mstateglfr i sure do feel like I have a good understanding of fit at least for myself. As I adapt to the bike, I will move one spacer above the stem to get into a more aero position.
I am buying a new 700x25 tire for the Rear today. I felt the compound of the trainer in comparison to the front and decided not to do any more stunts on the thing until I change the tire.
as for the shifting, I pulled back the hoods and sprayed some bike lube into the mechanism, which fixed the issue after working the oil into there.
This is the first time I've ridden a bike with 1t cog differences in the rear cassette. Scary capable.
The frame is this bike just isn't designed for anything longer than 175mm. They don't feel to short according to my hip angle, but I do notice power loss when outputting higher watts particularly up hills. A bottom bracket of about 272mm and 180mm crank arms would sound ideal for me. I can totally ride 185 or even 190mm arms with sufficient bottom bracket clearance; spending more time with them concludes that something between 177.5-182.5mm would be most ideal for me.