I Think I Scored

[Mass. Wine Guy]

My wife and I were shopping around for new bikes. We hadn't ridden much for years. It's very confusing out there, given so many good brands and styles. We focused on hybrids because of the mix of paved roads, dirt trails and the like where we live (Ipswich, MA). No mountain biking.

She got a Marin San Raphael. I was having a tougher time until I tried a lot yesterday, including a Specialized Crossroads. To me, this stood out because it felt the most nimble and responsive, and seemed lighter than the rest. Also, I didn't want a front suspension fork.

I'd pretty much settled on this, but they wouldn't have my frame size for a month. I stopped back at a shop I visited a few days ago (another Specialized dealer) to see if they had one.

Leaning against the back wall was a Trek FX 3.1 someone just traded in toward a road bike. The manager suggested I try it, given my stated riding goals and the frame being my size. It felt very good, comfortable and responsive, so I bought it for $249. My only question is if I should put a longer stem in the handlebar to raise it up a bit so I can sit more upright.

[Painkiller]

"My only question is if I should put a longer stem in the handlebar to raise it up a bit so I can sit more upright."
I response to this, I would ask you to post some pics of what you have now. Up right sitting can be achieved in various ways such a stem, handlebars, seat position or any combination of one or more of these changes.

[GeorgeET]

Nice Bike....10-4 to what PK said. There are stem extenders or higher bars. IMO set the bike up and ride it for a while to determine what you need.
Photos are good.

BTW back in mid 80's I was Tech Dir. at the Crane Estate summer theater series. Great place to work, but unfortunately 18 hour days did not allow me to enjoy the estate. Julie Taymar directed. "Liberties Taken."

Great Place to live with Polo grounds a bit South. Winters you can keep. Loving it in Sunny California.

[cny-man]

What Painkiller and George said is correct but does not go quite far enough. The first thing one needs to do is set saddle position - everything else follows from that. A poor saddle position can affect both comfort and efficiency. Saddle position is not only height but also fore-aft and tilt, both of which can affect the feeling of being pitched or having to reach too far forward. Finally, saddle fore-aft is never set to change reach to the handlebars, but rather in conjunction with position relative to the pedals and frame.

Once that is done one can address the stem, but people's first inclination to raise it is not always the correct one. Stems also come in different lengths in the horizontal plane, so a shorter stem may be the correct solution (or a combination).

Also, too wide a bar can result in discomfort wrongly directed at the distance to the bars.