Its done

So, Sunday was an awful day. I'm glad its over.
After causing some problems for myself, I ended up with some horrific stomach thing last night. I have no idea what was up. I didn't sleep any, so I stayed home until lunch and went to work. The aftermath lingers, but thankfully it seems to be over.

This afternoon I went down to Carytown Bicycles for my fitting. I sure wish I could live down there. Ok, I realize I could, but I don't see it happening for various reasons. I just like it down there.

The guy was nice enough.
The questions started
So, why are you here? Uh, cause I think my fit could be improved.
Any complaints then? Uh, no. Toes numb, fingers numb, but no real pain.
How much do you ride? Couple hours a week.

It was at this point I realized I was out of my element.

After I complained about toes, he took a look at my shoes. Said my cleats were too far forward, and I went through the story of how I could never clip in. He ended up telling me he loved these pedals, but agreed they took awhile to get use to clipping in.

On to the bike I went. First thing he did was raise the seat. Once I was on the bike and could see the mirror, I thought I was too low. He used a protractor to get my height right.

Then he pulled out the plumb bob to set my seat fore/aft. While all this was good, I can't say I noticed a ton of difference. May notice less fatigue on a ride tho.

Next we moved to the riding position, based on the handlebars. We got into the discussion of front end geometry. He explained I was really leaning too far forward and my arms were stiff. This would also account some for my hand getting numb as I couldn't hold my body in that position without my arms. And while the drops were usable, it was a real stretch.

So, while we can't change the head tube angle, you get to the stem. Problem is, my stem was as short as he likes to use, anything shorter makes the bike darty. So, out came compact handlebars. I can't quite explain the difference, but its quite dramatic. I guess the drop doesn't go as far forward before it comes down. Let me tell you, this made a huge difference. It was so much more comfortable. He also changed the angle on my stem.

So yeah, I bought the bars, but they weren't bad.

It only took about 30 minutes, which wasn't bad at all. They'll be installing the bars and doing a tune up on the bike. I think think the drive train is fine, it just needs adjusting.

I have no idea how much I'm in for, aside from the bars. But, I use my bike a fair amount so its worth it. Besides, I need to keep up with TG40.

They are very nice at the shop. They have a good manner and customer service. I didn't feel like an idiot. They don't have a ton of accessories, but it is probably a good move since you can order that stuff so cheap on the web.

Can't really make the call until a ride, but I think this is worthwhile. If you bought your bike from a shop with not so much service, this is worth considering.