Fred61

Can I move my seat forward until I can reach the brake levers more easily and without stressing my neck so much when I ride? I have followed the infamous fore/aft position rule of front of knee over pedal axels but this seems to set the seat too far back for me. My bike shop set it this way from the beginning. It seems I have to lean my neck up way too much. Bike fit is a pain in the NECK!!!!

Will this effect my knees drastically?

Thanks for any experience or input on this.

Fred61

I mean reaching the top of the brake levers, not sprinting position.

LordOpie

I'm sorry to say that bike doesn't fit you... just guessing. It sounds like the top-tube is too long

You can move the saddle forward, but (typically) you wind up shifting more weight from your butt to your hands and they get numb.

If you bought the bike recently, go talk to the shop. If the stem is unusually long, they should swap it out for a shorter one and then it's all good. But if the stem ain't too long, then a shorter one will make handling a bit twitchy. In which case -- if you bought it new recently -- the shop should swap you out to a better fitting bike.

check this out -- https://peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm

PS: come hang out in the roadie forum.

Retro Grouch 

Measure from the top of your seat and the top of your handlebar to the floor. What's the difference between the two? I set up my bikes so that the difference is only one or two inches. Some people even set up their bikes so the two measurements are equal. Many new bikes come set up for the lean, flexible racer types with the handlebars 3 to 5 inches below the seat.

If your bike shop took the time to set it up with your knee over the pedal, I doubt your bike is grossly wrongly sized for you. There isn't a neat formula for handlebar height, however, so many shops just go with the bikes however they come. On most new road bikes flipping the stem over will raise your handlebars about 2 inches and also move them back towards you a little bit. That may be all that you need to do to solve your problem.

allgoo19

From what I see from your post, I'm guessing your neck pain is caused by aero position. If you are not used to drop handle bar, even holding the top of the bar position feel very awkward in the beginning. Try keeping all the settings, positions on the bicycle as it is now for a couple of weeks and ride as much as you can. You will probably get feeling better and better, you'll even want to experiment bending forward even further for feeling the difference in the amount of the wind resistance. It won't be too late to thinking about changing the saddle position if you still feel uncomfortable after two weeks.