1001 Questions on buying a new bike

[Thorn]

I've been riding regularly now for a couple of years, this year putting in 100-150 miles/week. Until, that is, winter reared its ugly head and sent me to the basement to ride the trainer When I started up riding again, I was riding a Cannodale Hybrid, but by the time the rides were longer, I had invested in a Cannondale R700. Why Cannondale? Because eons ago when I was young and faster, I bought one of the first generation Cannondale racers and loved its responsiveness and fit. My current Cannondale is "OK", but is too long. I have that classic women's build (longer legs, shorter arms and torso), but not the classic women's size (I'm 6' tall). I cannot buy a WSD and the typical man-bike is way too long.

So....long story to get to the longer point, I've decided that given the amount of time I spend on the bike I need to find something that fits. Combining the time with my non-standard proportions that I can also justify cashing out some savings to build a custom bike. Making the decision to spend more and go custom was, apparently the easy part. Now, I'm stuck with the details and I was hoping y'all could help me out. I've lurked here for a while, read lots of threads, and even tried to do some back searches, but I'm still left with questions.

My current plan is to go with Seven for the bike. I've talked to people who own Sevens. I like their multi-step process (checks and balances). And I like the fact that they don't just do steel, but also composites. The latter makes me think that were I to buy a steel frame that the builder has considered changes in frame design and isn't going to just build me the same frame s/he would have built me 40 years ago, unless, of course, that was exactly the right frame to build me. Of course, I could be deluded on this one (I'm a sucker for a good marketing pitch). We have a LBS that is a Seven dealer and, while they have a decent reputation today, they haven't always had that reputation. So, before I go off and talk to them, I want to make sure I'm fully educated.

Thus, the questions....
+ Axiom SG (steel) or ID8 (down tube and seat stays are carbon)? How do you decide? The price difference in the frame is only $200, so that isn't a decider. I like a responsive bike--when I stomp a hill, I want the bike to say, "Yes, ma'am!", not "Please hold while I process that request". But I want it to stay comfortable on those 8 hour rides (OK, I'm not so fast anymore The ID8 is supposed to be more "smoothing" of the road, but, then the catalog says, it isn't as good as the Axiom SG for Century rides. That doesn't make sense. Am I an idiot for considering the ID8? Should I just stick to the Axion SG? Anyone have opinions either way?

+ Gearing. I would ask components, but, I'm thinking that the decision is really based on what is available for gearing. My current bike is a triple (30-42-52) with a (12-26) in the back. I rarely use the 52 and almost never use the smallest rear gears. On some of the steeper hills around here (I'm Midwest--our hills are short, but steep), I can run out of gears. From reading on-line catalogs, it looks like going with Shimano won't really change my gearing. I could go with Junior Gearing in the Ultegra line (16-27 on the cassette), but that won't give me anything lower--just more gears in the range that I use (which could be nice, I think). On the other hand, if I went Campy, I could go up to a 29 in the back. But, I've always ridden Shimano (Ultegra/105). Recently I rented a bike that used the Shimano Tiagra shifters. I really liked the style of the mechanism (the little thumb switch for going down; not necessarily the performance of the shifter) and was told that Campy's shifters also used that thumb-switch style. So, I'm thinking maybe I want to switch to Campy--but I'm just a Midwestern plodder, not a European racer. Any opinions on this?

+ What else should be asking myself? I've read the Seven questionnaire and I think I understand what the questions are asking. But, I'm spending a lot of money for something that should last me many a year, so what else should I be concerned about? I realize that these are things I should be asking the LBS, but it isn't that I don't have a real reason not to trust the LBS, but I don't have a reason to trust them yet, either. So, what kinds of things should I be asking?

Thanks for any inputs....(and thanks for all those inputs in past posting--what an awesome resource this site is!)
Carol

[jenxxs]

I'll give you my two cents on your gearing question. I also started out with a road triple, and found that I never used the big ring. If you're finding the 52 too big, you could be a good candidate for a compact double. The most popular compact combination is 50/34, and Shimano now makes an Ultegra-level crankset in this combination.

I switched to a 48/34 compact double, and I really like how the gearing is working for me. I can spend most of my time on the 48, and bail out to the 34 on steeper hills. Also, because the 48 is the right-sized big ring for me, I don't have to trim my front derailleur nearly as often as I used to with the standard-sized double that I replaced.

If you're interested in checking out compact gearing, I would suggest that you look at your current bike and figure out the front/rear gear combination that you use most frequently, e.g. on flats at the speed you like to ride. Then go to a gear calculator and figure out what the gear-inches are for that combo. Then, you can determine whether a 50 front ring would be better for you than your current 52, for a particular rear cassette - would you be in the middle of the cassette with a 50 front ring, at your favorite gear-inches length? [Apologies if I'm mangling the terminology here!]

Or even easier - just go test ride a new bike that's already set up with 50/34

[Kathi]

Thorn,

I built a custom frame this spring so I understand your concerns. I'm small and lightweight and wanted a frame that would be compliant for my weight and yet have the characteristics that my cf frame had.

I considered Seven, but wound up with Serotta. I had some experience with a Serotta fitter who had refit my cf bike and was very happy with the refit. So I was familiar with the Serotta fit process. In the end a Serotta shop had a small enough Serotta for me to demo, I liked the way it rode so I bought a Serotta. I couldn't find a Seven small enough to demo.

Sorry, I can't tell you the difference between the ID8 and the Axiom. The first thing I would do is demo both in a stock frame and see how they feel to you and compare the differences. See if the shop will let you ride 5 or 10 miles on them, differences won't necessarily stand out with a ride around the parking lot. Also, see if the shop will put the same wheels on both frames, as different wheelsets can affect the ride. Make sure each bike has the same tire pressure.

When they set the bikes up for you insist that they get the setup as close to your current bike as possible. Take it with you. Also, be able to describe what you like and don't like about your current fit.

With custom the tubing can be tuned to your weight which will give you a more compliant ride than on a stock frame.

That "stomp" you describe is called "snap" and has to do with the design of the bike. With custom it can be built into any model of frame that you select (at least, that's my understanding).

My fitter spent 3 hrs with me interviewing me about my riding, what I liked and didn't like about my old bike and finding the best fit on the size cycle. I can't speak about checks and balances with Serotta. I do know that Serotta works closely with the fitter to design a frame appropriate for the individual rider.

As far as gearing goes, even though I'm in Colorado I use a 48-34 crankset with a 12-29 cassette (I'm a Campy girl). I used this combo on week long tours of Tennessee and N. Carolina and loved it.

You have some doubts about the Seven dealer, if after talking to them, you are not comfortable go elsewhere.

My bike is definitely a keeper, I can't find a thing I'd change on it and I'm so happy that I made the decision to go custom.

[Kathi]

A 2 links from the Serotta forum on bike fitting and the custom fitting process.

http://www.serotta.com/forum/showthr...ght=custom+fit

http://www.serotta.com/forum/showthr...ght=custom+fit

[Thorn]

Thanks for the input on gearing. You both kicked me into doing the research on the compact double. I was looking at the triple like I look at my bi-focals--old age just forces some decisions. But, "because" isn't a good reason.

So, I went off and found a gear-inch calculator and did some research. I can now say that I could put a compact double that would have about the same gearing as I use 95% of the time. This is rather cool. Now, I just have to decide if what I have is good enough or whether I really think I want to have that "one more gear" for those days when I'm for a bicycle equivalent of a stroll.

And, thanks for the links to the Serrota forums. I got some good info from that site.

Thanks!

[jenxxs]

Also, keep in mind that you can customize a triple to have a smaller big ring. Several years back, Shimano used to make a road triple with a 46 big ring (46/36/26). You can still get this if you use a crankset with "110 bcd" bolt diameter. I think the point is just that if you find that you are rarely using your current big ring, then it's not doing you much good!