WSD bikes and Cranky LBS owner

[laughlaugh18]

I love, love, love my 15" WSD Trek 7.5fx (which is a hybrid, not a road bike). I'm 5'2" and have neck/shoulder issues as well. My LBS let me try the 7.5fx in WSD and non-WSD version, and I test rode a bunch of other bikes at a bunch of places. The WSD was clearly more comfortable for me, and even with that we still put a shorter stem on it. My LBS had nothing bad to say about WSD bikes (but I wasn't looking at the Pilot so I don't know what they thought about it).

Sounds like this guy is like oh so many Trek dealers I've dealt with - incredibly rude and snobby. I vote for ignore!

[FloridaGal]

LBS has several WSD bikes. I have riden a few. The one I have riden and loved is the Lemond Tourmalet. I really don't want bike with handlebars that are too low because of my neck/shoulder problems . I am leaning towards the Lemond but I really want to compare it to a pilot and no one seems tohave any now.

[esther231]

I have the Pilot WSD 1.2 47 and am very happy with it. It fits my body really well. I'm short - 5' 1". I'm long waisted for my height.

What I truly love about it is how upright I can be on it when I'm on the top of the handle bar. I'm completely upright. When I'm on the hoods, I can bend down well into them with my arms relaxed. And when I'm in the drops, I'm bent as much as I can be. It just fits me. I think that's the most important thing about any bike for any rider.

No matter what it's called.

[caligurl]

all 3 of my bikes are WSD.... but from specialized.... i don't know if my LBS has an aversion to trek WSD..... but they sure do love and talk up specialized! but that could be just to me... cuz they know i'm a fan (and that i'm lusting after the new WSD s-works! lol!)

they sell both trek and specialized.....

[whateveronfire]

I just finished helping a friend buy a Pilot 1.2 at a Trek-only store near his house. They're a Trek concept store and were VERY pro-Pilot. He's just getting back into riding and it seemed like a good choice for him.

The LBS I bought my bike from is a big Trek dealer and they were very pro-WSD. I don't need a WSD because I'm 5'8" and the LeMond fits me better than any other bike. (The guy actually laughed when he saw how I had my Trek 1200 set-up--he said it looked just like a LeMond set-up with the setback, etc.)

Anyway, I wouldn't buy from a dealer who dissed his/her own brands on the phone.

[tygab]

... and I love it also. I am 5'3 and my LBS spent a goodly amount of time fitting me, adjusting seat, bars and so on.

I am also of the opinion that there are different bikes for different people, and to presume all WSD bikes won't work for all women, seems a bit odd. I certainly wouldn't go to an LBS you don't feel comfortable with.

My very far removed interpretation of the situation is that the bike guy is saying something like "I know what they do to a bike to make it a women's bike and I can do all that too because <my words here> I am a smart bike guy." This I think assumes the frame sizing doesn't matter, but the components can be swapped around. Which may be the case, but if so, is he packaging some of his in stock bikes so adapted for this set of customers to come in and try out? If not, how does he expect to service those who are small and/or have shorter arm reach?

All that said, I was disappointed to realize the Specialized women's bike which had similar componentry and frame qualities to my husband's model was nearly 700-800 dollars more at my LBS. For what I cannot tell you. I did not see this problem in the Trek line and felt for the money I paid, I was getting a bike every bit as good as their men's cycles at that price point.

I think my bike meets all my current needs, which is that of a newbie but a fairly serious one. I will have to see in a few years thoguh if there will be things I want in a road bike that my current bike can't offer and that somehow I can justify spending for. Who knows... I already have drooled at several carbon fiber frames and some of the 'niche' builders but have told myself I have to do a lot more riding before I can entertain such things. It's always fun to imagine I am an advanced rider who will actually notice the difference in these things, but right now I am just a hill slug.

[mimitabby]

the guy at my LBS seemed to think that the trek WSD's were just the thing for my 5 foot tall neice.

[snapdragen]

Sounds like one of the LBS's near me. Only this guy refuses to carry anything but road bikes and mountain bikes. Hybrids are a waste of time in his opinion - just a marketing tool.

[Commit2BFit]

I bought a Pilot 5.2 WSD this year. I absolutely love it.

I am 5'4" and long waisted, but I still have a terrible time finding a bike with a comfortable top tube length. My LBS thought they could fit me on standard Pilot, but they agreed the WSD was a better fit.

I love the more upright riding position of the Pilot. I am properly positioned for an efficent pedal stroke and the smaller STI shifters are a godsend. I have small hands and riding with the standard size STI was painful.

My previous bike is a Sequoia Elite, which is a great bike, but it just doesn't fit like the Pilot.