How did you choose your bike?

[mimitabby]

I'm glad you brought this up.
One day a few years ago, my husband took me into a bike shop and put me on a bike and said happy mother's day. It's a nice bike, a lightweight raleigh hybrid. But it wasn't MY choice and it wasn't My idea, so even though i did appreciate it (I rode it on the STP a 200 mile ride) it left me wanting a bike of my own,,, that was really MY idea, etc etc.

I measured myself and decided that I was a 49cm person, and found a Bianchi Veloce on ebay and bought it. It's a way cool bike. it's the first road bike i ever had, and i'm still learning to ride it. I spent a fortune getting it to fit me. then purely by accident i got onto a Bianchi Volpe 44cm bike and discovered that
it felt QUITE DIFFERENT in a good way. I test rode the Volpe yesterday and yup, it's probably the right size for me. It was really funny, the volpe has shimano components and i couldn't figure out how to work the shifters.
I had to roll it back to the store and get a little lesson before i could ride it!
The owner of the LBS said to me, as you get to know bikes, you make discoveries along the way; that bikes you previously thought fit you well didn't. It's an experiential thing, a process.
when we were kids, and tremendously resilient and flexible, we could ride any size bike. But then again, did we ride 40 miles or 100 miles in a day? Probably not!

Your Giant has taken you this far down the road. Maybe now it's time to get a different bike. Try not to rush into it. But listen to the gals on here. Some of them have SEVERAL bikes now.

[jenxxs]

I agree entirely with mimitabby that it's a self-discovery process, and how you learn to find your bikes will be similar to how you like to learn about other things. Myself - I'm a very self-reliant learner, and so I enjoy trying to figure out things like bike fit by doing my own research -- including joining this great forum! -- while others would prefer to seek professional assistance from the get-go. I also have no hesitation about buying/selling used stuff in general, so it was natural for me to experiment with bikes by buying and selling online. Many others, of course, prefer going the local route so that they can test-ride as extensively as possible. Everyone's got their own style of learning, and shopping!

I also agree that it's very important to work with the LBS that makes you feel like a valued customer. I have a lot of highly reputable LBSs in my area, but I ended up going with a tiny shop that doesn't carry a lot of bikes, just because the owner treats me really well and is willing to work with the way I like to learn. Meaning, he's not offended if I bring him bikes and parts that I've researched and bought on my own - but he will not hesitate to offer his advice to me at the same time. It's a good dynamic where it feels like we're both learning from each other.

[paigette]

I went to 2 LBS' (when I lived in Corpus) and even went to Houston(hometown) to search their bike shops. I tried about 8-10 different bikes, women specific & men's specific. Like you, I wanted a starter bike, but at the time knew I would probably/possible want to upgrade in the future. I ended up with the men's Giant OCR 3.....it was just the most comfortable for me, in my price range. I've only changed out the pedals & seat, but the way my body is shaped, it fits me to a tee

As for my mountain bike....it seems to be a slightly different process. I'm now in Aggieland & when I explained what I wanted, the guy told me he didn't have anything in my size, but did my measurements & currently has 3 bikes on order for me to try out. I've already put down a deposit, so I will go with him(he offers lifetime maintenance) and when those 3 arrive, I'll go from there.

Anyway, good luck, but definitely shop around!

[mimitabby]

. I've only changed out the pedals & seat, but the way my body is shaped, it fits me to a tee

Anyway, good luck, but definitely shop around!

See, here's the thing. After riding with straight handlebars for my whole life, i really had no idea what a road bike was supposed to feel like... as i said, i'm still figuring it out. All i knew was that pain was unacceptable. Once i got the bike to the no-pain condition, i could start focussing on other stuff, like how it felt to handle on hills, bumps, curves...stopping..

[kaybee]

Mt, the same thing happened to me! I walked into a bike shop, not knowing anything about fit and not wanting to spend too much money on a bike I wasn't sure I would ride. I also ended up with an OCR3 that was too big for me, rode it a year and finally figured out it was too big. I now have a WSD bike, and it's much more comfortable, and I'm much happier. Ride lots of different bikes, pay for a fitting if you have to, and read everything you can get your hands on (there's a ton of stuff here). The bottom line, though, is fit. It should just feel right, like slipping into your favorite pair of jeans. Good luck and let us know what you decide.

KB

[mtkitchn]

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions! I think I will definitely look at WSD bikes since I've got a very short torso.
Mimi, you hit it spot on about riding when we were kids! My body could do anything back then. Unfortunately, for the past year in the back of my mind this little voice kept saying "no pain, no gain", but I think I'd be a lot happier if I had the perfect bike for ME.
I have a big "test" to pass on Nov 17, and I think I'm going to buy myself a new bike if I pass! In the meantime I'm going to check out the local shops. I see that a couple of you like the Bianchi....any other favorites out there?
And any other 5'2" gals that can give me a ballpark size bike that you ride?

[emily_in_nc]

Hi mtkitchn,

I'm 5'2" and a half (!!!), and I have comfortably ridden bikes in the 44.5 cm (Terry Isis) to 46 cm (Aegis Swift) range. Basically, I need a bike with a top tube around 19" or just a wee bit longer so that I can get a long enough stem on the bike for good handling. I would have probably been more comfy on the 44 cm Swift as the standover of the 46 cm is just a little high for me (it has a flat, not a slanted) top tube. So....I'd say I am probably a 44 cm gal. My inseam is around 28" to 28.5", depending on who is doing the measuring. I also like short and shallow handlebars (have Salsa Pocos on my Swift and Bike Friday) and prefer Campy to Shimano, though I have bikes with both.

Anyway, this is just a ballpark for you -- I know some gals my height who ride 48-49 cm bikes, but not this chick!

Emily