Originally Posted by
cyccommute
...a third issue...habit. People get "used" to the way a bike fits and have trouble changing.
Thanks for that. I would go as far as to say it is possible that a person can get used to a very ill-fitting bike, and feel like what most of us would call a 'good' fitting bike is uncomfortable.... kind of like when a casual cyclist expects to be able to put both feet flat on the ground when astride the saddle, and are uneasy with the suggestion that they should not be able to.
The way the OP described their attempts with different size and manufacturers, though, I don't think this is the case here.