Another newcomer

[bikingmom]

I am new to this forum and have been reading the information on bikes-great help, but I need more. This summer, my husband and I have rekindled our love of biking and both are using hybrid bikes currently (I have a Schwinn Range and he has a Trek 7200). We want to make an investment and purchase a road bike for each of us, but I am somewhat confused. The posts I have read from others has helped, but I have some additional questions....

I have looked at Trek WSD, Terry Bikes, Giant OCR3 (WSD-I think that is the correct model) and my main concerns are finding a bike that I will love (since this is like a one time investment for a few years!) and make sure I am fitted properly. We live and ride in rural Iowa on hard surfaced roads and currently ride 10-20 miles each evening and 20-40 miles on the weekend. We are steadly increasing our distance and want to be ready to do local club rides yet this year and RAGBRAI next year, so I want a bike I can comfortably ride the miles with.

I am 5'3" and have a 30" inseam. Annie, I have read your posts and since you are from Iowa, do you have any recommendations on shops to go to that specialize in fitting a woman? I have visited a couple local shops that carry Trek, Specialized, and Giant, but have not been impressed with the knowledge of the staff. I have one more to go to this evening that I am hoping will be able to fit me better and answer my questions. Also, how far do you recommend going when "testing" a bike-at first, I felt guilty going more than around the block, but after reading the posts, (and thinking about the money I am going to spend) I probably should be doing more of a test.

Any guidance and help for a newcomer would be greatly appreciated....
Thanks!

[jobob]

We live and ride in rural Iowa on hard surfaced roads and currently ride 10-20 miles each evening and 20-40 miles on the weekend. We are steadly increasing our distance and want to be ready to do local club rides yet this year ...

Hi bm, and welcome !

Does your local club have beginner rides, or 'get acquainted' rides, that sort of thing? Many clubs have short (20 miles or less), relatively slow-paced rides on their schedules, and it sounds like you and your husband could handle those just fine.

One of the many benefits of club rides is to see for yourself what kinds of bikes other people are riding, and you can ask questions about their bikes - what they like, what they don't like, what they would have done differently had they known what they know now, that sort of thing. Trust me, any biker worth her salt will looove to talk about her bike.

And, you can pick up bike shop recomendations too.

You didn't mention this, but just in case this is in the back of your mind ... don't worry that, just because it isn't a road bike, your current bike isn't the 'right kind' of bike to go on club rides. I see lots of hybrid and mountain bikes on club rides - in fact, a lot of women rode the Cinderella metric century last sping on hybrids and mtn bikes (whether they finished the ride, that I do not know).

As for how long to test ride ... that's a tough one, simply because, at least in my experience, in first going from a hybrid to a road bike, the position on the road bike was so different that everything felt weird to me at first. I guess that underscores the importance of having someone who knows what they're doing fit you properly in the first place! But even once you have a bike that's reasonably good-fitting, you will most likely need to tweak the adjustments - handlebar height, saddle height, saddle tilt, etc. - to dial-in the fit, and that could take a couple of weeks. Once you're accustomed to riding on a road bike you will know what works and what doesn't work for you. But that's what makes that first road bike purchase kind of tricky...

Oy, where am I going with this ... take as long as you need for the test ride, and as long as you are comfortable with. Once around the block sounds a bit short, although you're probably riding in an unfamiliar area, on an unfamiliar bike, gee no stress there but if you're a little concerned about going out very far in an unfamiliar area, then just ride around the same block a few times - in both directions. Nothing to feel guilty about - they probably have your driver's license, so it's not like you're going to run off with the bike, and it's part of doing business for the shop, so don't sweat it - would an auto dealer expect you to only drive around the block when you're test driving a car?

OK, enough random babble from me, hope something in this helps...

- Jo.

[Pedal Wench]

I was riding a men's hybrid for a while, and I always had aches and pains.

Last year, I bought a Cannondale R1000 Fem, their version of WSD. I loved it so much, I just bought another one!

When I was shopping, I really looked at a Trek too, but I seemed to be in between their sizes, and the Cannondale was just right. Someone else mentioned that when you find the 'one', you just know it.

[pedalfaster]

Don't be shy on those test-rides. You are right...you are about to drop a lot of cash and need to make an informed decision.

I like customers who ask a lot of questions and who take the bike out for at least a good 20 or 30 minutes. If something is "wrong" with the bike (poor shifting, saddle height wrong etc) I want to know about it so that we can fix it.

As mentioned, all road bikes are going to feel slightly odd after riding hybrids. Keep test-riding and be sure to run through the gears. Ride in the drops, on the hoods and on the flats. Take a few corners at speed. Find a hill or rise and do some standing.

A decent salesperson should either put you on the bike on a trainer or come outside and have you ride around a bit to get an idea about the fit.

Good luck and have fun shopppping !

[bikingmom]

Thanks for all the great information-it will help me as I decide what kind of road bike to go with. As I continue to shop (and probably have more questions!) I will ask the pros here!

Thanks,
bikingmom

[tricycling]

Im no pro and about 2 months late since I see you posted in July. Even though I havnt rode any other bike, I can say that I love my Giant OCR3. I am 5'3- I purchased a small lightblue giant OCR3- a match made in heaven :P. I like the fit- its not huge and bulky- but its not too small either- its great.
I think its a great price for a road bike to start with, I got mine for $599 (Which a month later went down to $499- whats up with that!?)
But I think its a great bike but still- look around.

I dont know- maybe you already purchased a bike.... if so, which one?
:P

Take care,
Shannon

[bikingmom]

Thanks for responding to me about the Giant OCR 3-no, I am still looking and was checking out the 2005 Trek line, but still keep coming back to the OCR 3. I am dealing with a couple of dealers who have this bike and will make a decision very soon!

I am glad to hear you love yours...my test ride on this bike was really great and felt very good...it always reassuring to hear that someone has purchased the model you are looking at and loving it!


Thanks again.

[spazzdog]

Hi Biking Mom.

I rode a TREK 1000 from 1989 through 2000. Back then it carried Suntour components (no longer). The 2005 looks pretty good for a starter bike under $600. I did lots of distance on my old one.

The WSD 1500 also looks real nice; has some carbon and a higher grade of components plus it's a women specific design (WSD). The price is a bit higher at just over $1K.

If you go with a 2004 model, you might be able to get a great deal at this point, what with the 2005's coming out.

I always liked the TREK products... I just happened to walk into a great deal on a Specialized when it was time for me to buy, plus I'm very comfortable on a men's frame (52cm). I'm 5'7" with a 32" inseam.