I think I have rather short arms and legs for my size, if anything, but I'm told by one that they are in proportion to my height. I agree the bike does look small, like a tiny clown bike, in the photo. It also looks small in person. But what can I say, it measures 16.5"-17" from top of seat tube to middle of bottom bracket. A 16" frame is supposed to fit a rider 4'9" to 5'6", while a 17" is about 5'2" to 5'8". And I double checked, I'm 5,4! So either should be a fit for me. The Specialized's top tube is about 19" long, which is only 1" shorter than my 20" Giant Cypress DX frame. The measurements of the bike, the exterior look of it and the feel riding it all seem to say different things; leaving me wondering whether the bike is a good size or not. Which is precisely why I started this query.
If I raise my seat, and the bars, and get Ergon grips, all that won't really change the amount of pressure of my hands against the grips, but I will do further experiments with seat height and try riser bars, etc. The YouTube video was helpful, thanks. What is called "arched" in the video, I call "hunched over". It's just way more bent forward than I want to be (it's why I can't stand riding road bikes!). I can see it's because the forward angle of the stem on the guy's bike. But knowing its good for the back, I will in the future try to adjust to a position in between upright and the bent over position shown in the video, and adjust so my elbows are a bit bent. I will have to somehow raise the handlebar to relieve the hand pressure, while adjusting elsewhere so that I pitch my upper torso forward even more than in the pic, while at the same time ensuring my knee is situated over the center of the pedal. I guess I'll see how well I can accomplish all this. I can install the Giant's riser bar which has an angled stem that gives a lot of xtra options, but I might not need a different stem. I can probably raise the present one, I just haven't tried yet. When I get a chance to experiment with adjusting (and test riding) the seat, bars, etc., I will take everything into account; thanks.
Last edited by TheCappucinoKid; 09-13-09 at 09:50 PM.