Fifty Plus (50+) - I'm taking the bike back...

Did my first ride.

Someone paved all the streets with silk.

15 mph winds felt like soft breezes.

Someone took all the bumps away.

Didn't miss my iPod.

Had not one, but TWO distaff cyclists wish me a pleasant afternoon at traffic lights.

Couldn't find the small hills that used to be in the neighborhood.

The only difference was the new bike, so...I'm taking it back. Nothing should be this good. :D

I'm not sure that you deserve this bike.

Hey Gary, Question if I may. How high are the bars over the saddle. That may be my next bike, it really looks good.

Had not one, but TWO distaff cyclists wish me a pleasant afternoon at traffic lights.
:D

Pictures. We need pictures, Digital.

If the pictures are impressive enough I may even consider buying a new store bought bike for myself. Nah, can't bring myself to owning a store bought bike.

Hey Gary, Question if I may. How high are the bars over the saddle. That may be my next bike, it really looks good.

They're about even, George. I do know they're as high as they can go with the stock stem, but I could buy a 100 or a 110 (if memory serves) and raise them even higher.

I still have a bit of tweaking to do, in terms of adjusting the handlebars in terms of how level they are with the ground, and positioning the saddle fore and aft. Everything is pretty close, but I still get a very slight hand pain (which goes away with a position change or a shake) and a slight numbness in one foot (again, went away momentarily).

Anyway, I think they're about even. I'll look later and make sure.

You can substitute the Ritchie adjustable stem or the Look Ergo stem for yours and fine tune the handlebar position to whatever you like. They are both going to add about a quarter lb to the overall bike weight but the adjustability comes with a price.

You may wish to read up a little on bike fit measurements and start a small log book on the positions that are more comfortable (say saddle height to ground minus bar height to ground) so that you can duplicate them later or know exactly how much change you make at any time.

You can position the hood angle by rotating the bar slightly but eventually a major change in that position requires a rewrap of the bar. On a road bike this will have a relatively large effect on the way your hands feel.