Originally Posted by
Weakbikr
My suggestion would be to find a lbs and do a proper bike fitting. I'm sure there are people here that can get a view of you on your bike and likely get you pretty close. But I feel that a legitimate bike shop is going to be professional in their approach, and Im sure they will make you as comfortable as possible during the fitting. They will have the knowledge and know how to get your body in the right position on the bike. Or atleast as close as you can get it. I certainly understand your feelings about the extra pounds and the modesty. But I commend you for doing something about it. Dont let fear keep you from riding comfortably.
Thank you for your incredibly kind response.
I did go to an LBS. They put my bike up on a trainer and quickly assessed that it was too small for me. We went out on the floor and tried larger sized bikes to see which one would be good for me, but I made it clear I was not interested or able to purchase another just 2 weeks after getting this one.
After that, they kinda weren't interested in going over specifics. They just said to keep riding this one as best I could until I was ready to upgrade.
There is another LBS that does fits during the day, so maybe if I am off one day I may try again. I think I will still largely be expected to know things I'm still a little shaky on, like ideal position, etc, so til then I will just ride and keep figuring things out.
Today I did about 25 miles fasted (almost all of my long rides are always fasted), just randomly riding through town (I was not in the mood for our crowded MUP). The "rotated" bars were ok. My knees hurt a little now but it could just be from the time it took to do the ride and my general conditioning. They did not hurt while riding.
I had to scoot back pretty often on the seat but surprisingly it didnt start hurting till near the end......
Hands still get numb on and off but a little less so than normal.