Tried out some bikes - any thoughts on these?

So I went to a bike shop close to my house yesterday and rode a few bikes. Luckily, the guy who helped me out was very friendly and not snobby at all (plus, he was cute and had a cute accent ;) ). I tried out women's specific bikes, which worked out really well for me, since I'm short, short-waisted, and all legs. The reach on all of them was great, with only a slight adjustment on the seat on one of them - he slid it forward a tiny bit and it was perfect. I tried the Trek 1000, the Specialized Dolce and the Dolce Elite - the Dolce Elite felt the best, though it's at the top of my price range - but it's also pretty :)

Has anyone had, or currently has any of these bikes? How did they work out? Anything you liked/disliked?

Those are all good popular bikes. Of course, the more you pay, the higher quality are the components. There are gals here that have all of those kinds of bikes, and they fit nicely too.

Get the best bike you can afford. You won't regret it.

I'm in Arlington. What shop did you go to?

I have two Specialized Dolces, both 2005 editions (an Elite and a Comp). Both are solid bikes and each trade off time as the designated "beater bike" to ride in rain, wet pavement, winter grime, etc. Now that I have a couple (ahem) steel bikes w/campy components, the Dolces are not prime-time rides for me, although I still enjoy them.

The 2005 Dolces are quality bikes and have endured through some tough weather conditions, in my experience. I'm pretty sure Specialized changed the components on these models after they released the Ruby, so I can't vouch for the newer editions.

I agree that a good bike won't be a waste.

Do keep in mind thought that you will need to buy other things on top of the bike itself, like automatic pedals (the ones you clip into), shoes, gloves, a seat bag to hold your repair kit, spare tube, etc., bike shorts if you don't own a pair already, helmet if you don't have one, etc. These things are important, but they add up. So if your budget has an absolute upper limit, make sure your bike AND the accessories fit in it. (Be aware that although you cannot really get a discount on a bike, you can get 10% or more on the accessories very often...)

Enjoy!

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Originally Posted by wurkit_gurl

The reach on all of them was great, with only a slight adjustment on the seat on one of them - he slid it forward a tiny bit and it was perfect.

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Did he slide the seat forward to improve the reach? :eek:

I'm hoping he slid the seat forward to position you properly over the crank. Reach should never be solved by moving the seat.

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Originally Posted by Grog

I agree that a good bike won't be a waste.

Do keep in mind thought that you will need to buy other things on top of the bike itself, like automatic pedals (the ones you clip into), shoes, gloves, a seat bag to hold your repair kit, spare tube, etc., bike shorts if you don't own a pair already, helmet if you don't have one, etc. These things are important, but they add up. So if your budget has an absolute upper limit, make sure your bike AND the accessories fit in it. (Be aware that although you cannot really get a discount on a bike, you can get 10% or more on the accessories very often...)

Enjoy!

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I have a helmet and bike gear (padded shorts, gloves, jersey), because I do at least have my crappy hybrid. The helmet is not specifically a "road" helmet, but it will suffice for now- it's not as if I'm planning to race, so I can find a good deal on a better one down the road. I am going to go without the clipless pedals for the moment until I'm more used to it, which was advice given to me by a few people I know who ride. So I don't need to spend money on that right now. And I can certain afford a repair kit and tubes, etc, so I should be all right. My main concern for the bike, pricewise is that I don't have a ton of extra cash to drop all at once, know what I mean? Buying a pair of bike shorts and a jersey is a smaller hit to my bank account than the actual bike itself. Plus, I'm a newbie and don't need to spend a fortune on the bike.

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Originally Posted by Velobambina

I'm in Arlington. What shop did you go to?

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I live at the Vienna/Fairfax border and went to a shop called Spokes, Etc - on Maple Ave (aka Chain Bridge). I can't quite bring myself to go to Revolution Cycles- I get a snobby vibe from them. And Performance Bike didn't have any bikes within my price range.

My first bike was a Dolce. Great bike, but if I was to do it again I would have gone with the Elite to get me started. Great fit for those of us on the small size. I just splurged and went out today and got a Ruby Comp. What a difference! If you can go for the higher end, you won't regret it, but if budget is a concern the Docle Elite will be just fine.

Another new one! welcome to TE Dolcerider!

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Originally Posted by dolcerider

My first bike was a Dolce. Great bike, but if I was to do it again I would have gone with the Elite to get me started. Great fit for those of us on the small size. I just splurged and went out today and got a Ruby Comp. What a difference! If you can go for the higher end, you won't regret it, but if budget is a concern the Docle Elite will be just fine.

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Cool, thanks for the input! Yeah, $1000 is about the top of my budget and I figure that since it's my first road bike, it will be suitable.

I also have a 2005 Dolce. It's a decent bike and I do enjoy it, but it does have drivetrain issues. I have to get the derailleurs adjusted frequently, which is pretty common with the entry level Sora group. The Dolce Elite is a step up in components, so I would say go for that one if you can afford it, especially since it seemed to feel the best.

Have you considered second hand? ebay or craigslist? We have bought many bikes this way and have always had good luck. If you buy a bike and it comes with clipless pedals you should keep those and buy the platforms on top (it may not be that long before you want the clipless pedals and you'll spend more dollars down the track than shellling out for platforms now) and the bike shop won't give you much for them.
Also there may be a cycle club in your area that woud be a good lead for a second hand bike. REI does a version of a women's specific bike and is around $1000 and you have the security of being able to return it if there is a problem with it. Good luck.

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Originally Posted by wurkit_gurl

I live at the Vienna/Fairfax border and went to a shop called Spokes, Etc - on Maple Ave (aka Chain Bridge). I can't quite bring myself to go to Revolution Cycles- I get a snobby vibe from them. And Performance Bike didn't have any bikes within my price range.

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You aren't too far from me :)

I've been to the Vienna Spokes. It's pretty good. Revolution (the one in Clarendon) has a lot of snitty employees, plus they ripped me off once. They are very close to my house but I refuse to go there. I like the Spokes in Alexandria--their mechanics are tops. Very down to earth folks, too. They love to tease me about my pink Lunas (in a good way).

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Originally Posted by Velobambina

You aren't too far from me :)

I've been to the Vienna Spokes. It's pretty good. Revolution (the one in Clarendon) has a lot of snitty employees, plus they ripped me off once. They are very close to my house but I refuse to go there. I like the Spokes in Alexandria--their mechanics are tops. Very down to earth folks, too. They love to tease me about my pink Lunas (in a good way).

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Alexandria is too far, especially since I plan on moving closer into Arlington. I used to live in Courthouse and have gone to Revolution Cycles with my ex-boyfriend, who is a total bike snob. I got a snobby vibe from them and actually, my ex had issues with them fixing something and not doing it right and then having to do it again and charge him more. The guy at the Vienna Spokes was very nice and helpful and not condescending at all.

I've been to the Alexandria Spokes. Good shop. Seems to have good people who will probably fit you properly. Don't get a bike from Performance.

While you may save some $ buying second hand, it's not the best if you don't know much about bikes yet and what you need, or what parts of the bike to inspect (and what to look for). Plus, some shops will give you free services, swap components, and developing a relationship with them can save you more cash in the long run.

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Originally Posted by aicabsolut

While you may save some $ buying second hand, it's not the best if you don't know much about bikes yet and what you need, or what parts of the bike to inspect (and what to look for). Plus, some shops will give you free services, swap components, and developing a relationship with them can save you more cash in the long run.

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Yeah, I sort of think it might be better to get my first bike new (maybe on sale, but definitely new), so that I can ask them stuff that I don't know, instead of just ending up with a very expensive machine that I don't know how to take care of! I would also rather have for a new bike, one that I know has not been slammed around, messed with, etc. I don't want to inherit someone else's bad mechanical skills the first time around.

I just got my first real rode bike, a Dolce ELite 2007. It Rocks! The bike store spent about half an hour tweaking the fit, but the munite I got on it felt right. They gave me an excellent deal, and 10% off all the other sturff - water bottle holder, cyclecomputer, shoes, bag with spare tubes etc. The size is perfect for my 5"1" frame, but the wheels are big, so it is fast.

A warning about the crank - some of the Specialized bikes did not have the crank tightened properly, and my crank arm fell off the bike while I was riding. Be sure to have your bike store check that the crank is tightened properly. Specialized replace it quickly, but still, it shouldn't have happened.

Lisa

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Originally Posted by Bklynmom

A warning about the crank - some of the Specialized bikes did not have the crank tightened properly, and my crank arm fell off the bike while I was riding. Be sure to have your bike store check that the crank is tightened properly. Specialized replace it quickly, but still, it shouldn't have happened.

Lisa

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It is the store's responsibility to check crank tightness when they build the bike after it is shipped to them. Specialized is just providing good customer service when it was the store who screwed up. You can't just haul a bike out of a box and plop it on the floor.

BTW, one should check the tightness of crank and chain ring bolts regularly - particularly on a new bike.

Yay - I just took at look at the paperwork for my tax return (I had my father do them, since I was in grad school for the majority of last year and didn't really earn much income) and it looks like I'm going to get a good chunk back- enough to allow me to afford the Dolce Elite :) Yay!