a lot about my "new" bike but I am running out of ideas to make it work.
Sorry for the length...just hoping there's some bit of information here that may help someone help me
Thanks for reading !