Thanks for all the responses, they are very helpful. I just set up the new Trek in my living room on a trainer and I am going to work with it for a few days/weeks.

One of the problems that I may not have emphasized enough in my earlier posts is my knee. My right knee has a bad case of "patella chromalasia" (sp?). It is caused by irritation under the kneecap. This pain was completely gone with the old bike setup, but returns with the new bike. I have isolated the pain to occuring when my seat is farther back (i.e. traditional bike fitting). The pain goes away with a "tri-esque" (to steal the phrase) position (i.e. seat forward). This is the case even with proper seat height. Maybe I just need to "break in" my knee to the rearward position? If the Trek *is* set up with traditional fitting, i.e. rearward saddle position, then the top tube/reach length is fine. The problem of the frame seeming too small only happens when my seat is forward.

So this leaves two options:

1. Ride the Trek like it was designed (seat back) and have a good fit on the bike.

2. Ride with my seat forward and get a longer stem.

3. Get rid of the bike and get a bike that is "too big" for me (like the Eros) and go back to how I had it before.

I have a few questions:

1. What is so wrong with my tri-style positioning? I could do centuries and feel good, fast, comfortable. I could race and do relatively well. Why should I be so motivated to get "fit right" if there wasn't a problem in the first place? If it ain't broke...why fix it?

2. Next question...what is the longest stem I can use without adversely affecting handling characteristics and weight distribution? I should note that on the Trek, *regardless of seat position,* I would still like a longer stem because out-of-saddle sprinting/climbing feels very cramped.

Thanks again for all the help...I am in a bit of a quandry...part of me wishes I would just have stuck with the Eros...it may not have been a light racing bike, but it got the job done and I had fun / got a good workout.

Bryan

PS - as someone said, turning at high speeds is much more responsive on the Trek, so maybe some of my unease is simply adjusting to the different handling characteristics of the racing bike vs. touring bike. On the Trek I feel wobbly, unstable and I don't really "trust" the bike.