Thanks for the comments & suggestions.


Just been for a 20 mile ride this morning to my favourite coffee shop in the Bay. Some observations on my first road bike ride in just short of 40 years:


1. The bike rides well and is definitely faster than my hybrid
2. The gearing at 52/42 front & 13-24 rear takes some getting used to after mostly mtb triple ring gears (luckily not too many hills on this route)
3. The down tube shifters work well but are not as convenient. I found I was changing gear much less than normal, perhaps not a bad thing.
4. Riding position, especially in the drops, leads to a bit more discomfort in the undercarriage because of sloping my body forward more. Need to experiment with saddle angle and/or saddle shape.
5. I estimate I was on the hoods around 80+% of the time.
6. Riding on the hoods in traffic I didn't feel fully confident of being able to brake quickly if needed.
7. Toe clips & straps are fine.
8. Must get some padded bar tape.
9. Neck pains from looking forward while in the drops quite bad. (Look at increasing stem height)


I'm not giving up on the mtb and hybrid, but will persevere for a while with this bike.