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My new Specialized Sectuer has arrived! It is pictured here with me, just before our maiden voyage. Isn't she beautiful? Navy Blue on white. I named her; what else... "Blue"

Have fun
Enjoy your new bike

Nice bike! Enjoy and be safe!

Interesting picture - Wide Angle equivalent on a digital camera?
You look big, the bike looks small. Probably an illusion.

Get out there and wear out the tires.
Have fun.

Looks good. Let us know how Blue rides.

Very nice! Enjoy.

Have to agree-Saddle needs to go up 4" and Flip the stem:innocent:

Then get in a couple of 50 milers up in the mountains and you might find a use for the "Old" bike.

Just remember that bikes need to be run in----Or rather you do. You will find lots of things that need adjusting so take it slow for a while.

Just get out and find those parts that need adjusting and enjoy.

Flip stem or not depending on the bar height you want, but definitely look into rotating the bars forward a few degrees. Those brake hoods look like they are reaching for the sky. :)

The hood angle depends on how teachme wants to ride it.

If he is going to spend most of his time on the flats and hoods, the angle as shown will be fine. If he is to ride on the drops a lot, then the hoods (not the bars) need to be dropped down a bit so they are easier to reach for braking.

Both Machka and I ride with bikes with hoods in positions not dissimilar to that.

Irrespective, nice looking bike. I really like the white/blue combination, and I am becoming more and more enamoured of the sculpted top tube on Specialized bikes (quite and achievement for someone who much prefers traditional horizontal top-tubes)

Interesting. I definitely spend most of my riding time on the flats and hoods, but prefer my hoods more forward so the approach to the hoods is level. Part of it is visual as I like to have the brake levers as close to vertical as possible. That just looks "right" to me. But as in most things, it comes down to what the bike owner prefers and what is comfortable to him/her.

Yes, there are other factors, too. Seat and bar height in relation to each other. TT and stem length. Back flexibility. Core strength. Wrist and hand issues. And seat (we are Brooks users so there is some influence there).

Thanks for the compliments... My LBS and I are working on adjusting and perfect fit; I need to get a couple hundred miles on it, then we will tighten her up. I see the point about the brake hoods, maybe a little forward rotation is in order, but its really comfortable like it is. Oh, and the saddle is perfect... The picture creates an optical allusion that makes me look like the jolly green giant. LOL! :lol: Although I am a clydesdale at 230 lbs.:giver:

When someone is still getting into cycling shape, and/or the saddle position relative to the crank is putting a lot of weight on the hands, having the hoods rotated up makes it easier to use the arm muscles to maintain position. But it's literally a crutch, and, once you gain strength, it becomes unnecessary - a flat transition to the hoods is what most people are looking for. It's easier to attain with some bars more than with others. I switched bars in part to get that smooth transition.