How did you choose your bike?

[mtkitchn]

I've been riding for a little under a year. At that time I walked into the closest bike shop, told them that I wanted to do a 70 mile race with a friend and hadn't biked before, wanted a fairly cheap bike, and they rolled out the Giant OCR3 that I have. I rode it around the parking lot and took it home. I've got about 2000 miles on it now and it's a decent bike, but is a bit large for me (too long of a reach to the shifters and brakes, even after I put WSD handlebars on it, which DID help). I'd also like a little nicer bike with better components since I seem to have stuck with cycling.
I really don't have any women cycling friends around to discuss bikes with, so I was wondering how you all chose what you ride? I know absolutely nothing about bikes other than my Giant. Did you visit different shops and ride what they had available? Living in Phoenix, I am lucky to have a lot of shops around, but some of the people in some of the shops talk down to me or don't seem to have the time for me. The shop I bought my present bike from has great people and I'll probably go back there to talk to them first, but I don't want to limit my options, either.
Any suggestions?

[mimitabby]

I'm glad you brought this up.
One day a few years ago, my husband took me into a bike shop and put me on a bike and said happy mother's day. It's a nice bike, a lightweight raleigh hybrid. But it wasn't MY choice and it wasn't My idea, so even though i did appreciate it (I rode it on the STP a 200 mile ride) it left me wanting a bike of my own,,, that was really MY idea, etc etc.

I measured myself and decided that I was a 49cm person, and found a Bianchi Veloce on ebay and bought it. It's a way cool bike. it's the first road bike i ever had, and i'm still learning to ride it. I spent a fortune getting it to fit me. then purely by accident i got onto a Bianchi Volpe 44cm bike and discovered that
it felt QUITE DIFFERENT in a good way. I test rode the Volpe yesterday and yup, it's probably the right size for me. It was really funny, the volpe has shimano components and i couldn't figure out how to work the shifters.
I had to roll it back to the store and get a little lesson before i could ride it!
The owner of the LBS said to me, as you get to know bikes, you make discoveries along the way; that bikes you previously thought fit you well didn't. It's an experiential thing, a process.
when we were kids, and tremendously resilient and flexible, we could ride any size bike. But then again, did we ride 40 miles or 100 miles in a day? Probably not!

Your Giant has taken you this far down the road. Maybe now it's time to get a different bike. Try not to rush into it. But listen to the gals on here. Some of them have SEVERAL bikes now.

[jenxxs]

I agree entirely with mimitabby that it's a self-discovery process, and how you learn to find your bikes will be similar to how you like to learn about other things. Myself - I'm a very self-reliant learner, and so I enjoy trying to figure out things like bike fit by doing my own research -- including joining this great forum! -- while others would prefer to seek professional assistance from the get-go. I also have no hesitation about buying/selling used stuff in general, so it was natural for me to experiment with bikes by buying and selling online. Many others, of course, prefer going the local route so that they can test-ride as extensively as possible. Everyone's got their own style of learning, and shopping!

I also agree that it's very important to work with the LBS that makes you feel like a valued customer. I have a lot of highly reputable LBSs in my area, but I ended up going with a tiny shop that doesn't carry a lot of bikes, just because the owner treats me really well and is willing to work with the way I like to learn. Meaning, he's not offended if I bring him bikes and parts that I've researched and bought on my own - but he will not hesitate to offer his advice to me at the same time. It's a good dynamic where it feels like we're both learning from each other.

[paigette]

I went to 2 LBS' (when I lived in Corpus) and even went to Houston(hometown) to search their bike shops. I tried about 8-10 different bikes, women specific & men's specific. Like you, I wanted a starter bike, but at the time knew I would probably/possible want to upgrade in the future. I ended up with the men's Giant OCR 3.....it was just the most comfortable for me, in my price range. I've only changed out the pedals & seat, but the way my body is shaped, it fits me to a tee

As for my mountain bike....it seems to be a slightly different process. I'm now in Aggieland & when I explained what I wanted, the guy told me he didn't have anything in my size, but did my measurements & currently has 3 bikes on order for me to try out. I've already put down a deposit, so I will go with him(he offers lifetime maintenance) and when those 3 arrive, I'll go from there.

Anyway, good luck, but definitely shop around!

[mimitabby]

. I've only changed out the pedals & seat, but the way my body is shaped, it fits me to a tee

Anyway, good luck, but definitely shop around!

See, here's the thing. After riding with straight handlebars for my whole life, i really had no idea what a road bike was supposed to feel like... as i said, i'm still figuring it out. All i knew was that pain was unacceptable. Once i got the bike to the no-pain condition, i could start focussing on other stuff, like how it felt to handle on hills, bumps, curves...stopping..

[kaybee]

Mt, the same thing happened to me! I walked into a bike shop, not knowing anything about fit and not wanting to spend too much money on a bike I wasn't sure I would ride. I also ended up with an OCR3 that was too big for me, rode it a year and finally figured out it was too big. I now have a WSD bike, and it's much more comfortable, and I'm much happier. Ride lots of different bikes, pay for a fitting if you have to, and read everything you can get your hands on (there's a ton of stuff here). The bottom line, though, is fit. It should just feel right, like slipping into your favorite pair of jeans. Good luck and let us know what you decide.

KB

[Trek420]

As a child through young adult I went from a Schwinn to Raleigh to Gitane to Mercier then .... stopped riding. What was I thinking????

When my GF (now the ex) ex and I got back into cycling we got GT mountain bikes. I still have "Bradley" my commuter, much upgraded and loved by now.

Wanting to do longer rides I got a Trek420, more about this bike on the "someone stole my bike" thread...gosh I came to love this "customised" bike. But no more Trek so I needed a new bike.

After much prodding on my part ("subliminal hint, get steel get steel") the ex got a Mondonico. I saw how much she liked the bike ("toldja you'd like steel").

The other name for my Mondonico should be "Revenge", I'll admit it is the Divorce bike Same make and model as she got but...mine's full custom so neener neener neener.

They say [I]the best revenge is living well.

My 3rd bike chose me, someone threw a Motobecane Mixte in a neighborhood dumpster. I did all the checking I could to make sure it was not stollen. Came up clean. I'm having it made into a freewheel.

[DebW]

My 3rd bike chose me, someone threw a Motobecane Mixte in a neighborhood dumpster. I did all the checking I could to make sure it was not stollen. Came up clean. I'm having it made into a freewheel.

Trek, that's rather wasteful to turn a whole bike's worth of steel into a freewheel. Unless it's a giant freewheel. You could have a really REALLY low gear.

[Trek420]

DebW my LBS and I are debating that or a fixed gear. He says there's a hub that I could flip over and use either way?

[bike4ever]

Trek420 - flip/flop hub. Surly makes one reasonably affordable.

[light_sabe_r]

BF put me on his old mountain bike to show me what I was missing out on. After that ride my body was SOOOOO SORE I could hardly move for a week!

That when I decided I needed a bike. So I started researching.

BF got me "fitted" and put me on a few road bikes (trek) I felt so overwhelmed and shocked at the price! I was a beginner! What if I didn't even like cycling??

Then I knuckled down. Researched a lot of women's bikes, went to a lot of stores then decided I wanted a step through while I was learning to ride again. And I needed to be able to lift it into my car (because at that stage I lived with my parents WAYYYY out of the city)

I looked at may different types, Wound up with Jamis Tangier. ^_^ I've now done 1035km on him and I've only had him since June 26... WOOHOO

Now as for picking my new roadie, I've test ridden a whole heap of different bikes, But SUB is the best thing I've ridden! Let's just say she fits and she handles like a dream. I want her because Jamis is hard to get up hills, but I CAN get up those hills which two months ago I would have walked.

[7rider]

I really don't have any women cycling friends around to discuss bikes with, so I was wondering how you all chose what you ride? I know absolutely nothing about bikes other than my Giant. Did you visit different shops and ride what they had available? Living in Phoenix, I am lucky to have a lot of shops around, but some of the people in some of the shops talk down to me or don't seem to have the time for me. The shop I bought my present bike from has great people and I'll probably go back there to talk to them first, but I don't want to limit my options, either.
Any suggestions?

My early bikes were hand-me-downs from my older sister (who is shorter than me and the bikes were always too small) in her efforts to get me to do something active (I was a major couch potato through college).
While working, I lost a whole lot of weight and discovered exercise. Walking was too slow/boring, I can't run to save my life, and I was being treated for a back injury by my chiropractor. He recommended a hybrid bike. So, I just visited local shops and rode a lot around the parking lots. Ended up with a Miyata. Loved it.
A few years later, that was stolen. I caught an article in Bicycling Magazine about a new "trend" in bikes - triple chainrings and integrated brake/shifters. They reviewed 4, including the Bianchi Eros. I went to several local shops who had those 4 (including a Giant, a Trek, and I think a Specialized that my sister ended up getting) - plus a few others of these new fangled things (this was in '95). I got the Bianchi. Loved it.
A few years later, I hook up with a weekly ride with a bike shop. I'm on my steel Bianchi with a rear rack and a headlight I forgot how to remove. The hammerhead shop riders were all on ti, aluminum, or carbon, and left my slow butt in the dust, except for my friend, the shop owner's wife, who escorted me home (I was new to the area and had no idea how to get around). I arrive back at the shop 15 minutes after everyone else (maybe more, and they were just being kind to me). Owner comes over to me. "I've got a bike for you," he said, and rolled over a ti Seven Axiom. Next week, I demo'd it and the rest, as they say, is history. Loved it.
Other bikes have come and gone. I'm still unsure about my mtb, but the rest all have one thing in common: I love 'em. If I were a better mtb'er, I'd probably love that, too.
So...moral of the story? Don't limit yourself to one brand or style of bike. Don't get hung up on "I gotta have bike x" Find a bike you LOVE to ride, because that's what it's all about.

[Dianyla]

I didn't choose the preeeccciousssssss. She chose me. Yup, pretty much jumped up on me and made me take 'er home.

[alforfun]

Only went to two bike shops. The first one, which is where my DH bought his road bike, for some reason just wouldnt give us the time of day when I went looking. Went to another bike shop (1/2 hour away), where they have treks. Tried on a few for size, really liked the WSD much better, (and I am 5 foot 8) but of course the one I wanted (the 1600) was not in stock in the WSD. Had to wait another week, but finally got the blue bird last week in Sept.

[Bluetree]

When I decided to get a road bike, I did my homework.
I asked a lot of different cyclists their opinions about makes, frames, material, gearing etc. I also found helpful information at this site: http://thebikepalace.com/page.cfm?PageID=52

When I started actively looking, I had already decided on:
• My ballpark size - I had my inseam measured
• Max. price for a starter bike: $1500
• Looking for last year's model to get a better deal
• The min. components I would settle for: 105s or Campy Veloces
• Carbon forks and a triple ring

Once I knew this, I pulled up as many bike specs as I could from the web, narrowed it down to 6-7 bikes. I then took these printouts around to experienced cyclists and asked for the pros and cons of each. Down to 4 choices.

After that, it was just a matter of calling or visiting bike shops (13 in all) to see if they had any of these bikes in my size to test out. Some bikes were prefectly fine, but as soon as I sat on them I wasn't happy. The last bike I got on, I sat on it and everything just seemed to fit perfectly. I have no explanation as to why I like it, I just did.
To make room for next year's bikes, the LBS knocked my price down from $1300 to $1000 so I have been able to put in $500 more in upgrades (carbon handlebars, etc.) All in all, a happy shopping trip!