Commuting - Adjusting to a new bike

So this summer I've started to get into biking much more, and I commuted to work everyday on my 10-year old mountain bike hybrid - I'm 6'1", and it was an 18" frame, so suffice it to say the geometry was not ideal.

I finally took the plunge and bought myself a new Jamis Coda Sport (that I'm slowly in the process of accessorizing - got some Cascadia fenders, and I've been looking all over for some Serfas Stabilizer bar-ends for another hand position. I also want to get a rear rack, to give my poor back a rest).

The new bike is a 23", so it's a pretty huge difference. I don't feel too stretched out (especially since I've adjusted the stem angle up), and going by both the 109% and 0.883 fit methods, my seat height is okay - if anything, it should be higher, apparently...but it still feels a little bit weird. It seems like I'm over-extending, and I'm finding it a little bit difficult to find a really comfortable position on the saddle (a Selle San Marco Elba, which I absolutely loved on the too-small 19.5" Jamis Allegro I tried). I've moved the seat back a little bit on its rails, and angled it downward slightly, but it's still not 100%.

Just wondering how long it generally takes people to adjust to a new bike? Obviously part of the issue is that I'm commuting 6+ km each way, instead of going for a 10 minute test ride. Is the issue most likely to be one of the saddle itself, fit adjustments, or do I just need to ride it for a few more weeks and get my body used to the new bike?

Answers will be interesting. I have a co-worker who got a new bike after deciding to commute to work this spring. He hadn't ridden a bike in a looooooong time and the last one was a MTB. He ended up with a nice Trek 7.2 FX. He didn't do much comparison shopping, just bought the same make a friend of his had.

So he crashed once and had a couple close calls in 3 days of commuting (with a reliable ride buddy too!). He's now saying, and has said all along, that the bike doesn't "feel right." From what I can gather, the bike shop didn't measure him for the bike, just sat him on them and eyeballed it (even though I warned him about that...:50:). He says it's "too high" and it makes him nervous to get on and off the bike but claims it's the right fit. I was encouraging him to just get out and practice - he lives next to a good bike MUP (Burke-Gilman) which would be perfect practice away from vehicles. He looks nervous just thinking about the bike. He had 3 months of free adjustments and never used it to get his gears/brakes/fit adjusted. So now he's selling it and is going to get (so he says) a MTB and convert it for street use. :o

Is it the fit? The mental change of riding a different type of bike (not really that different) or perhaps a bit of fear...

BTW: I had no problem going from my MTB to street bike. Zero. It fit like a glove (good fit, good shop service, test ride after test ride before and after bike was bought).

That saddle sucks for any ride longer than 30min or so. It really put pressure in areas that i do not want pressure! I changed the saddle, handlebars, wheelset, crankset, pedals, cassette, and installed fenders and a rack.

There is not many parts on mine that are still stock. Not because they failed or anything, but i wanted lower gearing for touring, and the handlebar allows for a couple of hand positions, and is more fun for city riding. My wheelset was crap and i started breaking spokes, but i load down the bike quite heavaly sometimes.

So, since my setup is so different than yours it is hard to say how long it took to get used to it. After a couple of weeks and a weekend tour i realized that the handlebars and saddle had to go, and after that it was pretty comfy.

Here is mine, before i switched wheelset, crankset, and pedals....

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1024/1249737093_24b4217860_o.jpg

This is with the new wheelset, but stock cranks....

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3275/2783692011_3fd53605ca_b.jpg

isolate your issues and address them independently. yes, new bikes can feel weird for the first few rides, but "weird " should not be confused with painful.

your saddle could be uncomfortable b/c it's new and unfamiliar or because it sucks arse; time will tell on that one.

isolate your issues and address them independently. yes, new bikes can feel weird for the first few rides, but "weird " should not be confused with painful.

your saddle could be uncomfortable b/c it's new and unfamiliar or because it sucks arse; time will tell on that one.

That is a good point. Adjust things one at a time, and ride for at least 5-10 miles before deciding if it was a good adjustment and moving on.

I've only commuted a few days, but I went for a nice longer ride on the weekend and I'm really liking it. With the nose down a bit on the saddle, I don't find the pressure is an issue anymore. I think part of it may have been that I was used to wearing shorts during the summer, and the first few rides I did on this bike were in jeans, since the weather got a bit cooler. Also got some toe-clips, and some bar-ends (just some standard aluminium L-bends, but I wrapped them with bar tape so they're nice and cushy).

Definitely digging it.

I hopped back on my old bike to run a quick errand yesterday (since I didn't want to deal with getting all my locks/cables for my new bike), and it felt like a BMX...so much heavier and more cramped.