My road bike does not fit. Help.

[Triskeliongirl]

You should be able to pick up a 2001-2004 symetry on ebay or at the terry buy/sell site for ~$300-400, so perhaps your best bet is to watch ebay for that. Look over the geometry charts to see if you prefer a 19" (73 degree STA w 49 cm top tube) or 20". I find going down a size is fine as long as you can get your saddle and bars high enough, cuz then you can use a longer stem for better handling. You can always turn them around at the terry site if they don't work out for you. There are 2, 19" bikes now at the webiste, yes their prices are high but maybe they'll negoitate if they aren't moving. I think the 2001-2003 isis and symetry in steel are just wonderful bikes.

[xeney]

I did go to a local Terry dealer and look at the bikes. They don't stock them in my size, and the owner does not think that a Terry will work for me; he says my proportions are wrong and that they rarely work for women of my height. He tried me on an Orbea and it felt like a good fit, but I really can't afford it right now so I don't think I am going to go take a real test ride or have a real fitting immediately, because if I like it that will just break my heart. I may buy a frameset from him and swap the components over from my Bianchi at some point, though.

SadieKate, even I am avoiding the bike trail! Not because of the kids and the slow people (I am one of them), but because of the stupid puncture vine. It is everywhere this year. Changing flats makes for a good upper body workout but I'd rather just lift weights.

[xeney]

An update: the new stem FINALLY showed up, and my husband put the Bianchi together with the set-back seatpost, a new Fizik Vitesse saddle (it had the most fore-aft adjustability of any women's saddle we found, and it seems to be a good fit for me all around), and the super-short stem. Five centimeters. It looks ridiculous but it did the trick. We've got KOPS, we've got a ninety-degree angle at my shoulders when I'm on the hoods, I can reach the drops. It's far from perfect -- five centimeters is a crazy short stem, and the front hub is not obscured when I'm in the drops, but it is very rideable.

The steering is a little squirrely when I'm up on the top bar, but not noticeable on the hoods. I think it's just completely compensated for by the fact that I can actually reach the hoods without stretching.

I will get a new bike eventually (and give this one to my husband) but this will work for now. Thanks for all your help, everyone.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

If it RIDES good and you FEEL good....it IS good! Forget about rules concerning obscuring your hub view, etc.
Comfortable body position, balance, and ease of reach is what counts. A good position allows your arms and legs to work and move smoothly and efficiently, achieving their intended tasks without cramps, pain or numbness.

Give us another update in a few days on how you feel riding it! I'd be interested in seeing whether you like it as much as I like mine. I got used to the tighter steering arc (some refer to it as "squirrely") in about 2 days- now I like it better than the old wide-arc steering of the long stem I had. Less wasted bar swinging movements when traversing gravel roads with stones everywhere.

"Another satisfied 5cm Stem customer" -Lisa "Squirrely" Johnson