bike decisions and training with little ones

[Saeri]

Hi! I'm new here but have a long term goal to get involved in triathlons. I've been running for a year or two but I'm not a strong runner and admittedly am a little thick at the moment after having kids.

Before kids, 2 yrs ago, I biked a lot. I miss the days of being a bicycle commuter and going out for long rides after work. No matter what, I want something faster than my 15 yr old beat up mountain bike. I've never owned a road bike but I'm thinking about purchasing a Fuji Cross Pro or a Fuji Aloha 2.0 bike to get me started. Does anyone have any advice or experience with either of those bikes? I'm 5'3" with a 30" inseam and am pretty certain I'm looking at a 52" frame by the way things feel. I'm going out again tomorrow to look around some more. I'm mostly looking at Fuji simply because I have a friend who can get me a pro deal on a bike and it is a company with a solid reputation. I have been periodically checking Craigslist and other places also looking for a deal. I'm simply just not educated enough to know what it is that I want. I feel like I'm making a major life commitment and I want to choose something I will feel good about for a long time. Maybe I should be just looking at dedicated road bikes instead of a starter tri bike or a cyclocross type of bike? What would be most useful for someone who is starting as a road biker and headed towards triathlon training?

I went to 2 different bike shops yesterday that generally have good reputations and pretty much got blown off by the workers at both stores. One carried Fuji bikes (I already knew they did when I got there) and the other did not. The bikes I am interested in were not in stock. I flagged guys down at both places and pretty much got no help. When I asked a guy to tell me a little about the bikes all he told me was that the company has been around for 100 years in a patronizing tone and asked if I had any more questions. I realize this is partly because I had an infant and a toddler in tow (both quiet and well behaved, but nonetheless... little kids are deterrents to salesmen). When I'm not working and my husband isn't home I have them with me. When I go out to look for bikes he doesn't want to be left at home so I'm kinda stuck on bringing them. For the next year or two I will probably be towing them in a bike trailer also while I'm training fairly frequently. I realize this probably isn't the standard way to train but if nothing else the added weight makes for a killer workout. I already push them when I'm running which is harder than it looks. Anyone ever dealt with this situation?

[Zen]

Your children should have no bearing on how a salesman treats you.
These are not the shops you want to patronize.
Fuji would be a great starter bike, though. Any other shops within a reasonable radius?

I'm 5'3" with a 30" inseam and am pretty certain I'm looking at a 52" frame by the way things feel.

That sounds off to me. I'm 5'2, 29" inseam and I think I'm a 47.

[Bike Chick]

I agree. I'm 5'3" with a 30" inseam and there is no way I could ride a 52. I would look for another bike shop--one that wants your business, will give you a proper fit and will encourage you in your efforts.

[Biciclista]

I agree with Zen, that sounds like a very big bike for someone our size. (I am 5'3.5")

if the salesman blows you off, ask to speak to a manager.

[Saeri]

Thanks for the fast reply. Originally I was looking at a 48" frame versus a 50" frame. I came up with the number 52" by measuring practically every piece of me and putting it into a fit calculator. I guess a 52" might be a little more than I can handle Ideally I will get some help from a sales guy who is less patronizing and more informative tomorrow. I called a buddy about the guy who really annoyed me. I guess he has heard about him before and unfortunately on a Saturday afternoon it was difficult to get any attention. I'm taking a more knowledgeable friend tomorrow in my continuing search for the perfect mate (I mean bike) for my endeavors.

Any thoughts on looking strictly at road bikes versus tri specific bikes since I'm just starting out?

[Saeri]

Luckily where I live there are plenty of places to deal with. I agree that it is never a good idea to buy from a place that doesn't treat a customer with a reasonable amount of decency. I'm not deterred though.

[Saeri]

I'm in the Boise area and am mostly dealing with George's and Bob's. I'm probably going to a different George's tomorrow and back to Bob's where I will purposely seek out a particular person I was told to talk to. I'm also going to check out a new store that opened on State. Thank you for suggesting the road bike instead of the entry tri. I know I can always get a tri later but I wasn't sure if I should just start with one since I'm certain this is the direction I'm headed.

[divingbiker]

If you're going to be towing your kids, you definitely want a road bike, not a tri bike.

[tulip]

If you go on a Saturday or Sunday, understand that the LBS (Local Bike Shop) will likely be busy and you won't get the attention you are expecting. Not all shops are like that, but many are. Also, will you actually be buying a bike from the LBS? You mentioned your friend who could get you a pro-deal. If you are just looking for the right bike at the LBS, but will buy it elsewhere, you might have a problem there. The LBS needs to make sales, and so if you take up alot of time with no intention of ever buying a bike from them, then that's really not very cool. You could partially make amends by buying all of your accessories at the LBS, but I hope you reconsider your decision about supporting your LBS. It will also open up many more bike options; the Fuji might not be the best bike for you.

If you do intend on spending alot of time looking for and trying bikes, I hope you consider leaving your kids with your Other Half. You cannot test ride bikes if you have your kids there--who will watch them?

52cm will be too big. If you want to tow kids, be sure to say that up front to make sure to look at appropriate bikes. Get a bike for now. A few years later when you are not towing kids, you can get a new bike that is more appropriate for your riding at that time.

[jenniferh]

I have 3 kids (4yr, 2yr and 11mo) and I got the same things when bike shopping recently. It's almost like I can't seriously be planning to ride a road bike (alone even) with that many little kids. I make it work becuase I love it so to heck with the salesman. I ended up buying my bike from a Lbs that treated me nicely instead of a bigger one becuase they blew me off.

I ride a 52" (not wsd) and I have a 31" inseam and I'm 5ft5in. Good luck on your shopping trips. Mom's like us need to make being active mom's the norm. Just because you have kids doesn't mean we shoud sit at home.

[Saeri]

I started bike shopping at 10 am this morning and didn't stop until 7pm. I was lucky enough to have the day off and recruited a guy friend to come along with me. I still had the kiddos with me since the other half was at work. Saturday was definitely the biggest factor. I probably didn't look like a serious buyer with the kids in tow on a Saturday but on Monday without much competition for attention I was able to get plenty. It was really a great day. I went back to the place that left me the most displeased even and had 2 guys trying to help me this time around but I felt more like I was their daughter looking for a cute bike than someone looking for a pretty decent bike. I probably totally wasted my time and their by going there but it did help me to rule out Fuji and Giant. I started and ended my morning on a 2011 Specialized Dolce Elite. At the end of the day I feel ready to commit to a 2010 Specialized Dolce Comp. I rode it a couple times also and compared it to practically everything I could get my hands on. I rode a Cannondale that was full carbon, a couple Treks with carbon forks and aluminum frames, a couple Fujis, a Giant, and a few models in the Dolce line up.

Everyone pretty much consistently put me on a 50" or a 51" frame at my nearly 5'3" state I decided to try out a 48" and it really was weirdly uncomfortable to me. Since I keep coming back to that one bike. It must be love Plus I accidentally left my cell phone in the store and didn't realize it until I got to the next store. By the time I returned they were closed. This must be a sign I can't wait to go pick up my bike!

Thank you girls!

[Saeri]

I ride a 52" (not wsd) and I have a 31" inseam and I'm 5ft5in. Good luck on your shopping trips. Mom's like us need to make being active mom's the norm. Just because you have kids doesn't mean we shoud sit at home.

Especially since kids learn by example! I have no interest in raising little home bodies. The world is far to interesting and we have to get out there

[colby]

Everyone pretty much consistently put me on a 50" or a 51" frame at my nearly 5'3" state I decided to try out a 48" and it really was weirdly uncomfortable to me. Since I keep coming back to that one bike. It must be love Plus I accidentally left my cell phone in the store and didn't realize it until I got to the next store. By the time I returned they were closed. This must be a sign I can't wait to go pick up my bike!

Thank you girls!

It must be love... I'm sure it was a long day, but your body will thank you.

[moonfroggy]

definitely make sure the bike can tow a trailer. i tow my son in a trailer on my mountain bike and it works fine i can even take him on trails! but a road bike would work well too. realize that towing little ones and training will not be that compatible unless they really like the trailer or if they like napping (and can nap at the same time) in the trailer. i have a friend who can watch my son a few hours a week and my husband watches him some on weekend i probably manage 6 hours on a good week right now and most weeks maybe 3 or 4 hours. that's not pulling the trailer and on my luna. pulling the trailer it ranges from zilch to an hour a day or more but that is completely dependent on my son and usually i am taking him fun places like berry picking or playground. one thing i have discovered is that now that he can ride a balance bike he loves to go to the playground he can ride his bike and i can ride my bmx around! really fun. that can keep us both entertained for a long time. now that school has started we can't use the elementary school with the big blacktop unless it is weekend or after school. i am looking forward to school holidays so we can play on that blacktop.

you may want to choose what trailer you will be towing so that you can be certain the hitch will work with your new bike.

[Nutmeg]

This has been a great thread to read! I have the same goal and have just had my second baby in 3 years. The older one is almost 2 and the younger is 3 months. I've been wondering about training with the trailer too. I'll keep lurking here to learn more