Bianchi, Orbea, Giant, or Trek Road Bike?

[MauiRockHopper]

I'm 5'3 with a 29" inseam. What do you recommend? I want Shimano Ultegra gruppo or at least Shimano 105. Budget between $1000 - $2000.
Seems like all these brands have good women's specific designs, but wanted to hear any feedback out there. Are any of these brands harder for a local bike shop to work on or get parts for? Mahalo!

[drewkari]

I just got my road bike a month ago, so by all means I am not an expert. I test road a Trek, Bianchi and Jamis. I had narrowed it between the Bianchi and Jamis and ended up with the Jamis Xenith Comp Femme. I love it! It is lighter than the Bianchi which I love! I am also 5'3 and I have the 48 frame.

[Becky]

They're all good brands. The real question is, which bike feels best to you when you ride it? That's the one that you should buy.

Without seeing specific parts specs, it's hard to know about the parts availability or ease of repair/maintenance for a shop. Generally speaking, proprietary parts are often more difficult to locate or work on, especially if they require proprietary tools. Otherwise, bike parts are pretty standard as long as you (or your mechanic) pays attention to compatiability.

[alpinerabbit]

yeah watch out for the proprietary seatpost on the Madone. I don't know if it's on all models but that, plus trek's "package deal" only, is a downside. To me. Other than that it's the components and frame size that matter for me.

[Bluetree]

yeah watch out for the proprietary seatpost on the Madone.


Yeah, proprietary seatposts – and weird sizing – can be a pain. I'm dealing with that hassle right now... and it's something I poo-poo'd at when I bought my bike. Don't get me wrong, I love the bike... but it's still annoying. ;)

[luvmypwds]

I love my Trek! I haven't tried the other brands, but I can say that my WSD bike is an amazing fit. Of course, it helps that the LBS spent a lot of time making sure it is a perfect fit. I have no trouble with my seat, though it may have changed from last year (I have a 2009 Madone 5.2 WSD).

For the budget you stated, you may want to try the Trek 2.3 WSD. My good friend has a 2.3 (not WSD as he is a guy) and he LOVES it.

[Flur]

They are all good brands, but which one you get depends on which one feels right to you. The geometry will be different between the brands, and between different models in the same brand. IMHO getting the right bike size and geometry to fit you and your intended riding style (touring, commuting, road, mountain, etc) is the most important factor in buying a bike.

Since you've stated you want Shimano componentry the number of parts that you'll have to worry about as proprietary or hard to get are limited, so I wouldn't worry too much about that. Just pick the bike that feels the best to you when you ride it.

[MauiRockHopper]

Thanks for the tips, but the problem I'm faced with here in Hawaii is that hardly any LBS have WSD bikes in stock to try. Would trying a men's bike help to get a feel for the female version? Hoping the LBS carries 48-51cm bikes to even consider this comparison method.

How many of you have bought a bike unseen or untested?

I really am leaning towards the Orbea cuz it's so sexy :)

[luvmypwds]

For me, getting the WSD made a huge difference. My 54cm Trek is WAY more comfortable than my friend's 54cm Trek - mine is a WSD. I wasn't convinced at first, but now, I totally am. But you really have to try. I would not buy a road bike unseen and untried...unless it was something like a Seven where they build a custom bike fit just for you after a lengthy discovery process.

[Tokie]

I just bought a Trek WSD Madone 4.7. I race, and I love the stiff responsive ride it gives me, and it descends very nicely! My mechanic (free lance ) did tell me when I was looking to buy the only thing he would warn me off of was the small Orbeas (I ride a 48 trek) He said for some reason the smaller Orbeas were rather squirrely handling bikes. I must agree they are very nice looking bikes! I loved my Ruby before I crashed her. The ride was more cushy - I'm getting the seat stay repaired, and will use her when I go on long tours and as a backup bike. The Trek is a faster feeling bike. Have fun looking, and a test ride in your size is a must IMO. Tokie (ps I'm 5'1.5" with a 27 inch inseam)

[Zen]

Depending on your budget you could go custom Luna and be guaranteed the right fit.

[Meaux]

I have an Orbea Aqua Dama, it's all 105 equipped. I love her. It's been a great bike, shifts like butt-ah, rides like a dream. And it is the prettiest bike out there. :D

[greycoral]

I've got a Giant OCR1W, and I love it. It's at the lower end of your price range ($1150), and it's really the only bike that fit me well. I'm also 5'3".

[Miranda]

I've got a Giant OCR1W, and I love it. It's at the lower end of your price range ($1150), and it's really the only bike that fit me well. I'm also 5'3".

+1 Giant OCR1W

This is my bike too. I have the size "small". I think when I looked at the tech specs, that's about a 52. The top tube slopes down a bit more I think with it being a compact road sport, and a bit more upright geometry. I tried to straddle an end of year clearance Trek wsd Madone in a 52. I was on the bar. I'm 5'5", but only roughly a 29" inseam. I have short legs, and a long torso in proportion. Good bike for the price:).

[Jallora]

I just bought a 48 Orbea Onix Dama, and I don't find her squirrely at all. She's quite fast, nimble and stable at the same time. I haven't found anything about her that I'm not in love with. The only thing that's taking time to get used to is going from 3 chain rings to 2. And the only time I have problems there is figuring out which hills I can do in the large ring and which ones I need to switch to the small ring before I start up. There's nothing worse than having to go down a chain ring mid hill. Bleh!

[MauiRockHopper]

I just bought a 48 Orbea Onix Dama, and I don't find her squirrely at all. She's quite fast, nimble and stable at the same time. I haven't found anything about her that I'm not in love with. The only thing that's taking time to get used to is going from 3 chain rings to 2. And the only time I have problems there is figuring out which hills I can do in the large ring and which ones I need to switch to the small ring before I start up. There's nothing worse than having to go down a chain ring mid hill. Bleh!

Thanks for posting. How tall are you and your inseam? I still have the hots for Orbea. Did you try other bikes and how did they fare compared to Orbea?

[Jallora]

Thanks for posting. How tall are you and your inseam? I still have the hots for Orbea. Did you try other bikes and how did they fare compared to Orbea?

You're welcome. I'm 5'4.5". I always have to make sure I throw in that .5". LOL! My inseam is 29". I rode a 50 non WS bike, a Mercer Galaxy for several months. Not only was it too tall for me, but the reach was waaay too long. I made it work for hundreds of miles of riding though. I knew I was going to get a new bike, and I was trying to decide between an Orbea, Specialized and Giant. I road a lower end Specialized and Giant, but that was all. They were okay, but they weren't even close to the level I was planning on buying so I can't say it was a good comparison. My LBS was completely out of all WS bikes that were in the range I was looking for except for two left over Orbeas...a Diva and an Onix Dama. I was waiting for them to get in the new 2009 bikes so I could test ride them all and compare. Then they announced a fall special with 2 years no interest financing. They were still weeks away from getting in the new bikes, so I decided to try out the two Orbeas to see what I thought. I had not allowed myself to ride them before that because I was afraid I was going to fall in love and then they would be gone by the time the Christmas special came along...which was when I thought I was going to get my new bike. I rode the Diva first, and I have to say that I wasn't that impressed. The owner of my LBS said it's because it's a much racier bike than what I'm interested in and not as smooth of a ride. Then I rode the Onix Dama. I was in love. I knew that I should wait until I could ride them all, but I just loved the bike. Dawn, the owner of the LBS, said that the only bike I would probably like as much as that was the Ruby. They had a special breast cancer version of the Ruby coming out at the beginning of October, and that gave me pause for a little bit. But the price was going to be the same as the Onix Dama...and the components were two levels under the Onix Dama. It just didn't make sense. So I took my girl Minx home with me, and we've been tearing up the roads together since. No regrets at all.

[MauiRockHopper]

I've got a Giant OCR1W, and I love it. It's at the lower end of your price range ($1150), and it's really the only bike that fit me well. I'm also 5'3".

Ok, even though I hardly shopped around due to lack of choices on my island, I've narrowed down my choice to a Giant Avail Advanced 2. I rode a men's 52" bike and of course the top tube was too long. I'm still puzzled when bike shops never stock any WSD bikes, I guess we are a minority in sales! Anyhow, the bike guy seems to think I should get a Small, and that XS would be too small and cramped. What size did you end up getting?