Hi,

I want to thank you for your replies to my post. I've been busy trying bikes. I tried the Madrone again. I spent quite a bit of time on the Rivendell website. Very interesting. I hadn't considered steel. Their P.O. Box is in the same town as where I work. My curiosity is piqued but I need a bike soon and so will not take the time now to go further with Rivendell. Maybe when I am ready for the next bike...

Darcy, thanks for the pep talk about color and looks of a bike. Which brings me to the rest of my story. I tried a couple of more bikes this weekend: Cannondale Synapse and the Scott Contessa CR1 Pro. I like the looks of both of these bikes. This not-so-LBS that had the Scott, adjusted the Scott more precisely for me and it was a nice ride. It's the first time I got that feeling that I had finally found my bike. I think they are right that I will do better with a slightly shorter top tube length.

Of course, after having decided that I want a triple, the Scott only maybe comes in a triple in the unisex version (same frame size). The colors are more garish than the pleasantly understated WSD color scheme. They are going to give me a quote for swapping out the compact double for a triple. Unfortunately, this LBS is not in the habit of horse trading parts the way other shops do so I think it will cost some money.

As soon as 10 am rolls again, I'll call another shop that carries Scott to see what they can do for me. I read the post about the women who bought a Giant from Bike Nut in SF. They were willing to do the compact to triple switch without additional cost. That's great. I don't think I will be so lucky.

Anyway, it feels good to have finally found something I like in all the important categories. The Pilot 5.2 WSD is my fall back choice. It's a triple and very close to the dimensions of the Scott. Oh... and there is the Wilier too. It's got a slightly longer top tube length though. I'm getting close! Reading the threads here has been extremely helpful. Thanks.

Carol