Quote Originally Posted by Irulan View Post
I think it's important to not use a broad brush here. Most of my local shops understand pretty well what women want/need, and the broader community as a whole ( not just road riding). Just because it's not happening in your community doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
I agree, but I think it's regional. The guy who did my fitting at my LBS, when I mentioned something about it being hard to find WSD bikes, even in that LBS (the area's largest), said that they'd love to offer more things that aren't pastel cruisers or lower-end road bikes (not that there's anything wrong with either of these!) but from a business perspective they have a hard time justifying it because they don't move as fast. They're trying to have a frame in each size that's representative of the line at least somewhere in their system, but it still means that you either have to drive all over the region or wait several days to be able to test it.
But then, this is bass-ackward Ohio, so I'm sure it's better in the PNW and other more bike-friendly parts of the country.