I am ready for my first road bike

[ivorygorgon]

I went to my first spin class oh, probably in April, 2008. That began a slow slide into a love affair with bikes. I bought my first mountain bike (Gary Fisher Tassajara) in February, 2009. We just bought DH his first road bike (Trek 2.3). So begins my search for my first road bike.

Here are three that I am looking at. I am having a lot of trouble with the mountain bike because there is simply too much reach. We are still tweaking, but in my heart I know I will have to buy a different MTB bike some day. I want to avoid that and keep my road bike as long as possible, so I am looking at mostly the the WSDs. I seem to have a fairly short torso and shorter arm reach. We will do complete measurements before I buy.

Here are the current candidates:

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes..._series/21wsd/

http://blackmountainbicycles.com/pro...ct-47757-1.htm

http://www.konaworld.com/bike.cfm?content=lisard

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/...ed/3881/36262/

I will be riding all of them, but just wanted to hear thoughts!!

[Biciclista]

What a nice selection of bikes! I am happy to see that there are so many choices now.
You know what I'm going to say? you have to ride them and decide. compare their components to see which is the best deal. good luck.

[zoom-zoom]

Also in that price range is the Cannondale Synapse Féminine 5.

I haven't been able to do too many outdoor rides with it, but love it on the trainer and can't wait for Spring and roads free from snow and ice.

[sundial]

Ivory, those bikes are very beautiful. I like the color of the Trek bike--it looks so cheery. Let us know how your test ride goes.

I know you are interested in a road bike but since you have a mtb, I wanted to share something that I encountered with mine.

I bought a commuter bike, a Specialized Globe Vienna, last year as my doggie exerciser/noodle around the 'hood bike. I parked it by my mtb Epic and got to looking at both of the geometries. Surprisingly, the Globe's was almost identical to the Epic. I think the top tube was .5 cm less on the Globe.

[Ritamarie]

Also in that price range is the Cannondale Synapse Féminine 5.

Yes, please add this to your list of bikes to try. When I was shopping I tried the Synapse Fem 5 alongside another not-to-be-named $4000 WSD bicycle. I took both bikes for back-to-back 10 mile hilly rides. The Fem 5 (at 5 pounds heavier) won hands down. I ended up buying a Fem 1 which, after 5000 miles, I am still in bike love with, but I would have bought that Fem 5 in a heartbeat over the other more expensive bike!

[MartianDestiny]

All nice bikes.

I would like to make one comment about your problems with the Mountain bike and WSD:

Don't base a "need" for WSD on an ill fitting Gary Fisher. His mountain bikes are KNOWN for their longer top tubes...even for men. Do look at WSD by all means, but don't be afraid to test ride the similarly sized "men's" bike as well.

O, and if you have a Scott dealer around you I'd at the Speedster (both unisex and feminine) to your list of bikes to try.

[moderncyclista]

If I were to get a true "road bike" I'd probably get the Specialized Dolce. When I was looking into getting a touring bike, I test rode pretty much every bike my LBS had. (They get a commission if they sell something they have in stock.) I had them special order my 520.

Point being, I rode Trek, I rode Giant, I rode Specialized (didn't have any Kona's) Out of all of those the Dolce was like buttah. Smooth, responsive, I felt like I was gliding. I rode the Dolce elite with carbon fork and zertz anti-vibration in the seat stays. I almost got it, then I remembered that I wanted a "touring bike."

Specialized almost got me though, and maybe someday....

Just my personal feelings though. I agree with everyone else - test ride, test ride, test ride.

I'm not a fan of Giant. Their sizing is sooooo limited it makes it hard to find one that fits. Anyhow there are my two cents. (for what they're worth - conversion rates may vary.)

[Owlie]

I've got an Avail 3 (same frame as the Giant you're looking at, but lower end components), and I love it. Yes, I'm looking at buying road bike number two, but if I had to do it again, I'd have bought the 1. And I like the new color.
BF would like to second (third?) the recommendation on the Cannondale, by the way.

[ivorygorgon]

Thank you all so much for your thoughtful comments. They are just exactly what I was looking for! Keep 'em coming!

I tried the Trek tonight, and it felt really good. It gave me my "biker's smile" in about 30 seconds.

DH is out testing his new Trek 2.3 right now. He is so cute, like a little boy. I am jealous. I want mine already, but I want to be really careful and get the right bike!

[marni]

I ride a Trek pilot 5.2 which is my first and only road bike. I have done 3 cross coutry rides on it, from New Orleans to Lake Itasca along the Mississippi, from Mobile to Niagara Falls and this last summer from San Diego to St. Augustine, and other than replacinng stretched cables, chains, bar tape, worn brakes and worn seat I am still on the original crank, bontrager wheels, second set of bontrager tires and shimano ultegra rear derailleiur. I had it professionally fitted after the first time I broke my ribs. I love it dearly and do about 5,000 miles a year which makes about 27,000 miles on it. Like you, I rode it after trying many, loved it and bought it. I keep telling my kids and husband that for my 65th birthday, I want a trek madone 6.5 or a candy apple red jeep wrangler but I'm not sure I will ever love any other bike as much as I love my "bebe".

[MommyBird]

After a 20+ year break I began road biking again last October. I have a Cannondale Synapse similar to Zoom-Zoom.
I love it.
It was a toss-up between the Synapse Carbon 6 with Tiagra or the the Synapse 5 with 105s.
I went with the carbon frame since it would be kinder to my almost 50 year old body.
I don't mind the downgrade in components because the Tiagra has little windows that give you an idea of what gear you are in.
Mine is Egyptian Blue like Zoom-Zooms. For some reason the Carbon 6 doesn't look as pretty on the Cannondale website but it is that same vibrant blue as the 5.
You will enjoy riding with your DH. Mine got really serious about his riding about the same time I quit 20 years ago. Now, since he is stronger and rides longer than me, he goes out and hammers first and then comes home and we go out together for a more leisurely ride. This works great for us since we live in a rural area. We are so thankful to have this special time together.
It is great that you guys are getting into riding at the same time!

[bikerchic]

All nice bikes.

I would like to make one comment about your problems with the Mountain bike and WSD:

Don't base a "need" for WSD on an ill fitting Gary Fisher. His mountain bikes are KNOWN for their longer top tubes...even for men. Do look at WSD by all means, but don't be afraid to test ride the similarly sized "men's" bike as well.

O, and if you have a Scott dealer around you I'd at the Speedster (both unisex and feminine) to your list of bikes to try.

OMG true that! I met Gary Fisher in person and have somewhere in my mess a pic of me standing next to him he's 6'7"! Hence the longer top tubes on his bikes!
I remember trying one out when I was looking for a MTB it was an X-small and I so wanted that bike but it was too big for me and I'm 5'4" so not really short for a woman. I ended up getting a small Trek and it fit fine.

LOL I just had to comment on the GF long tube thingy, he's a cool dude in person, very friendly!

[Kelly126]

Have you bought your bike yet? I went through the same search for the last year or so, but became really serious about it at the beginning of the year. Although I like the geometry of the Specialized Dolce, the price to get the Shimano components made the purchase price more than what I was comfortable paying. I ended up with the exact same Giant Avail that you are/were looking at and the tangerine is indeed sassy looking. The bike shop I made my purchase from exchanged the stock stem for a shorter one, thereby bringing my handlebars closer to my body, which for me, makes my ride more comfortable and seems a bit more like the Dolce. I'm still grappling with the seat that came with my bike as apparently I have wide "sit bones" (otherwise known as a large butt). I have been looking lustfully at the Brooks Saddles, but am unsure of whether I think they are really better than other saddles or I just think they sound cool. If you have any questions about the bike, feel free to ask.

[Sylvia]

Terry just recently put up a fit calculator on their website. You might be able to use it to compare your current bike to one of theirs. Or when you try out the bikes you mention, if you get their measurements, you might be able to see how they compare.

http://www.terrybicycles.com/cycling_savvy/fittool

[ivorygorgon]

I bought this one:

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes..._series/21wsd/

and I really love it. I still have to work out some saddle issues, but I am confident I will be able to do that. I have been on a couple of decent length rides so far (25 and 32) and did have some soreness in my soft tissues, but the fit of the bike is so good for me. I love it.

I tried the Giant, but it just didn't feel right.