Thanks for this thorough analysis. I will address raising the handlebars when I
have a little time over this long weekend. There is indeed a hexagonal ring bolt
which may move when I get a suitably sized key around it. I can also get the
seat forward a little, as it's on a sliding track with a bolt.

I don't think it's time yet to think of getting a new bike as the current one,
just a year old, is only now beginning to reveal its mysteries and
possibilities. I'm too ignorant and inexperienced to be able to judge a great
bike just yet. Until I know how to adjust everything and what can be adjusted
and what the effects of adjustment are, I'm not qualified to call Myrtille a bad
fit. I have no reason to suspect that she's too big for me as I am a tall (5'
8") and large-framed American woman and Myrtille is a French lady's bike. Also,
my job hasn't moved yet and may even decide not to move, so for the moment the
several hours of commuting a day are a possibility which I must envision and
prepare for, but by no means a certainty. Currently my trip to work is only 1.6
km and takes 10 minutes of road time.

I am planning a vacation in Cambridge, UK towards the end of July. Since this
will take me away from Myrtille and my beloved bike practise, I'm thinking of
hiring a bike while I'm there, so I can continue practising on the famous Backs.
(Cambridge as a city is entirely configured to bike traffic and it's a bit of an
irony that I didn't learn in the 13 years that I lived there!) That will also be
an opportunity to try other kinds of bikes. The person I'm staying with has a
Moulton, too, which I'm curious to try.

Elisa Roselli
Paris, France

Buck wrote:

A third and final option is to go out and buy a new bike. You are already
talking about spending several hours a day on it, so it should be fit to you
properly so it provides the greatest performance and comfort. A good shop
can fit you properly.

I am very partial to this last idea for you. You may find that many of the
difficulties you are having are a direct result of a poorly-fitting bicycle.
My first bike was way too big and it could be terrifying at times just
because I was too small to handle it properly. Fit is paramount, but having
the right bike for your type of riding is important as well. I would never
consider using my old Scwinn Panther (a classic cruiser bike from the
sixties) as a commuter. The riding position is all wrong for riding any
distances.