Questions BEFORE the LBS trip...

[Kelly728]

LBS.. that's what I need to start calling it around here right?

I'm a newb, a "runner" who is making the switch to cycling (but I hope a tri will be in my future).. anyway, yes I'm a newb. I'm planning on heading into two or three LBS within the next month or so but I am the type of person who wants to be completely informed before I walk in blindly.

I have a pretty small budget, can't spend over $1k total and would much rather not even go that high since I decided to make myself a student again!
I have a very competitive side, so I hope some sort of racing will happen once I see if I'm any good at this cycling thing. I don't plan on commuting to work at all on my bike since that would equal a really bad idea. Where do I start?!

I'm 5'3 (and a bit) and a 31" inseam, so super short torso. From the research I have done, I understand I may run into difficulties with the reach due to my short torso. I know I won't have much money to make any sort of adjustments to the bike.

Thanks,
signed Really-confused-but-doesn't-want-to-be-clueless

[kermit]

Go into the bike shops and try everything. Even bikes out of your budget. You'll start to get a feel of what you like and what fits. The cool thing is with the ecenomy the way it is, you might find an 07 or 08 sitting that wants to be sold. You also have options in the used bike world. Once you get a feel for size and the kind of components you want, check craigslist or ebay. www.roadbikereview.com has a great classified section and forums as well. With your size, reach can be fitted with shorter stems. Check out some of the women-specific frames if you are worried about reach. Good luck.

[breezy]

I'm the same size as you and could not find an LBS that had more than one bike in stick that fit me. If I had bike shopping to do all over again I would:

Drive further to go to larger shops
Ask them to determine what size bike I needed before we started talking about what model/features

Shops may offer to order a bike for you to try with no obligation to buy it so there may be some delay in your shopping.

Probably the most important thing for me was that I knew what I wanted in a bike. This ensured that I got what I wanted, not just what they had to sell me.

Happy shopping.

[lunacycles]

I would tend to agree with Breezy that you won't have a lot of bikes to choose from, given your size and short torso. I'd recommend you find a shop that sells women-specific models and see how those work. You have the body type--long legs/short torso--for which they were designed.

Also, if you do need a stem swap or other parts swapped to make the bike fit, a shop *should* do that for free as long as it is done at the time you purchase the bike, or very shortly thereafter.

Given your long inseam, be careful about what bike they tell is your size initially. If they go with the "standover approach"(where they determine whether a bike fits based on your crotch clearance when you stand over the bike), don't be convinced that the bike fits just because they tell you it does. This method is not a great one. Because your torso is short relative to your legs, a slightly smaller bike (one which gives you more standover clearance) might fit better. Test ride whatever you can for as long as you can, and pay attention to how far you are reaching from the saddle to the handlebar, and make sure you aren't feeling too stretched out.
If you are feeling a little stretched out, but the bike otherwise works for you, ask if they can put a shorter stem on the bike to bring the handlebars back a bit and reduce your reach. This is very easy for them to do and they should do it gratis in order to secure the sale, or to keep you as a happy customer (if you decide this a few weeks down the road).

That's a lot of info but hope it helps.

[lunacycles]

I forgot to mention: I noticed you are in Maryland. If you are near College Park, check out Proteus Bicycles. It is woman-owned, and the owner Jill has done a lot of bike fitting. She used to be connected with a team I sponsored out there, and I think she would be helpful, or have staff that is helpful and sensitive to your small size. If you see her, tell her I sent you

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I have a very competitive side, so I hope some sort of racing will happen once I see if I'm any good at this cycling thing. I don't plan on commuting to work at all on my bike since that would equal a really bad idea. Where do I start?!

Maybe you know this and maybe you don't, but you start by asking to see a "road bike". If you don't plan on commuting or riding rough gravel roads, and you do hope to perhaps race and compete, then you will not be wanting a "hybrid" bike, or a mountain bike, or a "comfort/cruiser" bike. Ask for a 'road bike'....those are lightweight racing type bikes with (usually) thin tires, made for going fast on paved surfaces.

[Kelly728]

Thanks for the advice thus far, it is a bit to take in but it is extremely helpful! I guess my long legs came in handy until now... they've always allowed me to buy "regular" pants even though I am short. Now they seem to be a bit more of a curse.

I'm lucky that where I live, I have 3 decent (from what I have heard) bike shops within 10 miles and probably 4 more if I need to drive a bit further. From peeking at their sites, they all seem to vary extremely in brands they care so that should give me a chance to see everything.

Any other useful hints are very much appreciated but at least you all have got my head spinning!

ETA: Bleecker, I guess that would be a great place to start, haha. Yes, I got the road bike part so we'll say I'm 98% clueless instead.

ETA: Too many people posting while I'm typing! Luna, I'm actually quite a distance from College Park but if necessary I'll get out there!

[sfa]

You may also want to make a trip to Bella Bikes in Ellicott City. It's a women's-only cycling store so they are likely to have sizes in stock that fit you so you can try out several bikes. I've never done more than walk through the shop, though, so I can't speak to their service at all. The store is attached to a Race Pace shop with a wider selection and a repair shop

Sarah

[fidlfreek]

Hi Kelly, I'm almost exactly your size too. I was also a runner turned cyclist (and now cycling is my MOST favorite thing to do!)

Totally agree you should go around and ride as many bikes are you can. You might take along a little notebook and take notes. Size of bike, exact model, if they changed the stem before you test road and what size they changed to, what you thought of it etc. After you get home you can get online and print out the geometry chart off the internet for the bikes you rode. That way you can start to get a feel for what top tube length is most comfortable etc. You can check out this too to get your own ideas about fit. http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za...LCULATOR_INTRO

I am also a very competitive and warn you that if you buy a new bike for less than $1k you are going to probably end up with something with parts that don't work as well as you're going to want them to. Example, Shimano Tiagra or Sora parts called "components". These lower end parts don't work as smoothly and shift as effortlessly (especially when you're riding hard!) as you'll want if you're interested in being competitive. So test ride things that are higher end, for more like $1500 you can get an aluminum bike with a few carbon parts as well as Shimano 105 components (thats pretty much the midlevel parts that start to work well). From there if you jump to $2000 you get the same 105 components just with the entry level carbon frame. As a beginner I wouldn't recommend that you need to go that high. Apart from price range the most important issue you're going to face is the "triple or compact" question. That means how many gears up front between the pedals (aka crankset). Since you're already a runner I would recommend you go straight to a compact. That means you'll still have access to lower gears to make hills easier BUT you won't be stuck w/ a triple with makes shifting a little slower, puts your feet a little too far apart (maybe)....oh and also noone races triples....Changing a bike w/ a triple into a compact is way more complicated that you would originally think and involves changing multiple parts so its best if you can just get what you want from the beginning.

Ok, regarding Ebay, it is your best best (IMHO) for getting a good bike in a price range you can afford. If you drilll down (categories - sporting goods - cycling - complete bikes - road bikes) you can get better results than just searching "road bike" etc. You can even arrange results by size, material, etc. Also, I don't know if your price range included all the extras you'll need. Don't forget that you'll need at minimum a helmet, a pair of cycling shorts (with chamois) (and maybe tights too since its cooold), and cycling shoes. Most people choose to use clipless pedals (special shoe w/ a bit that attaches directly to a special pedal to allow you to pedal UP and sideways as well as just push the pedal down) but you could always start with a simple cage system that you could use your running shoes with. You can always go to the gear section of Team Estrogen and ask for people to sell you used stuff in your size. These women are ammmazing like that!

WOW. I had a lot to say. I was exactly in your shoes 6 months ago so I feel great empathy! Best of luck!!!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Kelly, as a new rider, you will find that test riding bikes at the bike stores will be a huge help to you.
The more bikes to test ride, the more you will start to get a feel for which bikes feel comfortable and which bikes make you feel not well balanced or distributed on.
Take notes- after test riding 4 or 5 bikes, you will likely NOT be able to keep the details all straight in your head! You might have to go back to try the few couple of bikes again after you start getting a feel. Bike shops expect people to do test rides.
By the time you have test ridden quite a few different bikes, you'll start to actually feel when you are comfortable and well balanced and when you are not.
That's way better than just hearing each LBS guy tell you what bike they are convinced you need and what size you should be on and then accepting that as the absolute truth. Everyone's body is different, and 3 people who are the same height and weight might feel very differently on the very same bike.
I would not recommend buying any bike that you have not test ridden a couple of times.

Keep in mind that most bike store salespeople will naturally want to sell you a bike that they have on the floor already, but that they sometimes are willing to order another size for you to try out (still without a firm sale commitment) if the one in stock seems a bit large or small for you. You might need to ask this, as a smaller woman with fewer bikes on hand to try.
Also, when you finally make up your mind and commit to buying a certain bike, you can usually get parts swapped out before the sale with no labor charge, and get the total price adjusted higher or lower just by the dollar difference in parts. If you request a pedal you like for instance, and it's cheaper then the pedal that comes standard on the bike, then you can ask to have the price adjusted down by the difference.
You might have to spend more to swap parts if you come back later on after the sale is over -after the part you are swapping is 'used', and also you will understandably have to pay the labor charge then. These after-sale policies vary between stores.
One more thing- when you do buy a bike you are also in effect buying the support of that store- if all else is equal and two bikes are just as good from two diff stores, buy from the store that treats you well and was willing to patiently and cheerfully spend time helping you when you were shopping for your bike. That's the store you may be taking your bike back to if problems arise or when you need help with your bike down the road. If you are unhappy with your new bike, the last thing you need is to have to bring it back to some guys who couldn't care less about you after they got your check.

Have fun...bike shopping is so exciting!!

[Kelly728]

Thanks for all the great advice everyone, seems like a super helpful group you all have here!

Sfa- I added Bella Bikes to my list. It is a little bit of a commute for me, but I do make it out towards that area once in a while so I'll have to check it out.

fidl- Phew! Great idea about the notebook. I know it will be tough for me to stretch my budget past $1k, but I'll consider waiting a bit if it appears to be worth it. The $1k was primarily the budget for the bike and I am willing to add on the necessities. I already have the cycling shorts from the spin classes I do. I think you lost me a bit at the triple/compact, but I'll do a bit more reading up on that.

Bleecker- I know I'll be just that person that goes back to the same bike shop several times, I'm unbelievably indecisive! I hope the bike shopping thing gets more exciting rather than overwhelming! I figure at the rate I'm going, I'll have a bike by oh, next December.

[Miranda]

I have a Giant OCR1 women's specific bike size small. I'm 5'5" but am built more like a guy... short legs, long torso.

To do it over, I would probably look at mens bikes. Your build is that of the classic Barbie doll that womens specific bikes were made for... short torso, long legs. Giant doesn't specifically make my model of bike anymore, but something similiar. It's in your price range. My OCR1w was $1100 at the time, and a lot of bang for your buck. Aluminum frame, with carbon seat post and forks.

The geometry is a bit more forgiving than a traditional road bike as well. It's technically considered their top of the line "sport bike". A bit more up right riding position, but still with curved drop road bike handle bars. The top tube on the frame geometrically slopes downward more than a true road bike. Thus, how short legged me could clear it to fit a size small. Which is technically about a 52cm. Giant does make an "extra small" as well. Your legs would surely fit my bike since I clear it with a 29" inseam. The more upright could be a bit better with less reach for the shorter torso.

Just some things to consider. As posted, look at and try as many as possible. Mayberry where I live is really limited on things to try. I had to travel to find one. Sometimes if you have something you like, that dealer could call and search for a shop with your size. Then, you are not driving a wasted trip.

Good Luck!

[cobalt]

i too am a newbie and I wanted to say hi and welcome!

My advice would be to ignore the seat on the bike because bike saddles are so easy to switch. Often you have to try a few to find a comfy saddle. Some stores have this gel that you sit on and it tells you how wide your sit bones are inside. I changed my saddle to an inexpensive one because it felt the best and it made a huge difference. It was $20 something.

You also really need padded shorts. Before you buy them make sure the chamois is thick enough. You can buy the kind that you wear under any clothes or the spandex shorts/tights. Other than padded gloves and a helmut and water bottle that's all I started with. I added a little thing that keeps track of miles and speed and I like it.

The mistakes I made... I bought a bike pack but it's not big enough. My husband's is bigger, why would I think I needed a tiny one?? You hook it on the back of your seat and carry an ID, cash, kleenex, energy food etc in it.

About bikes. I have a road bike and I like that I can change hand positions. With a mountain bike you can't do that. I didn't upgrade to the shoes that go into the special pedals yet. My bike came with toe clips. They take me a bit to get my feet into when I start but they are ok. I just wear stiff walking shoes with them.

Good luck!

[aicabsolut]

Test ride a lot of bikes. Try out different geometry (WSD, "relaxed" competitive road, aggressive (more crit racing style) road, etc.) and different brands (which will also have different geometry). Ride in your price range and see how the "ride" is, but if you intend to race in the relatively near future, you will probably want 1) a light frame, and 2) good components. That may take you up in budget a bit, but then you will be less inclined to want to buy a completely new bike in a year when you're into racing. You can get a cheap light frame, like a Cannondale aluminum frame. Or you can go with carbon if you prefer the ride, but it will cost more for a decent (light and stiff) level of carbon. The components will probably be what will annoy you the most if they are a bit too cheap, because they could take more maintenance and might get obnoxious to deal with in terms of performance if you're going to be doing group rides with racers and starting to race. That doesn't mean you need a $2500 Dura Ace 2900 groupset. Something like 105 will be plenty good for a beginner racer. It's just that you may not find that on a sub $1k bike unless it's on a good sale. Things like wheels might be not so aerodynamic and heavy, but those are an easy upgrade later if you save up for more race oriented wheels. Something nice and durable is a good way to start there.

Also, if you're going back to school, see if your school has a team. It's a cheap way to get into racing and there are some good intro categories. It's not a NCAA sport, so there are no eligibility rules as far as age or years in school. You're just supposed to be a full time student.

[Kelly728]

aicabsolut- Thanks for a bit more insight on what to look for if racing is in my future. I will keep this in mind (hopefully I'll be out at one of the LBS tomorrow!) I just have that fear that I will be absolutely lousy at cycling . I know if I decide to stick below my budget now, either way, I should be much more able to upgrade in a few years.

My school does have a cycling club, however it is only open to full time undergrads and I'm a part time grad student. Oops! I know once I do start considering racing, I'll be looking around for more advice then on where to start.