New here and introducting myself

Hi, I've been reading here and decided it was time to introduce myself!

I'm a 30-something at home mom and just started riding again last summer after about 5 yrs off my bike. My husband has been a pretty serious rider in charity events for over 6 yrs. Two yrs ago, our daughter was diagnosed with type one diabetes so that is where his focus has shifted. Up until last summer, I was content to be the wife on the sidelines; or not even at the event! Last year, he participated in two rides that support JDRF and the kids and I volunteered at aid stations. Last fall, I dug my walmart mountain bike out of the shed and started riding a few days a week with a couple friends. It was a blast! I committed myself to riding in a charity ride the following summer (was last weekend- 28 miles) All year, I told myself that if I stuck with it in the spring and completed the ride last weekend, I would look into getting a new bike. So I guess that's where I'm at! :)

We've done a little looking around. DH has a Trek Madone that he loves so we've looked at those. I loved my quick test ride of a Silque, but I know I need to shop around more. We've checked a couple local shops but are having a hard time finding anything above a base model in stock. Most of the advice I've gotten is to buy something I can "grow into" especially since I am not generally an "upgrader".

Riding for a cause sounds like such a cool thing. Good luck choosing a bike!

Congrats on the charity ride!!

I"m quite happy with my WSD Madone. The most important thing is to find a bike that is the right size and geometry for you. For that, I think testing a base model would be sufficient. You just wouldn't know how the bike feels with higher level components, e.g., if shifting is smoother or different wheels help you ride faster.

I think the Silque is a updated version of the Domane, which is a different frame from the Madone, built with a bit more comfort in mind. A male friend has a Domane and he does find that it handles differently when cornering compared to a more race-oriented bike, though he seems to like and rides it often. You might want to try a Madone as well as the Silque to see if they feel different to you.

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Originally Posted by merrysmom

Riding for a cause sounds like such a cool thing. Good luck choosing a bike!

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Thanks.

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Originally Posted by ny biker

Congrats on the charity ride!!

I"m quite happy with my WSD Madone. The most important thing is to find a bike that is the right size and geometry for you. For that, I think testing a base model would be sufficient. You just wouldn't know how the bike feels with higher level components, e.g., if shifting is smoother or different wheels help you ride faster.

I think the Silque is a updated version of the Domane, which is a different frame from the Madone, built with a bit more comfort in mind. A male friend has a Domane and he does find that it handles differently when cornering compared to a more race-oriented bike, though he seems to like and rides it often. You might want to try a Madone as well as the Silque to see if they feel different to you.

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I will have to try a Madone; our trip to the Trek store was spur of the moment and close to closing time, so we didn't spend a lot of time looking. I guess maybe base model wasn't exactly what I wanted to say. Other than the Trek store, no store has had any carbon women's bikes (DH thinks I should go with carbon). I'm not sure if I am a common or uncommon size but several stores have had a 44 and a 54 cm women's bike with nothing in stock in between. Based on the Trek and Jamis I have test rode, I am around a 50 cm at 5'4". Clearly, I have lots of trying out to do.

I had trouble finding carbon women's bikes to ride--our local stores don't keep a lot of bikes on the floor. I can't say that I blame them, but it did mean that I traveled outside of my town to find bikes to try.

I had a hard time finding women's carbon bikes to test ride. (Not that I'm in the market right now...) Most shops don't keep the higher-end WSD bikes around, period, or they have a limited pool of sizes to choose from. (I need a 51-54cm; no one has them.) The floor stock may be a matter of what they have lying around. Can you find aluminum in your size with the same geometry? I think you'd need a 48-50cm, depending on the manufacturer and your build. You might have to do a lot of driving around. Last time I wanted to test bikes I had my BF take me around to shops in Phoenix...

FWIW I'm 5'3 and my partner is 5'5 and the 50 Trek Madone 4.5 fits us both. She did not get the wsd version. I'd try both regular and wsd versions. In the end I got a Jamis because I like steel and in it I ride a 48 in the men's. My partner loves her Madone though.

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Originally Posted by roo4

I had trouble finding carbon women's bikes to ride--our local stores don't keep a lot of bikes on the floor. I can't say that I blame them, but it did mean that I traveled outside of my town to find bikes to try.

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Yeah, I think we are going to have to drive a bit further. The stores we checked are 20-40 min from us (what I consider local). I think we are going to have to branch out to Cincy which is closer to an hour.

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Originally Posted by Owlie

I had a hard time finding women's carbon bikes to test ride. (Not that I'm in the market right now...) Most shops don't keep the higher-end WSD bikes around, period, or they have a limited pool of sizes to choose from. (I need a 51-54cm; no one has them.) The floor stock may be a matter of what they have lying around. Can you find aluminum in your size with the same geometry? I think you'd need a 48-50cm, depending on the manufacturer and your build. You might have to do a lot of driving around. Last time I wanted to test bikes I had my BF take me around to shops in Phoenix...

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I'm definitely going to try some aluminum bikes. After looking at the bank account, that might be best for now.

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Originally Posted by thekarens

FWIW I'm 5'3 and my partner is 5'5 and the 50 Trek Madone 4.5 fits us both. She did not get the wsd version. I'd try both regular and wsd versions. In the end I got a Jamis because I like steel and in it I ride a 48 in the men's. My partner loves her Madone though.

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Thanks. How heavy is your Jamis? My current bike is steel and so heavy; I have a hard time wrapping my head around getting another steel bike.

There is some very light steel out there these days. My cyclocross bike is about 22.75lbs (steel frame and fork, disc brakes, thicker tires) without the pedals or bottle cages (we weighed it one day because we were bored); it's probably about 25 with everything because the pedals that I have on there are monsters. A friend has the road bike from the same company (before they totally changed the lineup) and it weighed about the same with fenders and platform pedals on it. It's not going to be high-end carbon-light, but don't discount it. It's a smoother ride than aluminum for a much nicer price than either carbon or titanium.