Wow! I thought this post had been rejected as I submitted it a couple of days ago.
THANK YOU to each of you who have taken the time to respond and share tips/suggestions.
I was considering a bike that, on paper, seemed to be a little shorter than others that I have tried. Once I went
to see it, it turned out to be a pretty good fit for me (given my limited knowledge).
I really wanted this one to be a drop bar bike...I'd looked for quite some time and finally happened upon something
that was a good fit for my body (so far) AND budget. I've read that Id need to get a new wheelset for almost any
road bike I bought so I didn't have a large budget to begin with.
I just got the bike a day ago and rode it home, but I count today as my first "actual" ride. I felt that I need to adjust the
seat height or fore/aft, not sure which just yet, but I am still getting used to the bike overall. I actually missed my hybrid
a little today--happily I still have many miles in my future with that one as well.
The crazy thing is, I found myself in that "standover" position a ton today. I still have to take lots and lots of breaks
during my rides, so I end up standing over it with both feet on the ground for a while. I can now lean on the hoods as
well so it is a nice bit of relief before pushing further. I dont seem to have sacrificed getting a better fitting bike to
have one that I can stand over. It is a litle snug from head tube to seat but not ridiculously so. I have definitely tried
more uncomfortable ones.
I will try clipping in soon--I only did that for a brief time a few years ago and ended up using toe clips instead.
Thanks again for all of your support!