Looking to buy a road bike in Los Angeles area, help?

I've never ridden a road bike but I did make the progression from a very inexpensive mountain bike to a hybrid and so far love riding. I now want to upgrade to something more light-weight and faster... a road bike, basically. As I've never ridden a road bike I am looking for something entry-level (maybe $1k, not too much more). The problem is that I just recently moved from Santa Barbara (bike central) to the 562 area of Los Angeles and I have no clue where to buy a road bike at a shop that sells women's road bikes to test out. I don't want to buy a road bike blind, special order, without ever test riding it. I'm also only 5 feet so I'd probably need a 43 sized bike... which makes it even harder!

Would anyone be able to recommend a bike shop in the Los Angeles area that sells really small WSD road bikes? Also, I'd lovelovelove personal recommendations for an entry-level (maybe alum frame, a few carbon parts).

Bad news about Downey is that it is not a hotbed of bike shops. Good news is that you are central to a lot of nearby cycling areas and close to a major river route that can take you as far north as the Foothills or all the way down to Long Beach.

For smaller bikes, I suggest you try out the Spec and Trek shops first. The larger shops might have a 44 to test out. Even if their entry level models may not be available, the geometries are pretty standard among all models. For Spec shops, PV Bikes (Palos Verdes), Cynergy (Santa Monica) and Surf City Cyclery (Huntington Beach) are your closest bets. I've dealt with the management of all three and they're all recommended. Trek does not have a lot of distributers in the L.A. area, but you might try Jax in Huntington Beach. Helen's in Santa Monica is a Trek dealer, but that is only a tiny fraction of their stock so they are limited. Call first and see if they have small bikes to test.

There are a ton of bike shops on the Westside (I can name about 20 off the top of my head) and there is a dealer for just about any brand out there. But most are boutiques and do not have the range/space to have small frames in stock.

I'm also 5ft. I currently have a 47cm Trek 2000 men's bike. It's at the very limit of what I can fit. My next bike will most likely be a 47cm Trek Madone, probably a WSD due to my height. Although I personally think if they'd make men's bikes small enough I'd be better off with a men's bike as I have short legs and a longer torso. Trek and Specialized for me are the only two companies I've found that make bikes I can ride. Trek's 47 is pretty similar to Specialized's 44cm.
Trek Lexa lines and Specialized Dolce lines are what you should look at.
As for California, I have no idea, but look up who sells those two lines and start there. I personally will be driving either two hours to Raleigh or 5 hours to Charlotte when I'm ready to buy my next Trek, even though we have a local Trek dealer. I just refuse to buy a bike from them. They want to push Cannondale, even though I can't ride them. I will buy other stuff form them, just not bikes. I also won't even go into the other Trek stores that are closer than Raleigh as they are just not friendly and one in Raleigh I won't go to again either. They wanted to force a 43 at me, when I can ride a 47. Plus I want a bike with 700 wheels/tires and 43s come with 650 tires/wheels.
I did get to test a Trek Lexa while I was in Charlotte a couple of months ago and we got the fit perfect without it being at an extreme range like my current bike is.

Thanks so much for all the help so far!! :)

I'm definitely going to try out those shops you mentioned, Bluetree. I'll definitely call first and ask about what they're carrying right now. Yeah, I love that river route! I'm trying to do longer distance but with a hybrid I'm just not getting the full extent of what I want from a ride.

I'll try asking about a 47 man's but I have a feeling it just wouldn't fit properly... I'd probably have no clearance or be a bit uncomfortable. But thanks for your recommendation, Koronin. I'll ask to try them out anyway if in case I get lucky! And wow, that's pretty far to travel but that shows your dedication to bikes, lol. :D

Thanks for the brand recommendations Muirenn. I've never heard of Jamis or Specialized Dolce before. I've mostly looked into Trek and Cannondale. Good to explore all options!

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Originally Posted by Brigitte031

I'll try asking about a 47 man's but I have a feeling it just wouldn't fit properly... I'd probably have no clearance or be a bit uncomfortable. But thanks for your recommendation, Koronin. I'll ask to try them out anyway if in case I get lucky! And wow, that's pretty far to travel but that shows your dedication to bikes, lol. :D

Thanks for the brand recommendations Muirenn. I've never heard of Jamis or Specialized Dolce before. I've mostly looked into Trek and Cannondale. Good to explore all options!

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after having gone through this with my wife of similar stature

the specialized dolce (Ruby in Carbon) 44cm has the lowest standover height (clearance) of any bike with normal sized (700c) wheels.

if you can't fit that, the Trek Lexa SLX 43cm with 650c wheels has the lowest standover height of any major manufacturer's road bike

if you have clearance on the Lexa 47cm Trek, than you can fit just about any manufacturers smallest frame and Canondale, Felt, Giant, etc. all have great bikes you should try out that might offer a better price point

If I were you I would call up surfcity cyclery (specialized dealer) and ask them if they have a 44cm Dolce or Ruby (basically the same frame) you can try out.

good luck!

purdyd, that is not exactly true. For me it is not true, for others it might be. I can stand over a Lexa 47cm with flat feet, however no clearance. I cannot stand over a Canondale or Giant with my feet flat on the ground. I can only stand over them on my tip toes with no clearance. They are measured differently and they are a taller bike. Although as I stated I do have short legs with a longer torso which is apparently opposite to what many women have.

Brigitte, it can't hurt to ask. We moved last year from Charlotte and we both really liked our Trek LBS there. They are great to deal with. They also sell Cervelo, which I drool over every time we're there. They also keep Madone's in stock, although they didn't have a 47cm when we were there last or they would have let me test ride it.

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Originally Posted by Koronin

purdyd, that is not exactly true. For me it is not true, for others it might be. I can stand over a Lexa 47cm with flat feet, however no clearance. I cannot stand over a Canondale or Giant with my feet flat on the ground. .

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you can correct me if I am wrong and I certainly could be

What I meant was that if you can stand over a Lexa 47cm you should be able to stand over a Canondale Synapse 44cm or 43cm Giant Avail or other manufacturers of 44ish frame sizes

If you can't stand over a Lexa 47cm, the only two widely available options I know of are the Specialized Dolce/Ruby 44cm and Lexa SLX 43cm or Madone 5 or greater 43cm frame

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Originally Posted by purdyd

the only two widely available options I know of are the Specialized Dolce/Ruby 44cm and Lexa SLX 43cm or Madone 5 or greater 43cm frame

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The Madone 47s and Jamis femmes have a sub -70 standover too, but they are probably out of your price range. Felt offers an XS with a smaller standover with 650 wheels and their entry level starts at around $800. Good luck finding a shop with one in stock, though.

Just as important, XS Treks, Felts, Jamis and Specs have top tubes shorter than 50cm. Unless you have disproportionately longer arms for your torso, this is an important consideration. A top tube longer than 50cm may force you to shorten your stem beyond 80 or 90cm, which will make your bike feel squirrely. Orbea, Giant, Cervelo and Cannondale have longer top tubes.

I recommend looking for a 44 Spec Dolce first. It is in your price range and you might find a really good deal on a 2010 – you should get at least 20% off last year's model. Don't be afraid to ask if they will upgrade you to the 105 level, minimum. They want to get older stock out to make space for the 2011s.

If Parlos Verdes is not too far from you, there is a store there that you might want to check out:

http://pvbike.com/

My husband and I owned Hybrids previously. During our search for road bikes, we must have been to at least 10 bike stores in Los Angeles. We ended up buying 2 road bikes (for me and him) at the store above. Firstly, before we even tried on any bikes, the owner, Steve Bowen, actually gave us a complete measurement before recommending bikes that fits us. We had never had any of the other stores do that for us voluntarily. We now buy all or other bike needs from them too because of their care and service. They are never pushy and extremely patience. Wonderful store!.

PS: I am 5'3 and am very happy with my Specialized Amira.

From their own websites:
Canondale 44cm Synapse Women's standover height is 71.6cm
Trek Madone 4.5 standover height is 69.2 cm
Trek Lexa S standover height is 69.1 cm
Trek 1.2 (men's) 47cm standover height is 69.8

That 2 and a half cm CAN make a difference. I personally have to have a bike with a standover height of UNDER 70.0 cm to be able to standover it with my feet flat on the ground. The 69.8 is what my current bike is and I have no clearance at all when I stand over it. My current bike is the extreme limit of what I can ride.

As you can see a 44cm Canandale is bigger than a 47cm Trek, by enough that it does not equate. I personally have tried to stand over a Canondale 44cm of the new bike and cannot do it with my feet flat on the the ground. I have to be on my tip toes. With the Trek Lexa 47cm I can stand over it with my feet flat on the ground.

Echoing recomendations from above - PV Bikes is my new favorite bike store. I got my new Ruby from them, and while the bike fit was the main driver, the service was the reason I bought my bike there. They know bike fit, and will spend time with you to help find the right bike. Just like another bike store that I won't name used to be - I was really glad to find these guys.

It is a hike from the 562, however. It's one of those places that takes a hundred years to get to from any freeway. You would do well to call ahead and see what size bikes they have in stock. They had one or two closeouts when I was there a few weeks ago.

Try Surf City first. Besides being the closest to you, they have the biggest selection around, plus they have two locations (another one in Costa Mesa) to double their stock choices. Check out the videos on their web site to see the amount of product they have.

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Originally Posted by Koronin

From their own websites:
Canondale 44cm Synapse Women's standover height is 71.6cm
Trek Lexa S standover height is 69.1 cm
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You are correct but....

What I hadn't realized until now is that the alloy Synapse has a standover of 71.6cm but the carbon version standover is 69.8cm.

http://www.cannondale.com/usa/usaeng...ns-Alloy-5-105

I was wrong about the Giant Avail, it is even higher

My fuzzy mind seems to recall there are other options with 69-70cm of standover - particularly if you have room to go 70cm

One option would be the Trek 3 series carbon frame, which unfortunately does not come with a 43cm size.

Hopefully we can agree that if your standover height is 69cm or less you have very few options in mass produced frames.

@Brigitte031 good luck in your quest for a new road bike, there have been some great suggestions for you

Just to clarify though... stand over is one of the *last* things you should look at to evaluate bike fit and should never be used as a sole determiner.....

Reach (top tube length) and the ability to achieve good knee position are much more important on a road bike. For something with a lot of active mounting and dismounting - like racing cross, little clearance is more worrisome, but for road bikes it is less compelling.

However, you still need to be able to have your feet on the ground when stopped on any bike. So standover height is important for that. If I can't put my feet on the ground while standing over the bike it's not something I would ever be comfortable riding. So you must consider standover height and eliminate anything that does not come in a size that will work for you. Now for someone who is say 5'4 they have a lot more options than someone who is 5'. For me if the smallest bike a company builds is 70cm or larger it is not worth my time to even look at that company because the bike is too big for me to ride. So yes for a short person, esp with short legs, it is going to be one of the first things I look at to make sure it's under 70cm before going any further. Once you find the bikes in the range that can work then start looking at other things and see how it fits. But if you are not comfortable getting on or off the bike you'll never ride that bike. I have already gone through this with a bike that was too big. I couldn't stand over it and I basically never road it.

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Originally Posted by purdyd

You are correct but....

What I hadn't realized until now is that the alloy Synapse has a standover of 71.6cm but the carbon version standover is 69.8cm.

http://www.cannondale.com/usa/usaeng...ns-Alloy-5-105

I was wrong about the Giant Avail, it is even higher

My fuzzy mind seems to recall there are other options with 69-70cm of standover - particularly if you have room to go 70cm

One option would be the Trek 3 series carbon frame, which unfortunately does not come with a 43cm size.

Hopefully we can agree that if your standover height is 69cm or less you have very few options in mass produced frames.

@Brigitte031 good luck in your quest for a new road bike, there have been some great suggestions for you

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We can most definitely agree that there are very few options for a standover height of 69cm or less.

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Originally Posted by Eden

Reach (top tube length) and the ability to achieve good knee position are much more important on a road bike.

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I agree, Eden. TT length is always the first thing I look for.

I've had a few bikes that gave me a serious wedgie but fit and felt awesome in motion – my fixie is a perfect example (I just track stand as much as possible). Bikes are made for riding... not standing over. Besides, you don't need both feet on the ground. All you need is one foot on the ground and the other clipped in around the 12 o'clock position, or slightly in front.

I think having sufficient clearance is important for newer riders. There's a learning curve and feeling comfortable is essential to progress. But I also think that the more experience people get, the less relevant standover will become.

Hi,
I second the advice of visiting Cinergy - wonderful shop and awesome customer service.

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Originally Posted by TxDoc

Hi,
I second the advice of visiting Cinergy - wonderful shop and awesome customer service.

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I was very confused for about ten seconds. :o

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Originally Posted by Owlie

I was very confused for about ten seconds. :o

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Hee-hee, sorry about the typo, it was supposed to be Cynergy... I guess this goes to show that I hear about health insurance companies more often than I hear about bicycles... :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by TxDoc

Hee-hee, sorry about the typo, it was supposed to be Cynergy... I guess this goes to show that I hear about health insurance companies more often than I hear about bicycles... :rolleyes:

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That was the name of our electric company when I lived in Cincinnati, actually. Also:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinergy_Field