Shortie Newbie ISO Cool Bike

[robyn_jl]

Hi All,

I've got this crazy urge to try out a triathlon, so I'm looking to buy an entry-level road bike, and would love some advice from those who have been there before! Once upon a time, I had a lovely Bianchi that I rode for 3 weeks until the day a good friend (and serious competitive triathlete) was hit by a truck while riding and plunged into a coma for months. She recovered, thank goodness, but I was temporarily mortified, and put my lovely bike in the garage to gather cobwebs only to later sell it for $10 to a very happy gear-freak.

So now I'm starting all over again and have discovered, gee, bikes have changed a lot!!! Which is good because I'm 5 feet tall (when I exaggerate a little) and they had to rig my Bianchi all kinds of ways to get it to fit me, and even then it really didn't. Now I've learned all about WSD bikes -- which are soooo cool -- and am aware of all the companies that make them.

Unfortunately I have had a hard time finding a good bike shop that seems to want to help, even though I'm in a major city. I even had one guy try to put me on a 50 cm bike!

Anyway, here's what its come down to: a Specialized Dolce Sport (Shimano Sora) which I like cause it's relatively iinexpensive and fit me pretty well in the 43 cm frame I finally dug up; a Cannondale R500 Feminine (Tiagra/105), which I like cause it's a pretty bike, but I can't stand the bike shop that sells them (major attitude); a Lemond Reno (Tiagra/105), which I haven't seen in person but I like the company and got a good "vibe" from the local Lemond dealer, who could special order and service a 45 cm for me; and a Bianchi Eros Donna (Campagnolo Mirage), which I think is just about the most gorgeous bike I've ever seen but I can't find in this area, though I could special order. I have also considered ordering a Terry Symmetry (but the different size wheels make me nervous) and/or Rodriguez Stellar.

Phew. I hope it's easier to ride the bike than it is to make a decision on one!

Any thoughts out there?

Many thanks!

Robyn

[oph4887]

I bought a Specialized Dolce Comp about 2 months ago and love it. The bike's
great and if I ever can get my feet to the point where I can clip out of the
pedal when I stop instead of falling to the ground everything will be fine!
Good luck, I struggled for several months before I bought one.

[spazzdog]

What city are you in/near? The girls on TE are from all over and they may be able to direct you to a good LBS.

I think that finding a shop with an experienced fitter would be very very important for a woman as petite as you infer you are. There are too many shops that might try to sell you what they want to sell rather than what you should be on.

I'm kinda long and lanky, ride a mens 52 or 53 frame depending on make and have learned over the years what 'feels' right. Womens frames make me feel a little cramped, but then I'm kinda shaped like a 15 yr old boy.

If I was little I'd definitely find a fitter, especially with all the womens specific stuff thats out now.

[robyn_jl]

Oh no, on the clips! I remember falling over with my ole Bianchi because I couldn't reach down to loosen the old-style cage clips. The so-called "clipless" shoes look equally error-prone, if a lot more efficient. I'll be joining you in the road rash club soon I'm sure!

As for where I am . . . in LA. It's pretty much dominated by Helen's Bike Shop, which I haven't had a good experience with. Supergo put me on the Dolce, which I appreciated (I only hesistated because I didn't feel "in love" and wondered if spending $200 more for Tiagra/105 is worth it?) and Beverly Hills Bike Shop is the very friendly Lemond dealer, but they weren't too savvy about WSD, although happy to order me anything. If anyone can steer me to a good salesperson or even a woman (I havent seen one yet working at a bike shop, unfortunately)in the area, I would be most grateful.

Thanks for the quick replies!

Robyn

[spazzdog]

Just watch the help flow in Robyn!

Good luck.

spazz

[cyclingnewbie]

I just went through the bike-hunt process, and I found that all the advice you read about finding a bike shop that will do a professional fit is completely lost on the bike shops! I have the opposite problem that you have; I need a big frame for long legs, but then the top tube gets too long. (I ended up with the saddle up higher and forward on a 58 cm frame and a shorter stem). Anyway, most bike shops gave me the "how-does-it-feel?" fit advice, thank you very much. Or, they blew me off as obviously not a "serious" rider. So do your research and learn some of the basic fit rules and then get as close as you can to those parameters. From there you can use the what-feels-best criteria. Even with the help of a bike shop, you still need to make the final decision and you will feel more confident if you know what you are doing. And, if you can afford it, try to get at least the 105 components; don't even consider Sora. Good luck! Let us know what you decide.

[Shimpie]

Well....LA is a big town. If you're dealing with Helen's Cycles, you must be on the West side. I've only had experience with a couple bike shops in the San Fernando Valley. I'll throw in my recommendation for Valley Bicycles. http://valleybicycles.com/site/intro.cfm They were very nice to me regarding some repairs and new pedals. They deal in Treks and Lemonds. I don't remember seing Specialized or Cannondales in the shop though.

Hey let me know what bike you finally decide upon. I'm a hair above 5 feet tall on a good day. I currently ride a 47 cm Trek 2000 WSD. It's aways good to know what works for others just as short as me. Any reason you ruled out Treks?

-Shimpie

[robyn_jl]

Shimpie wrote: "Any reason you ruled out Trek?"

I definitely didn't rule it out, but so far I haven't had much luck with it. The only Trek I actually tried was a Pilot 2.1 and I thought it felt too big for me and wasn't crazy about the higher-up position -- but the guy in the bike shop gave me the super hard sell, and that put a bad taste in my mouth ("Listen, this is probably the only bike in the world that is going to fit you with your short inseam, so I would just buy it now." Ugh). I did SEE a 1500WSD but the shop didn't have one in my size to try.

Mostly, since it's hard to find the small sizes in stock I've been going by the "tha-thump" looks factor -- and I just really like the looks of the Cannondales, Lemonds and Bianchis, but if I got on a Trek and loved the way it felt, I wouldn't say no!

Many thanks also for the shop recommendation. I wouldn't hesitate to drive over the hill to buy a bike, but it wouldn't make sense to have it serviced there. Since Beverly Hills Bike Shop offers lifetime tune-ups if you buy a bike there -- and they're close to me -- if I'm going to get a Lemond it probably would make sense to buy from them. But I will call Valley Cycles to see what they have in my size!

Happy riding,
Robyn

[annerol]

HI Robin,
How about Ted Ernst / Triathelete (spelling?) Zombies in Manhattan Beach? I am a newbie, and wanted to rent a road bike to see how it compared to my mb. Raul spent an hour fitting the bike, for a $100 one week rental. I purchased a new bike Friday night, and again was fitted carefully. Raul expects me to come in several times, as he says "we're not done yet". For him, it is all about the joy of riding, not sales. I don't see any financial gain for all the extra time he's giving me, he switches gears, stems, etc., until I'm comfortable. I am convinced his mission in life is to create bike-loving converts.
Their phone: (310) 318-5553 , I think ????
Anne

[Dirt Girl]

Last month I purchased the Bianchi Eros Donna. Love it! Especially the Campagnolo Mirage brakes / Mirage ErgoPower levers and shifters (they fit my hands!!). What a difference from anything else I tried in my price range. I'm 5'1", so I know how hard it is to find test ride bikes. I tried a larger size Eros just to get a feel for the ride before the shop ordered in the 44cm. Also like that the frame is steel.

I was about to settle for a two-year old Trek 2000 when I rode the Eros (thanks to a recommendation from the gals here!). The Trek was a good bike and was going to work fine. I likened it to dating a nice guy who has a lot going for him, but there isn't that special spark. Sparks flew when I got on the Eros! Listen to your gut and you'll know when you find "the one!"

Good luck and keep us posted.

[Crankin]

I have had 2 WSD bikes. I am 5 ft. 1" (barely). The first road bike I had was a Cannondale R500 47 cm. The levers still felt too far away and the shifting was never smooth, evn though my husband and son constantly worked on it. I now have a Trek 5200 and it is perfect. I am not sure why a lot of people get freaked out with the 650 tires. I have had no issues. My husband had a flat the other day and had a tube with a stem that was too short for his wheel. He used one of my 650 tubes (don't know how he got it in) and we continued to ride for another 30 miles.

[MomOnBike]

Don't bother with a bike that doesn't make you smile ear-to-ear. Life's too short to ride a bike you don't love.

[Dirt Girl]

I was able to ride a Dolce during my search. For me the fit and the ride of the Eros was much better than the Dolce. I found any steel bike I rode to be smoother than the aluminum ones. But everyone is different. Give as many bikes as possible a try to find what works best for YOU.

(I am, however, secretly hoping you get to try the Eros and love it!) :D

[trayc]

I just bought a road bike as I have been riding a hybrid. I am 5'1 so I had a hard time trying to find a small bike too. I was looking for a pre-owned(nicer than saying used and I don't have much money, LOL) road bike. I was so lucky that there is a guy in my small, small town that knows how to measure and fit people with bikes. He actually looked at and measured the angle of my hips, knees etc. etc. I ended up buying a kids bike(cannondale R500) but changed out the handlebar stem to a longer one. So,go into your bike stores and ask them how they measure to fit people for the right size bike. They should be able to do actual measurements to do that. I do know that there is an old Greg LeMond book that shows how to find out the right size bike. I know the book can be bought at amazon.com as I looked it up at one time. Good luck.

Tracey

[oldbikah]

I went thru the search for a smaller frame about 18 mos ago, thinking I needed a WSD since I am 5' 3 1/2 and shrinking! I tried the Specialized and the Trek and looked at several others. But, when I found the Litespeed Capella I was hooked. They make frames in a S, M, L etc and I ended up with the M with plenty of standover room. I put a shorter stem on and have been happy ever since. I did work with a good bike shop (and my son worked there as a mechanic). I believe the Capella has been replaced by the Vela or the one above it in the line. Check their website and you can see the geometry for each frame size. Good Luck!

[robyn_jl]

Oooh, that Litespeed looks super cool, but at close to $2,000 it's a big commitment! I figure if I really get into riding, in a few years I can do something like that . . . although I was also drooling over a custom Luna, which I saw on girlbike.com. Funny how I can dream of future bikes already!

I did find this really cool website where you can plug in a bunch of different measurements (it evens asks your for your hamstring flexbility!) and it pops out your correct frame size, top tube length, seat height, handlebar width etcetera. Check it out at www.wrenchscience.com

I doubt it's 100% but I came up as a being a 45cm frame size on that. (I think I got a little extra length in the top tube because I'm a bendy sort!)

Still on the hunt for an Eros Donna. I called Bianchi and the only store they knew of that had one is quite far away. (Guy on the phone: "It's worth driving because you will love it!") But I might see if one of the local shops will special order one without a commitment to buy. I might be dreaming but . . .

I also found an online bike shp in Oklahoma who will ship me a light blue 2005 Eros Donna for $1,050. It sounds like a good deal, but I'm nervous about buying sight unseen. Has anyone ever done that?

[Dirt Girl]

I also found an online bike shp in Oklahoma who will ship me a light blue 2005 Eros Donna for $1,050. It sounds like a good deal, but I'm nervous about buying sight unseen. Has anyone ever done that?

That is a decent price on the Eros, but I'd be really leary about buying unseen (and without riding it). Also, issues of maintenance and warranties are generally easier to deal with when buying local. That said, I do know people who have ordered bikes from Supergo and other online shops. Most have been happy with the purchase. And I bought my mountain bike from a local shop on faith as there were none around to test ride. We have a good relationship with the shop, so they would not have made me buy it unless I was happy with it. In fact, they ordered both a small and a medium just in case. I'm VERY happy with it, though MTB fit is a little easier to play with than the fit for a road bike.

I know, not much help at all.