Bad decision on Felt s22 or not !!

How do you know it fits?

Just because your friend is a biker doesn't mean he can fit bikes.

If you aren't comfortable on the bike, my assertion is your bike doesn't fit you for the fitness you have now.

My suggestion is to get a professional bike fit and then make a decision what to do.

My first road bike was a felt s32, and although it took me a little while to get used to them, the bar end shifters soon became a non issue. I had a harder time getting used to riding in aero, but that was a conditioning issue, and i didn't have any issues sitting up and riding on the horns when I couldn't stay aero, or was riding in a group.

Is it just a matter of being nervous? is it being aero and not being able to brake that is the issue, or is it shifting on the bar ends while being on the horns? I find that i am able to stay mostly aero and still being able to do moderate braking.

How long have you been riding it? If it hasn't been too long, I would give it a bit more time. you might discover you enjoy being able to go from the smallest ring in the rear to the largest in one shift.

Edited by bufordt 2009-07-26 9:58 PM

I'd say you have an awesome bike...either sell it and buy a roadie that's more comfortable, or talk to the LBS about trading it in (knowing you won't get back what you paid for it).  I personally turned my roadie over and put aero bars, horns and bar end shifters on it. I can't really envision going back. But I got used to using the aero bars on drops before I did that change. If you can afford to get a roadie and throw some clip on aero's on it, you can get used to the position well enough that you'll want to stay there to shift. Or you'll hate it and you can sell off the tri bike. Either way, you should be in better position with the road bike or tri bike than the hybrid on race day (or training days for that matter).

Thanks for reply so far

As for the fit ,the friend that did has worked (previously)  in bike shops and does ride on an amateur team  he is also a DPT (doctor of pyhsical therapy) so we had all sorts of angles,plum bobs and "stuff' going on during fitting

I think the issue here ,as was pointed out, may be both my time in saddle and current conditioning so I am still at square one on what I may do as far as new bike ,modification of this or "suck it up" and learn to ride aero with more time in trainer

Thanks 

I vote for Suck It Up Buttercup. I think you'll love it soon enough.

If you don't learn to love it, is it a 56cm?

You can try to ride it some more to see if you get more comfortable with this setup. I personally don't care for it either, and thus my tri bike rarely sees the light of day. If I know it's going to be a technical or hilly course, the tri bike stays at home. So I ride my road bike 98% of the time.

Now, I will say it took me a good 200 miles (even after riding a road bike for 4 years!) to get use to riding my tri bike. It's a pretty odd position to be in, and yes the brakes being far away can be scary. I almost lost it one time when I flew into my "drops" to hit the brakes... only be completely surprised when I "dropped" into air. Scared me to death!

See if you can get use to riding in areo... if not... sell it and get a road bike. Do not try to convert the tri bike to a road bike.






Edited by KSH 2009-07-27 4:06 PM

I suggest he sends me the bike, let's me ride it for a season or two to see if there's something wrong with it. I'll send it back, I promise.

It takes a while to get used to the aerobars. Give yourself a couple hundred miles.

You are a self-proclaimed 'newbie' to cycling and your bike handling skills are not yet up to par.

It takes time to get used to a road bike, let alone a tri bike setup. The more you ride the better your bike handling skills will get.

I was initially suprised at how much I had to learn when I got my first road bike. I thought 'hey I can ride a bike, what's to learn?' Well, turns out you need to learn skills like climbing, cornering, holding a straight line, braking, and more. It also takes time getting used to the speed and responsiveness of a road bike, and the balance required is far different from a hybrid or mountain bike. Long-time cyclists may forget the time it takes to develop these skills, but you can clearly spot a newbie in any group ride as you can see them still learning these skills.

You went right from a hybrid to a tri bike, so there's a little more of a learning curve for you, but it's nowhere near insurmountable. As you develop better balance on the bike and improve your handling skills the distance from your aerobars to your brakes won't seem a problem, as you'll develop the confidence to handle anything that comes up. In the meantime, practice riding in a balanced position holding a nice straight line, and practice away from traffic that is unforgiving if you should wobble off your line.

Suggested drill - find a road with very light traffic. Practice riding right on the white line and keeping the bike exactly on the line. Start slow, don't worry about speed. Then progressively get faster until you can hold a straight line going at a decent pace. This will help improve balance.

Also, practice reaching to your brakes from a aero position. Again, do this away from any traffic. At first you might wobble but over time you'll develop the balance needed.

Thanks again  all are on target with their response

Bufordt  you are right on to suck it up---- it is a 56 by the way

Econnway  thanks for the insight where in Md are you