Bike Buying Frustration

[kelownagirl]

Gosh I hate living in a small(ish) town. I have money burning a hole in my pocket and I've been wanting to buy a newbike for the last few months and there's nothing in town for me to ride! First off, I decided I really wanted to try the Trek 5.2 (5.1?) but after several weeks of waiting, they finally admitted that Trek isn't making any more and they won't be getting any in Canada at all. So I went off to look at other bikes. There's a nice looking Scott Contessa CR1 in town but it's one size too big for me. I called today to plead with them to bring in a 48cm (XS) but found out there's none available in CANADA! Then I asked about the Orbea Diva - nope, none in stock. There WAS one in the nearest town, an hour away, and I neglected to try it while I was there last weekend. Argh.

Whenever a bike store does have a bike I'm interested in, there's never one in my size so I can actually see how it fits me. They expect me to order one and hope for the best I guess. The only bike I've been able to ride so far, is a Ruby Comp which gave me an idea how the Expert will fit and it did feel great, but I haven't actually SEEN a Ruby Expert. I'm not 100% excited with the colour (black and silver) because it looks so much like my mountain bike but it looks like it will be the only bike I can actually get my hands on around here. And knowing my luck, I'll probably waffle juzt long enough for them to be out of them once I finally say "order it".

OK, thanks for letting me vent. There's no solution here I guess, other than jumping in the car and driving 4 hours to Vancouver, and THEN crossing my fingers that THEY have bikes in stock.

[KnottedYet]

We could make it a TE event: meet in Vancouver and spend KG's money!
(I'm about 4 hrs from Van, too.)

[Wahine]

LOL.

KG - do they do bike fittings from scratch at the Bike Barn in Penticton? If you could find out what geometry would work best for you then you can buy what you want (based on materials, components etc) by ordering it in and know that it's going to work. The bike might need a little tweaking by trading out a few parts but it could happen. There is also a website called wrench science, where once you make an account you can plug in your numbers in their fit system (located along the menu at the top of the webpage) and it will give you good guidance for what you should be looking for in terms of reach etc. I used this to help find my last bike.

[Zen]

[kelownagirl]

LOL.

KG - do they do bike fittings from scratch at the Bike Barn in Penticton? If you could find out what geometry would work best for you then you can buy what you want (based on materials, components etc) by ordering it in and know that it's going to work. The bike might need a little tweaking by trading out a few parts but it could happen. There is also a website called wrench science, where once you make an account you can plug in your numbers in their fit system (located along the menu at the top of the webpage) and it will give you good guidance for what you should be looking for in terms of reach etc. I used this to help find my last bike.

LOL Zen and Knot...

Wahine - I'm not sure but I may go back and I'll ask them about it. That's where they had the Orbea Diva that I wanted to try. It's a bit more than I want to spend but it is a GORGEOUS bike. NO! it's not about the colour, I SWEAR it's not! It DOES have to fit perfectly. BUT, if I had a choice between two bikes that BOTH fit perfectly? I'll choose the purdiest one.

[Zen]

it is a GORGEOUS bike. NO! it's not about the colour, I SWEAR it's not!

Nuthin' wrong with that.
Color sold me my 7.2

[LBTC]

Hey, KG, I understand, it can be frustrating. But, perhaps because I came from a very small town, I've taken a leap of faith the last 4 bikes I've bought new, and I've only been disappointed once. (and I didn't even know that I was at the time)

I pre-ordered my Torrent before they even started production - I had the first one of its size off the production line. Fit perfectly, and I loved the bike!

I test rode a Santa Cruz Juliana SuperLight with low specs in a medium for all of maybe 10 minutes, then ordered mine in XTR in a small. I *love* this bike!!

I didn't test ride any road bikes before buying my Giant years ago. Giant does its sizing a lot differently than other bike brands, and the shop didn't specialize in road bikes (we bought it in Quesnel!!), but, even though it was too big, it served me quite well for its intended purpose - a training bike to help in fitness and make me faster on my mountain bike.

I had my trusted person at the shop in Kelowna fit that Giant as best he could and had such great results, that we adjusted the fit of my other two bikes to match.

Last fall, he's the guy I went to when looking for a new road bike. I was able to sit on and have a really quick mock fit done on the same frame style, but didn't ride it. Once we determined that Martin could pull off the fit well, we ordered the carbon frame in. He upgraded the drive train, swapped a few parts for best fit and now I've got over 800 blissful kms on my Canondale, that I did not test ride first. I'm super happy with her!

Just wondering if maybe it's time for you to take that leap of faith with a shop you trust - Bike Barn is fabulous, too - and get what you can. Bikes sell out by May, so, your choices just get slimmer the longer you wait....

Picture yourself on your perfect bike. Work with an "expert". Have faith that the universe won't waste your money if you trust her. You'll be riding with the butterflies soon!

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

[Mr. Bloom]

This is Silver's love slave (Mr. Silver) taking dictation:

KG: I agree with Wahine. I just got an expert fit in Indianapolis (three hours away) and with that information, they recommended a specific bike to meet my body geometry. It tood three hours and cost $200 but is well worth it?

For your size, it may be very unrealistic to ever expect to try a bike they have in stock. A more realistic expectation may be to get an expert fitting and order a bike you've never riden based on the fitting. The cost of the fitting mitigates the risk of a bad choice.

Have you considered a custom...what about GURU - custom made in CANADA. We saw a largish guy at a tour last week who rides the only GURU in this area. They even reinforced the carbon to support his large size.

Gosh I hate living in a small(ish) town. I have money burning a hole in my pocket

Mr. Silver says: Hmmm...I wish I had these problems.

[kat_h]

Gosh I hate living in a small(ish) town.

You live in the middle of the Okanogan! So you're having trouble buying a bike. Once you do get it you'll be able to ride around through summer-vacation-land every day.

Can you head to Van + Seattle on the long weekend and spend a few days test riding?

I can't believe someone is complaining about living in the Okanogan.

[kelownagirl]

You live in the middle of the Okanogan! So you're having trouble buying a bike. Once you do get it you'll be able to ride around through summer-vacation-land every day.

Can you head to Van + Seattle on the long weekend and spend a few days test riding?

I can't believe someone is complaining about living in the Okanogan.

LOL, yup you're SO right on that one.

Yes, I just may have to go to Vancouver. Maybe this weekend - it's a long weekend.

[kelownagirl]

And in response to the other posts.

Yes, I know it's very unrealistic to expect to find bikes in my size, in stock. Waah.

Custom: Every time I ask the LBS guys around here about custom bikes - they steer me off because they say they are too expensive. They tell me I'll have to pay at least $4500 for a custom bike. Whether that's true or not, it tells me they don't know enough about custom bikes to help me and I certainly don't know enough to do it myself.

Fitting: From what I can tell, there's no one who does professional fitting in Kelowna. They are claim they can fit me, but none are pros who charge for it. You buy the bike, and they tweak it until it fits.

Leap of Faith: When I bought my first road bike 2 years ago, I was lucky. I had no idea about what I wanted (or needed), knew nothing about frames or components or fitting. I rode it around the parking lot for 5 minutes and bought it. It felt weird because it was a road bike and I'd always ridden a mountain bike but it ended up fitting well and I love it. This time, I didn't want to go with a leap of faith. I wanted to be able to try out a number of bikes that are my size and compare them. I want to take them out on a 10km ride and see how they feel, see how they climb and how they feel on the flats, before I decide on a bike. This one is supposed to feel 'stiffer", that one has a smoother ride etc - I want to see how that feels. If I'm going to spend $3500, I want to make sure I buy the best bike for me and actually know what I'm getting, ya know?

Anyway, I have come to the realization that the combination of being a small female, in a small town, means that I can't do these things. So I'm going to go back to the Bike Barn and try the Orbea. And then I guess I'll choose between the Orbea and the Ruby because they are both here in town and I've been able to ride them both.

Thanks for your suggestions and responses. I'm mostly just whining, (but not about actually living in this gorgeous city kat_h. )

[Zen]

Another custom Canadian bicycle, the Mariposa

[NbyNW]

Maybe you should come to Seattle to shop, especially if you are thinking custom. Even here I've found it can be challenging to find something in stock to test-ride, if you're vertically challenged. But:

The exchange rate is in your favor, and

There are a number of excellent frame builders here. I just a had a great experience at R+E cycles (www.rodcycle.com). They're really great about having bikes for petite riders in stock. In fact, I could have ridden away with one the day I went in for my fitting, but I decided to go for custom paint.

I'm sure other Seattle-area TE'ers will have good ideas of places to shop, especially if you've narrowed down your ideas of what bikes you want to look at.

[LBTC]

Fitting: From what I can tell, there's no one who does professional fitting in Kelowna. They are claim they can fit me, but none are pros who charge for it. You buy the bike, and they tweak it until it fits.

Well, KG, if you want the ultimate in professional bike fit, fly to Boulder, CO, and get fit by Andy Pruit. There are varying degrees of professional fitters. There is someone in the Okanagan who recently visited Vernon and I think he is from Kelowna. He charges about $300 for a fit. I think Pika might have his name. Our guy Martin, would be on the lower end of professional fit, but he still charges and he'll fit any bike for you, not just ones you buy from him. His price is more like $40. He's still very knowledgeable, and I don't know what the difference between the $300 and the $40 fit would be. I just know that the fit Martin did the first time for us, increased our speeds by 10% right away, and eliminated discomfort.

I want to take them out on a 10km ride and see how they feel, see how they climb and how they feel on the flats, before I decide on a bike. This one is supposed to feel 'stiffer", that one has a smoother ride etc - I want to see how that feels. If I'm going to spend $3500, I want to make sure I buy the best bike for me and actually know what I'm getting, ya know?

I do understand what you're trying to do, but I'm not sure you'll be able to accomplish it, even if you have all of the bikes to test ride. The fact is, you'd have to have the same tires, the same tire pressure, the same saddle, the same bike fit (stem length, saddle position, bar size, bar position) etc, on each and every bike to compare the ride and know that the difference you feel is in the frame. Besides, those reviews you read describing things like bottom bracket flex, spongy in sprints, turning faster, etc, are written by professional cyclists who just know this stuff incredibly well. Would any of us really feel those kinds of differences? We're mere mortals, we're not that talented!

No matter which carbon fiber bike you choose, you will instantly find it smoother than your aluminum frame! It's just that, in a case like this, you can't go wrong! Any of the bikes you've mentioned, you are going to love.

Listen to the advice you're getting, from here and from the shops that know what they are talking about (Fresh Air, Bike Barn, Kelowna Cycle, Spoke in Motion) and choose something before you miss out for another season!!

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

[cyclinnewbie]

I can't believe someone is complaining about living in the Okanogan.

LOLOL I was thinking the exact same thing. What I wouldn't give to be able to bike around the Okanogan at any given time!!

If you're coming to Seattle, maybe consider hopping the ferry and going to Bainbridge Island Bikes (or Bainbridge Island Bicycles, I can't remember); when I went there, they had quite a few small road bikes to try...Orbea, Giant, some others I can't remember. Anyway, they were very nice to deal with. Just a suggestion!