Am I over-reacting? (Longish)

Hi All,
Well, I'm upset. As some of you know, I recently started trying out different bikes so I can figure out which one I'm going to buy this coming spring. I have to really save up some money so I wanted to start now and make sure I get exactly what I want. BTW, you all have been absolutely fantastic in your encouragement and advice in the area. Thank you!!!
Anyway, I went to my LBS today and tried out the Specialized Tri Cross Sport, 52" frame. It was horrible. I mean, I know that I have like zero experience in riding and/or judging these types of bikes but I know what my body is comfortable with and this bike was not it. When I brought it back after about 7 mile ride (flat pavement, gravel, uphill and downhill) I told the guys that I didn't like it. They wanted to know why. I told them that it felt like I was riding a rock on wheels. It just wasnt' comfortable. It wasn't just the seat it was the whole thing. the front of it shimmied, a lot. It was so ridgid. I told them that I'd tried a cannondale a few times and that i liked how it felt except that it was too long in the back so I wanted something that felt comfortable liek the cannondale but wasn't as long. they didn't even listen to me!!!
I asked for suggestions, they said the tri cross. I asked about other brands they had that I could try out and they discouraged that and said tri cross.
I know that they are trying to make a sale but come on!!!!
My budget and the avaliability of bikes around here are limiting factors. If I'm going to travel 200 miles to a bike shop in a bigger city then I want an idea of what to look for.
It just ticked me off and upset me so much that I wanted to cry from frustration!
Am I wrong or overreacting?
Gray

what is the problem with long in the back? sorry if this has already been covered.

I had a very good shop owner/rider/racer build up my bike. I finally understood how much there was to a real fit. He fiddled with the saddle, the bars on and on.

Did these guys try to fit you onto the bike? adjust the saddle? head set? Plus vibration has to do with tires..the bigger the better for a ride and I'm told, too great fork stiffness means vibration.

Maybe you need to go back and demand that they adjust it for greater comfort? or maybe they're hopelessly lazy for being the only game in town?

In general a shorter wheelbase translates into twitchier handling. So by asking for the bike to be both shorter and more stable, it's sort of an impossibility. Not a total impossibility, but sort of.

Which is not to say that they should just blow you off. But if they don't carry any other bikes that might meet your requirements, then you're going to need to go elsewhere...

It sounds like they don't have enough different bikes in your size to let you really try out lots, and so they want to sell what they have. And being frustrated sounds like a reasonable reaction.

When I was trying out bikes, I went to all three shops in my town. The first two each had me try a bike, and that was pretty much it. The third had me try this bike, and then listened to my reaction, and had me try another. And then another. I went back and tried the first and another, and so forth. They had enough bikes in my size to let me try a steel bike, carbon, different levels of aluminum, men's sizing, women's sizing. They switched out seats so that I could use a women's specific seat with each.

And in the end, they sold me a bike that makes me smile every time I ride it.

I know it's really hard in smaller communities to find shops with enough bikes. I wish it were easier!

Grayson, it's going to take a whole lot more than one trip to one shop to get this right. Please understand that bike shops that sell certain brands are prohibited from selling other brands. This is definitely the case with Specialized.

You did a very good thing by taking the bike out for a 7 mile ride. Most people just toodle around the parking lot, but as you found out, you can get alot more information on a longer ride. You also are very wise to not fall for the sales tactics that some shops employ to clear their sales floor regardless of the appropriateness of the bike to the customer.

Since you have given yourself until the spring to figure this whole thing out (more kudos!), I really encourage you to work bike shop visits into whatever travels you have planned over the upcoming holidays and/or work trips. It seems like you will not get your dream bike at the one local shop, and all the stomping of feet will not change that. If you end up having to hit all the (good) shops in DC, then just consider that a part of getting the right bike. Even better, work it into a little vacation to the Nation's Capital. If you do go to DC, be sure to post on TE and I and others will give you some good advice on what shops to go to.

I'm suggesting DC because you are in West Virginia, which is not all that far from DC (people commute between WV and DC), but perhaps there's another city that is closer. In any case, I think you get the idea.

Start saving your money now and take your time to ride lots of bikes between now and the spring.

Are you only looking at cross bikes? No road bikes? What kind of riding do you plan to do? FWIW, I hate riding on gravel. I try my best to use my race bike and race tires (with luckily bombproof, non-racer type wheels) as an excuse to avoid gravel and off-roading at all costs. Last weekend, however, I had to follow the group over MILES of hilly gravel roads in WV. Banked, hilly turns were the scariest. I don't know what was going on. Is that how WV prepares for winter? Lots of paved roads had just gotten truckloads of loose gravel dumped on them. Sometimes, the gravel was really thick and hard to plow through. We came to some hard packed dirt for a while the next day with less gravel, and even though there were some washerboard sections and the occasional bad pothole, I really enjoyed the dirt over the thick gravel the day before. My bike handled it just fine, though my hands are recovering a bit from the vibration. Still, the gravel was not any worse than some of the chewed up paved stuff we rolled over in terms of pain factor around the thumbs.

Anyway, if you're going to be doing mostly road riding in the spring with bits of gravel and unpaved roads, a road bike could be just fine. It won't be good for slogging through mud and stuff where you'd want more brake clearance. You can also easily run slightly wider tires on a lot of road bikes if you want some more rough terrain stability. Just adjust your brakes so that you can get the wheels on and off if it's a tight fit.

You may be able to find a lot more options in your price range when you look at general road bikes versus cross.

Also, were you comparing the aluminum Tricross to an aluminum Cannondale? Specialized A1 aluminum or E5? The E5 frame might get you closer to a Cannondale feel, but if the problem is in the geometry, then the others are right: The bike will get twitchier feeling when the geometry is more aggressive such that the rear end feels more connected. The problem with front end twitchiness could have more to do with fit. Having a longer, lower stem will make the front end seem more stable. Having your weight centered properly on the bike with the right fit will also make you feel better.

You may also want to try some bikes out of your price range for now just to compare. For example, when I was looking at bikes, I tried some Treks. I hated how twitchy and uncomfortable they felt. I couldn't really explain it, but we didn't get a long. The shop put me out on a Madone that I couldn't afford, and I realized, ok, now we're getting somewhere. Then I went and looked for a manufacturer that made a frame that felt that good or better at a cheaper price point. In my case, geometry wasn't much of an issue, because I liked Specialized bikes that were more aggressive (Tarmac) and more relaxed (Roubaix) way better than the Trek bikes. I felt like it was more bang for the buck. You may feel like that with Cannondale. Or a totally different company. If you can't go to another shop for now, see what else they have in your size that you can sit on and try as much as you can. That should help you narrow down certain characteristics about each bike that you like and dislike.

You're in Morgantown, right? DC is like a 4-1/2 hour drive, Pittsburgh is the closest city. Unfortunately I don't know any LBSs there and I don't know if there's anyone on this board from Pbgh?

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Originally Posted by aicabsolut

Are you only looking at cross bikes? No road bikes? What kind of riding do you plan to do? FWIW, I hate riding on gravel. I try my best to use my race bike and race tires (with luckily bombproof, non-racer type wheels) as an excuse to avoid gravel and off-roading at all costs. Last weekend, however, I had to follow the group over MILES of hilly gravel roads in WV. Banked, hilly turns were the scariest. I don't know what was going on. Is that how WV prepares for winter? Lots of paved roads had just gotten truckloads of loose gravel dumped on them. Sometimes, the gravel was really thick and hard to plow through. We came to some hard packed dirt for a while the next day with less gravel, and even though there were some washerboard sections and the occasional bad pothole, I really enjoyed the dirt over the thick gravel the day before. My bike handled it just fine, though my hands are recovering a bit from the vibration. Still, the gravel was not any worse than some of the chewed up paved stuff we rolled over in terms of pain factor around the thumbs.

Anyway, if you're going to be doing mostly road riding in the spring with bits of gravel and unpaved roads, a road bike could be just fine. It won't be good for slogging through mud and stuff where you'd want more brake clearance. You can also easily run slightly wider tires on a lot of road bikes if you want some more rough terrain stability. Just adjust your brakes so that you can get the wheels on and off if it's a tight fit.

You may be able to find a lot more options in your price range when you look at general road bikes versus cross.

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Well, I was looking at cyclocross bikes because a lot of where I ride around here is some gravel, some crushed limestone, some straight out dirt, and some road. A lot of the time since there really aren't shoulders on these roads, I end up having to ride across some pretty rough terrain just to get off the road and out of the way of drivers. I was told that cyclocross would be good for that because I could put wider tires on and because of the brake clearance thing you mentioned. Because I'm planning on doing some pretty long distances too, (I'm working up to being able to do 100 miles a day) I wanted something comfortable. Again, cyclocross or touring was suggested.
That cannondale was great, felt great, responded great for what i put it through and I think i can talk the guy at the other LBS down a bit more in price which would be good.
I just got frustrated today with their attitude that that bike was the only bike they would even suggest. i asked them about bikes out of my price range that they had and I asked about road bikes in my price range that could be modified a bit and they still pushed the tri cross. They wouldn't even talk to me about it. I explained that I was just trying them out to see what I liked even if I couldn't buy it because of the price so that I would know what to look for. I just got frustrated. I know this is a process. I am really tempted by the cannondale thought. hehe.
Where were you in WV this weekend?
Gray

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

You're in Morgantown, right? DC is like a 4-1/2 hour drive, Pittsburgh is the closest city. Unfortunately I don't know any LBSs there and I don't know if there's anyone on this board from Pbgh?

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I'm going to Pittsburgh this weekend. There is a shop up there that carries mainly Trek, but also has some surly's and kona's available. I'm gonna try those too. If I don't find anything there, then I'll probably contact my cousin who lives outside of DC and ask her if she would help me find some shops in DC. If that doesn't work, then I'll jsut schedule another trip out to CO (not a hardship...I love it out there!!!) and go to one of those. You can't spit without hitting a bike shop in denver. haha.
Gray

there are a few people who can help you in DC. I highly recommend Proteus off of everything others have said. I've met all sorts who love the service there. I also like the Bike Pro Shop.

Hard packed dirt roads are not bad on skinny road tires, as long as they're graded (grated?). You have to slow down a little, but that can be an excuse to enjoy the ride :p... Gravel pretty much sucks though.

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Originally Posted by madscot13

there are a few people who can help you in DC. I highly recommend Proteus off of everything others have said. I've met all sorts who love the service there. I also like the Bike Pro Shop.

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If you go to DC and want to go to Proteus, let me know. It's about four miles east of DC in Maryland near the University of Maryland campus (still inside the Beltway). Bicycle Pro Shop has some nice bikes, but I find them rather snooty to he non-racing set like me (personal observation). There's also Capitol Hill Bikes, CityBikes, and Revolution (although I've found them a bit snooty, too, maybe because they are right next door to the Pro Shop).

You really can't go wrong with Proteus--great line of bikes (Orbea, Jamis, Kona), wonderful owner (Jill) who will never sell you a bike that is not right for you. I would drive the 3+ hours from my house if I were in the market for a new bike.

You said you wanted to build up to riding 100 miles a day. Can we assume that you want to do the occasional century (and not make 100 miles a daily habit!?)?

I like Bicycle Pro Shop, because they are my sponsor shop :). However, it took me a while to get to where I felt like the guys in there like me and are nice to me (other than the ones on my team). My first trip in there, I was not treated very well. That said, I have not seen that offending staff member since. They stock mostly Cannondale and Specialized in the lower price ranges. They also sell Time, Colnago, and some other things that escape me. Their Alexandria store sells Giant too, I think (but not Specialized at that store).

I found CityBikes (the one out in Chevy Chase, not Adams Morgan) to be very helpful for relative newbies, as you will be on this new type of bike. They may have more selection on the lower end too, but it will be predominantly Specialized still.

Now at Capitol Hill bikes, you could try out some sweet Bianchi cross bikes. Those are hot. Revolutions (several locations) is a Trek dealer.


I was in Mathias / Lost River City last weekend. A much shorter drive from DC.

I have a Kona Jake the Snake cyclocross bike. I bought it thinking I would ride on gravel and dirt with it (I'm mainly a mountain biker), and after a few rides even on a rail trail, I gave up that idea because my back, arms, and hands ached so badly from such a stiff ride. I love the bike and really enjoy riding it on the road with road tires. I don't regret buying it, but kind of wish someone had clued me in as to what a harsh ride not having any suspension can be!