My story starts out unusual, but it's not too different. I started out on spin bikes beause of injuries that took out weight-bearing exercise. The bikes helped that part, but as I got into better cycling shape and learned about how to train like a cyclist indoors versus doing all the aerobics class stuff (most of which I couldn't do because it was too much hard work out of the saddle), I started to learn how cycling would already add to my colored injury history. From researching and getting advice from fit experts plus spending time with my physical therapist, I knew how my cleats needed to be positioned and somewhat how the bike should fit to keep overuse injuries at bay as much as possible. Given the infinite fit adjustments you can make on a real bike versus an indoor bike, I knew at least how I wanted the bike to make my body feel. This led me to consider full carbon bikes and certain other componentry features. As for the total package, I wanted a bike that I could improve on but wouldn't be too agressive. And I also place a high value on quality--what's the most bike I can get for a good price, staying below where the prices start to get obscene.

So I made a few trips around to the shops and just talked to people. I learned which shops had good maintenance and service policies, which ones might cut me some deals, and which ones were snobby and treated me like an idiot. Then I started asking about the different brands and price levels and components.

I figured out some bikes I wanted to test and I focused on the overall size, reach, agressiveness of body position, and handling at first. A few bikes I couldn't get back to the shop fast enough. I tried different sizes and women's bikes to compare. I told the managers helping me what I liked and disliked about each model and we started narrowing things down more. The last thing to focus on was the quality of the 'ride', including the gearing. The bikes I was leaning towards the most I rode around a couple different days. I wanted to see if I'd be hurting later on from a bike that I thought would be ok at the time.

Then with the fit not being 100% (I couldn't decide if my problem was too big bars or too long of a stem or both), I took home my final purchase for a while and rode. Eventually, I figured out which component I wanted to change first. And I'm happy with that decision. I don't think i'll need to change the other. I think this bike will last me a LONG time.