I bought my first road bike last August. I didn't know much about sizing then and the guy at the shop basically just did the hub test and didn't make any other adjustments. Well, over time I noticed that it was uncomfortable for me to ride in the standard road position and that it was more than me just having to get used to it. I learned about crank length and switched my cranks to a smaller size (165mm) and I thought that would help, but I am still uncomfortable and now my tendinitis is coming back in one of my knees.
I found the site
www.wrenchscience.com, measured myself and found out that the bike I have is way too big for me. I am 5 feet tall with a 27 inch inseam and the bike I have is a 2004 Specialized Allez XS which is a 50cm bike. I have standover room because Specialized uses a "compact" geometry, but the top tube and stem length is like 6-7 cm longer than it should be (yeah, I moved the seat far forward to compensate and found out that this could be negatively effecting my knees). Basically I found out that my size is somewhere around a 46cm (depending on how a bike company measures).
So, now I am pretty ticked off that I bought this bike and that the guy at the shop didn't even really help me out or adjust anything or even attempt to size me! It looks like if I want to continue enjoying this sport, I'll have to get something else. I'm just furious that I spent $ on a bike that doesn't fit!!!!!
Any thoughts or advice on this? Will continuing to ride a bike that doesn't fit be more likely to cause injury or strains?