The test-riding saga continues . . .

Test-rode four more bikes this past weekend. I'm trying really hard not to rush this process, but sheesh! I want a new bike NOW!!! It makes it harder and harder to get on my 30+ pound, 10+ year old mountain bike after test riding carbon fiber road bikes all day.

At one LBS I test rode the Specialized Ruby in a 51cm. I felt really stretched and had a hard time reaching the shifters and brakes - a lot like last weekend's Cannondale (non-wsd) Synapse. It was uncomfortable and caused a bit of neck/shoulder pain. Then I got on a 50cm Felt F4 or F55 (can't remember which one). UGH!!! I should have turned around gone back after going a block, but I "toughed it out" hoping it would start to feel better later on. No luck. I felt like I was bent in half and had an even harder time with reach. LOTS of pain. As soon as I got back to the store I said, "Definitely not this one! I now know what I really DON'T like!" Everything else about the bike was nice (price, smooth ride even on bumpy pavement, etc.), but the fit was horrific. I felt a bit frustrated that I was told that all of the bikes I've been put on are the right size for me even though I feel like they are too big in the top tube, but I am trying to trust because I am still a real newbie and don't want to pretend I know more than the LBS employees who are trained in bike fit, etc.! He offered to order in a Cannondale Synapse Feminine (the wsd version of the one I tried last weekend) in the equivalent size of the 51cm Ruby. I asked how much of a difference in geometry there would be and he said not much, if any. I then asked if it was worth ordering since I already know the 51cm Ruby didn't feel good and he said something about how you need to try different bikes and most people "just know" when they are on the right bike for them. I'm going to be out of town the next two weekends, so I told him I'd call him if I decide I want him to place the order. I need to think on it.

So, on my 45 minute drive home I had some time to think. I decided to try another LBS closer to home. Since being there the last time and not getting great service as far as fit, I was told to ask for a specific employee if I ever went back and that he would know what he was doing and give me good customer service. Part of me wanted to go home and give up, but I kept driving and when I got to the LBS this specific employee was there and helped me out. He took quite a bit of time explaining fit, differences in bikes, etc. He got me on the trainer and did measurements. Then he had me test ride a Trek Pilot wsd equivalent-framed bike since they didn't have any Pilots in stock in my size. After that I test rode yet another Specialized Ruby, this time in the 48cm size. I took both out on a trail that has some good curves, climbing and descending - even got to dodge two snakes! I thought the Trek felt okay, but wasn't overly wowed. I didn't hurt though! Then I took the Ruby out and it felt great - WOW, what a difference! (except for that stupid saddle - my sit bones were really feeling that!) When I got back he set it up on the trainer and did some more adjustments with the stem and determined we'd need to swap it out if I decide to go with this bike.

So, here I am giving it more time. I don't want to jump the gun on anything. I'm wondering if I need to go back to the other LBS and insist on trying the bikes I rode before in smaller sizes even though when I brought it up before I was told that they wouldn't be right for me. Or do I just stop now that I've found one that feels good and go with it? This is a lot of money and I want this bike to last and last . . . I'm not looking to try this one out for a year or two and then upgrade. Bleh. Also, the guy at the other LBS took a lot of time with me and did take a few measurements and such on the trainer (about 4 measurements, so not as thorough as this other one), so I think I should at least pay a bike fit fee, right?

So, thanks for listening/reading. I'm just getting this out for now. I need to think on stuff some more. This is kind of like buying a house, except I can afford to be choosey and really get what I want in a bike!

Who knew this would be such a process! I've got to say that I'm learning tons though. I now know what feels good and what doesn't - the first day I test rode and was asked if it felt good, I said, I have no idea because I've never been on a road bike before so I don't know how it is supposed to feel!

Since the mentality of that first shop was if it fits your legs it's your size, I wouldn't go back there unless YOU KNEW exactly what bike you wanted and what size you needed.
The second shop has someone that actually understands that "one size" doesnt' fit all.

good luck

If you buy from the second shop you know you'll be able to continue going there and getting more fine tune fit adjustments with a smile. Plus, their bike felt better! Buying a bike lasts an hour. Fitting your bike, changing parts, and servicing your bike lasts years!

In defense of the first shop, he did take measurements and came up with stuff like hip and elbow angle, seat height, and some other things (I don't have the paper in front of me). So, it's not like he just did a "how tall are you . . . let's have you stand over this bike" thing. However, he didn't have any wsd bikes in stock on the day he did those initial measurements and took them on a non-wsd bike that I suspect might have been a tad to big to begin with. Also, I have shoulder/neck issues. I really think he thought he was giving me correct advice; I just didn't feel listened to when I said these bikes weren't feeling good and I thought maybe I needed a smaller size. To be told, these are the right size and not told that we could try anyway (just to appease me) struck me the wrong way. I have such a hard time trusting myself and how I feel anyway, that going into a place where I really know next to nothing put me in an odd spot.

That said, I do like that the second shop is much closer (8 miles round trip as opposed to 80). The only bike the two shops carry in common is the Ruby. So, unless I do decide on the Ruby, the decision will likely be made as to which shop carries the bike I want.

Decisions! Decisions!

Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate it. :)

Have you seen the book by Andy Pruitt? I think the title is "Andy Pruitt's Complete Medical Guide for Cyclists" or something.

Nearly the whole thing is about bike fit, and how to fit a bike based on the RIDER not on some ideal.

::Knot scurries off to find it on Amazon::

Edit: here's the book. I really like this book. http://www.amazon.com/Pruitts-Comple...8084335&sr=8-1

Oh, thanks! I just read the sample pages and it looks good. I'll stop by the bookstore tomorrow . . .