Anyone Ride a Terry? (Bike Search Cont.)

[robyn_jl]

Wow Corsairmac,

What a cool post! For a minute there, I felt like I was seeing an eagle out my window, too (not too likely in Los Angeles, but a girl can dream.)

[emily_in_nc]

Hi Robyn~

Yes! I have a Terry Isis (17.5" size with the 24" front wheel). This was my first road bike after many years away from cycling; it's a 2001 steel model. It's a great bike, a bit heavier than what I ride now (a carbon Aegis Swift), but it was a great bike to get back into cycling with for me.

The smaller front wheel is not a problem. Truly, you never notice that you're riding a bike with a small front wheel. It's a bit inconvenient, since you always have to carry two different size tubes, and the tubes can be a bit hard to find (though you can order a stock from Terry, and my LBS carried them as well), but aside from that, it's truly no biggie. The nice thing about it is that it enables we shorties to ride a bike with a very short top tube with no toe overlap and good geometry. I changed bikes not because of the smaller front wheel but because I wanted to go carbon (lighter) and change component lines to a compact double (better shifting).

I enjoyed riding my Terry very much and still ride it on my trainer. The only thing I wish it had was a longer stem, since the short stem put me a bit behind the front hub and thus affected my ability to climb out of the saddle (a bit squirrely). Knowing what I know now about bike handling, I'd swap the stock 65 mm stem out for an 80-90 mm stem and be just fine.

A Terry Symmetry is a bit heavier yet than an Isis, but for a few hundred $, I expect it would serve you well as a "starter bike". However, if you can spend a bit more, you can get a lighter aluminum bike with carbon fork and probably ride faster. I know I saw a bit of a speed increase when I moved to a lighter bike.

Let us know what you do!

Emily

[sarahkonamojo]

I have a 1997 Symmetry... brake lever shifters mostly 105 components. I really like my bike. Maybe it is a little heavy and funky looking, but it fits! I paid full retail. So for a couple hundred, not bad. You might want to upgrade the shifters? My previous bike had downtube shifters which were difficult for me. Brake shifters are great!

Make sure the bike fits. I have 28" inseam and have the smallest bike. I also have a short reach. It is a purple bike... Important detail.

sarah

[Selkie]

I have a Terry Classic and love it. It fits me perfectly, which has made me a lot more confident in the saddle because I feel more in control of the bike. Although I'm not short (5'5" tall), I have short legs and a petite frame. The smaller front wheel hasn't been a problem at all--you won't notice the difference. One of the best things about Terry is their fantastic customer service. The LBS where I bought my classic couldn't provide me w/an owner's manual, so I dashed off an email to Terry and got a response right away. A couple days later, they priority mailed me the manual (which, by the way, is the easiest-to-understand owner's manual I've ever read).

I love my Classic so much that I went in search of another Terry. I wanted to "graduate" to drop handlebars :-) haha. Anyway, I have another Terry on the way -- a limited edition racing/road bike I bought used.

I highly recommend you test ride a Terry :-)

[massbikebabe]

I have a 1986 Precision that is in perfect shape. I was at one point going to sell it, but then sentiment took over and I kept the bike. I am now slowly converting it to an Ultegra group. I gotta tell ya, I still love this bike despite the small wheel in the front and weight of it. Everytime I make a change and take a spin it's like spending an hour with an old friend...sounds weird huh?
Matter of fact when she is all fixed up I am going to send a picture to the folks at Terry because the frame is in such great condition.

karen