More Test Riding - HELP!!!

[michelem]

Thanks for the encouragement pepe. Unfortunately, the Giant I'd be interested in (carbon/ultegra) doesn't come in 3xs, but the aluminum/105 and down does.

Pooks, This LBS does stock Trek - but, not the ones I'm looking for! The ONLY wsd road bike they had in stock was the Ruby. You know, I have the same trouble with clothing as well. REI doesn't carry my size shoe and can't even order them (the smallest they carry or order is a 6 and I wear a 5 or 5-1/2). They rarely carry xs clothing either and can't order it (well, they can order straight from the manufacturer and I can pay shipping, but I can do that on my own)! And forget petite sizes! I tried on one of their skirts and it came down to my feet (it was supposed to hit mid-lower calf!). So, I guess shorter women are not worthy of correct size bikes or clothing unless we pay out the nose for special orders or driving all over Timbuktu to find a store that will be accomodating. I do see that REI carries "extended" (plus) sizes now. So MAYBE they will carry smaller sizes sometime in the future as well (fingers crossed).

Okay, that was off-topic! Thanks for letting me rant!

[pooks]

The only WSD they stock is the Ruby?

Well no WONDER they sell a lot of them!

Good luck with the petite thing. I'm on the other end of the spectrum. Being "not average" can be a pain, can't it?

[Kano]

One of the things the bike guy where I bought mentioned was that this is the busy season -- they can't keep anything in stock!

Tater mentioned after-purchase service in her post, and I'm with her! You just can't beat a bike shop where your sales person remembers you three weeks later, including accessories you've purchased! When I walked in with my new bike to have it's "new bike check up" yesterday morning, he was there holding the door for me as I wheeled my bike up, and we discussed what they'd do with my bike. He had one of the other guys (who was already in their computer) check my bike in, and said that we'd adjust the handlebars when I came back to pick up the bike.

Bike was ready in four hours rather than 36, and yes, I went right back to pick it up when I got the message! Bike guy adjusted my handlebars, they put me on the trainer, and three of 'em discussed how things look now -- adjusted my saddle too, then sent me home to spend more time in the saddle (and on the bars!)

I love my new bike -- everything's good, right off the showroom floor, except my hands, and a good chunk of that is likely that my body's got to learn to ride "roadie" instead of upright, and they can't fix that part for me!

I hope all of you who are looking at bikes this spring can find bike love too! (mine calls to me when I come home from work and pull into the garage, and well, even right now, at midnight, I hear the siren song!)

Karen in Boise

[Crankin]

Michele,

I am about the same height as you and am now riding a bike that is much "bigger" in size than the Trek 5200 47 cm I had. So don't let the different numbers put you off; every brand is different. The slope of the top tube made a big difference for me, and customizing my handlebars. My new bike is a 51; I don't know how it fits, but it does.
I hear you on the size thing. I really think short/small people are discriminated against. My husband has the same problem. He is 5' 7", which is not abnormally short for a man, but he has a lot of issues finding shirts that aren't xxxl or pants with a 31 waist.
I have had great luck with Terry for cycling apparel. Their x small fits me perfectly. For other athletic and casual stuff, try Athleta. They have many petite pants and their x small tops are not too long. I get my Sidi shoes from Performance Bike.com, which most people here hate, but they carry a full range of sizes. As far as regular clothes, I am down to about 3 places I can get things: Banana Republic petites (there is one store in Massachusetts), JCrew catalog (they are phasing out a lot of the petites it seems), and Ann Taylor/The Loft (where clothes are sometimes either too old ladyish or too ****ty for my taste).

Good luck!