I could buy secondhand, I guess, but I'm not sure I know enough yet. Secondhand 29-inch small-framed bikes are pretty hard to come by, too - even in Colorado.

I think what I will probably end up doing is buying the cheaper model of the Kona that I rented. It shouldn't feel that different, right? And I can always upgrade components later.

Or else one of the shops here has another demo day coming up this month and I can keep my fingers crossed for that.

Offhand, here's a funny little story. I stopped at a shop somewhere near Glenwood Springs (I think) on a trip the other day, to ask whether they demo bikes and what they usually carried. The guy looks at me suspiciously and says, "well, we do, but I don't have no women's bikes at all." It didn't even cross his mind that it might possibly be ok to ride a bike designed for a guy!