Need advise on 2 bikes

Hey all =)

I am trying to get myself a new bike. I want to upgrade my comfort hybrid into a womens performance hybrid bike. I had a really bad experience at my LBS 1st bike was a guys Giant Escape 3 small frame guy at the shop said I "looked" good on the bike. My body begged to differ the next day I could not move . We exchanged the bike for an XS Alight 2. Again he said I looked good on it. Yesterday was the 1st chance I had time to take it out and I was struggling to make contact with the pedal - its like my right foot could not find the pedal. If that makes sense. I rode almost 4miles and got this intense pain that felt like a band on my upper thigh that wrapped around to the back of my leg. I took the bike back in they looked at me then the bike and said it looks good. Not me actually in the bike. They showed me other bikes and i was not interested. Especially after the last two bikes I lost my trust in them. I got them to refund my $ but had to pay a 10% restock fee which was unfair. Better than 20% restock though!!

Anyways looking at two bikes

Trek 7.2 FX WSD
or
Specialized Vita 2015 - the shop that sells this one throws in a fitting with the purchase of the bike. Which is definitely a PLUS

Any suggestions on either bike?

I am a daily commuter 7-10miles 5x a week. I like to go on the towpaths on the weekends. I am 5ft tall.

I just spent three months riding and re-riding those same bikes. I ended up with the Alight 2, and I love it, but I'm much taller. They all felt almost equally good to me, though, so in the end I went with the shop I liked best.

I did have a super weird experience at one shop where I rode the Trek. The lady tried to put me on a frame I could not even straddle. (I'm tall, but it's all torso- the legs are stubby.) Like I could barely stand on my tippiest toes (think ballerina point shoe style) straddling the frame. She told me it didn't matter because I should leap off to one side and lean the bike every time I stop. (Ummm.... I'm pregnant and leaping isn't happening.) In fact, after she pushed me into a test ride, I had to find a curb to stop by and get off.

So the point of that whole story is make sure you have a fitter you trust. Don't let them just look at your size and tell you what you "should" ride. Make sure it feels good. It won't be fun otherwise.

FWIW I can't reach the floor when I'm in the saddle and I've had a professional fitting, so I wouldn't judge fit from that. For a lot of us when we come to a stop we get out of the saddle and stand in front of it.

Good luck in whatever you decide!

I would run from that shop. It doesn't matter what kind of bike you are buying, that is not how you fit and sell a bike.
Both the Trek FX series and the Vita are excellent hybrids. While I have never ridden either, one of my close friends started riding on a Vita and it became the path for her to begin a love affair with riding!

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Originally Posted by thekarens

FWIW I can't reach the floor when I'm in the saddle and I've had a professional fitting, so I wouldn't judge fit from that. For a lot of us when we come to a stop we get out of the saddle and stand in front of it.

Good luck in whatever you decide!

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I would have been okay not reaching the ground from the saddle, but I couldn't reach it straddling the top bar on the bike frame! I would have needed a stool to mount the bike! As it is on my bike, I'm tippy toes reaching from the saddle (and will probably raise it a bit more when I'm not preggo and slightly- or very- awkward), but at least when I get off I can reach the ground with the frame still under me!

Thanks for all the input =)

I am done with that last bike shop!!! Still ticked about what happened caulk it up to a learning experience. I am leaning towards the Specialized Vita. The guy at the bike shop was great on the phone took time to answer my questions without rushing me off the phone. Plus loved that he said they would put me on a trainer and dial my fit in at no charge. I am going to wait a bit before I do any test rides need to let my leg heal up some first.

Then I wonder if I should just upgrade my old comfort hybrid. Swap out the old 26x1.95 tires and throw some 26x 1.25 on them and get a tune up. Have gear/braking issues. Least with this bike it caused me zero pain and it's 18inch frame and been riding it past year and a half.

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Originally Posted by merrysmom

I would have been okay not reaching the ground from the saddle, but I couldn't reach it straddling the top bar on the bike frame! I would have needed a stool to mount the bike! As it is on my bike, I'm tippy toes reaching from the saddle (and will probably raise it a bit more when I'm not preggo and slightly- or very- awkward), but at least when I get off I can reach the ground with the frame still under me!

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Yeah, if you can't straddle it out of the saddle that's a major problem.

Agreed, if you can't straddle the top tube of the bike then they are trying to sell you a MUCH too large bike to get it out of their inventory. Unless the bike is designed that way, we normally can't touch the ground when we are on the saddle, but the top tube is a very different story.

I recently purchased a 2014 Specialized Vita Comp in an XS frame. That's the only size I could straddle while standing over the bike. I too was looking at the FX (7.5) but felt I got a better fit with the Vita, plus the bike shop spent a good 2 hours with me measuring angles and getting everything set up so I could accurately test out the rides between a 's' size frame and the 'xs' size frame. The Trek bike shop didn't do anything more than adjust seat height. I went with the Specialized as the whole experience was just better and the XS frame was the right size for me.