Choosing an LBS

[spazzdog]

I'm lucky... and , admittedly, a gear-a-holic when I'm really into something. I love to talk about the stuff and Chris (bless his heart) is afflicted much the same way, except he REALLY knows what he's talking about.

I think part of finding a good LBS is being patient... you can't be in a big hurry to "get" whatever you're shopping for. The "sharks" will smell the blood and be all over you, convincing you that you "really need" such-or-so.

[withm]

Pooks

You are looking at a lot of different bikes and as you say, you are still sort of new to riding. I'm afraid you are going to have way too much information at your disposal and not have near enough experience to evaluate any of it fairly.

I think you need to ride a few different bikes, for a couple weeks at a time. Is there anyone you can borrow an older road bike from for a couple of weeks to try it out? Then maybe rent a bike from another shop and start to compare them. You need to sort out what features actually make sense to you and that you like/want/need, and to discover the things that won't work at all (poor fit notwithstanding). This will give you a head start - even if you can just ride a couple bikes, and will help you to put all these other opinions in perspective. Fit is so subjective that you will probably be fine tuning your bike for months before you declare it perfect. Then you'll go and lose 10 pounds, and have to do it all over again.

I was in very near your shoes a couple years ago but racking up the miles on a road bike that was way too small for me. When I started test riding bikes, I spent a couple months doing it and did not really worry about fine tuning the fit. If I could stand over it safely, extend my leg on the down-stroke, and reach the handlebars it was good enough for me. I needed to ride them for a couple hours to see if they were still as comfortable as they were in the first mile or two. Many of them were not. Big surprise. My bike shop was very accomodating in my taking longer test rides - and seems to me they even let me keep one overnight so I didn't have to return it before they closed (since it didn't get dark for a couple hours later).

When I narrowed my choice down to two models, I went back and rode each of them again and again, and still threw in another model too just to keep me on my toes. I'm sure the bike shop had had enough of me but they still worked with me, and suggested adjustments that might make the lesser (and much cheaper) one more compatible for me.

In the end I selected a bike that I still love. Now after 1-1/2 years on it, I have been playing with fine tuning the seat adjustment, but not really because it needs it, but my own curiosity wondering if I can make it better.
The point is that it can take some time on the bike to even know what you might want to change.

Since you are coming from a heavier, hybrid style bike, the transition to a road bike will really be dramatic. And the first few rides you may not even feel as though you are in control of the bike. There are many reasons for this, fit being among them. But don't get me wrong, I am not trying to belittle your experience. I went on a 2 week bike trip last fall on a hybrid, adnd when I came home and got on my own bike - oh my! It took a couple days to get used to the road bike again! I was so wobbly! I would never have believed the transition would be so pronounced after only 2 weeks if I hadn't experienced it myself.

Any road bike is going to be so much different from your bike that I think if you tried a few for extended periods it would really help you to focus on what you want.

They all feel good for 5 miles. After all, they are BIKES . But after 25 miles that is when you really become aware of a bike's shortcomings (if there are any).

Good luck and happy shopping!
Martha