fit opinions pleeeez

I am a test riding fool!

Today I went and rode 2 of the steel bikes I really liked the look and sound of: the Trek 520 and the Bianchi Volpe. Both are "touring" or less aggressive road bikes.

Let me just talk a little about it....and I would love your experienced responses....I wish I could talk a bunch of you with me on these rides!!!

The Trek is shiny and black + , has brakes that are easy to operate from the hoods, has bar end shifters and comes from a store i like and want to buy a bike from... and is made mostly in the US.
The reach was a little long. 54cm. I'd say I wanted it about 1-2" closer. But my guy told me they could put a different stem on, get it a little higher and closer. Therefore helping me sit a bit more upright and making the reach viable. He wants me to have a fitting so they could get all that stuff exactly right. Seat tube was 43.1. Standover is a sweet 27.4. Size 17".

The Volpe. size 44. Made in Taiwan. The reach was too close. It was 48.6. I felt OK with it, but I also felt like I was over the front wheel. Again, a longer stem would help rectify that. Seat tube was 44, SO was 28. The next size up had ZERO standover clearance. I didn't like the brakes, which were integrated with the shifters. They were soft and hard to use from a natural hand position. They are center pull. Also, it seems that locating an 07 in the nice "gang green" may be difficult..the 08 is an overdone metallic gold with way too many decals. I think it's ugy. The 07 is nice.

I did ride the Volpe over more varied terrain and for a little longer..I shot up a hill on it. It was fun.

SO...basically. If I were to pick one over the other, both would need stem tweaking...one is too long, the other too short. Both shops said it wouldn't be hard to get it right. Which tweak would you rather make?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by elk

I am a test riding fool!

Today I went and rode 2 of the steel bikes I really liked the look and sound of: the Trek 520 and the Bianchi Volpe. Both are "touring" or less aggressive road bikes.

Let me just talk a little about it....and I would love your experienced responses....I wish I could talk a bunch of you with me on these rides!!!

The Trek is shiny and black + , has brakes that are easy to operate from the hoods, has bar end shifters and comes from a store i like and want to buy a bike from... and is made mostly in the US.
The reach was a little long. 54cm. I'd say I wanted it about 1-2" closer. But my guy told me they could put a different stem on, get it a little higher and closer. Therefore helping me sit a bit more upright and making the reach viable. He wants me to have a fitting so they could get all that stuff exactly right. Seat tube was 43.1. Standover is a sweet 27.4. Size 17".

The Volpe. size 44. Made in Taiwan. The reach was too close. It was 48.6. I felt OK with it, but I also felt like I was over the front wheel. Again, a longer stem would help rectify that. Seat tube was 44, SO was 28. The next size up had ZERO standover clearance. I didn't like the brakes, which were integrated with the shifters. They were soft and hard to use from a natural hand position. They are center pull. Also, it seems that locating an 07 in the nice "gang green" may be difficult..the 08 is an overdone metallic gold with way too many decals. I think it's ugy. The 07 is nice.

I did ride the Volpe over more varied terrain and for a little longer..I shot up a hill on it. It was fun.

SO...basically. If I were to pick one over the other, both would need stem tweaking...one is too long, the other too short. Both shops said it wouldn't be hard to get it right. Which tweak would you rather make?

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Does the Trek come in a smaller size? It sounds to me that you'd need too short a stem if the reach is that much too long, no matter that the standover is right (it would be right in the next size down too). Too short a stem can lead to squirrely handling; you want your body to be properly balanced over the bike, and it sounds like the bike is just a little too long for you. If you need a stem shorter than 8 cm, chances are the bike is too big for you. Most bikes have stems 9-11 cm, and I've read that that is the optimum stem length for appropriate handling/balance on the bike.

It doesn't sound like the Volpe is going to work at all since the 44 is too small and the next size up doesn't offer you enough standover.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Emily

Yup, I'm afraid I'd keep looking, too!

Sounds like neither the Trek 520 nor the Volpe were spot-on.

If you found you like the bar-end shifters and the nice little simple brake levers, well hey, you learned something great from those two test rides!

I love my bar-end shifters, I love that I can flip my rear shifter to friction when the indexing gets messed up or when the mood strikes me. (it's friction right now) I love that the brake lever is *just* a brake and is small enough for my hands.

I'd see if the Trek 520 comes in a smaller size, too. I'd also go back and try the Surly Cross Check again. Then I'd track down a Surly Long Haul Trucker to try. (both do the bar-end shifter thing) Do you have an REI near you so you can try their steel touring bike? http://www.rei.com/product/744804 It doesn't have bar-end shifters, but ride lots of bikes including this one!

Also, and though this sounds nerdy, it is very important: keep a journal of your test rides! What you liked, what you didn't, what sizes and models you tried. Even what you thought of "minor" (but important!) things like color!

Nope that was the smallest Trek 520....
The REI bike I think is too big, But I like the look of it.

I'm REALLY confused about why a smaller Salsa, Surly or even a smaller Jamis wouldn't work?? The numbers seem good.... This guy was pretty canny about the numbers that would work for me....and they were "smaller than 48/ shorter than 52" and that was it. The Salsa and the Surly both fall into that category....so why would he say they wouldn't fit?

I think trying the Surly again is a good idea....especially now that I'll know how to ride it!!! It was the first road bike I tested...All I remember is liking the ride despite the fact that I wanted the bar to be higher....:p

I suppose the Kona is a possibility...but I'm not crazy about it...

and hey, I'm a writer...keeping a journal is so NOT doinky!!! And a great idea.

The smallest size of this may be too big for you, but see if you can take a look at one of these:
http://www.lemondbikes.com/bikes/cross/poprad.php

Looks like the 49 has an eff tt of 52.8... Not sure if that would do, but maybe worth a try if there's a shop around that carries them.

This is a cyclocross bike and has more relaxed geometry. It's also steel. I tried the 2006 model and was **this close** to buying it (actually had a deposit down on one but then decided I liked the Bianchi Axis a little better). I also tried the Volpe and the Lemond bike is much nimbler -- not only lighter but also quicker-handling. I know lots of people love the Volpe but it just felt heavy and sluggish to me. The 2006 Propad was about 21 lbs in my size, not bad for steel and probably 5 lbs lighter than the Volpe. It feels very light and the steel is buttery smooth and delicious feeling. Nice, balanced, quick handling too.

Just a suggestion :D .

Edit: Oy. The 2006 was around $1300 -- the one I was going to buy around Christmas was marked down to $1100 -- looks like the 2007 is quite a bit more expensive at $1600. Though I think they've upgraded some of the components...

Edit #2: Don't be scared off by the picture, they've set it up to look more like an aggressive road bike. The one I tried out was set up with the bars about even with the seat, and I think that is how you will find them set up at the shop. It's a pretty bike as well, the 2006 was a great pumpkin orange color. Frankly much prettier than the bike I ended up with, but sometimes we have to make compromises... ;)