point me in the right direction..

[Fredwina]

I'd be interested in which LBS, too ,as I lived in Hummelstown(actually Derry Twp) for 4 years.
InGear was still run By Sandy Kocevar(sp) with her son Scott, assisting. I usually went there since it was only two miles away. It did have a rep as a place to aviod, but I really didn't have too many problems there
a Lot of folks liked Pedal Pushers on Jonestown Rd/Walnut st. I also did a lot of business with Bicycle Outfitters in Elizabethtown.
i'm not that familar with West Shore shops.
are you doing 15miles/ride or 15miles/hour? There's a big difference.
I agree, tell the LBS what you want, and if they don't like it, find another. You might want ask around HBC and see what they think is a good shop

[Lynn39]

Thanks everyone for your help. I have been riding about 15 miles per ride, not 15 mph. I wish I was in that good a shape . I usually ride about 8-10mph. Sorry about the confusion.

I have been going to Pedal Pushers. I bought my comfort bike from them about 4 yrs ago. They have always been helpful and friendly if I have to get my kids bikes fixed etc. I think they meant well but weren't really taking me seriously when I said I wanted to ride longer. They don't have a lot of stock right now and they can't get some bikes in because of the 2008 models coming out soon. They only sell Raleighs and Fuji and they can order Surlys. They are getting the 2008 Raleighs hybrids in a couple of weeks.

I'm 5'10" with a 34" inseam. I have been told a 58 cm frame would probably work. I would like to stay in the $700-$1000 range.

the main difficulty was figuring out what to buy because I didn't know what good fit was supposed to feel like.

This is my problem too.

I haven't been to InGear yet. I will have to check out some more shops and ride some bikes. I was hoping to find a left over. I'm going to check out the Sequoia too. I like the sound of the being a tad more upright. It's hard to wait, I just want to get one and ride!!

Thanks again for all the comments and help. This forum is great, I'm learning alot..

[RoseC]

Hi, Lynn!

I just went through this same thing a few months back, in May. I had a lower end mountain bike, but wanted something I could take on long rides on our paved trails here, with maybe just a bit of road riding...but I also knew I didn't want a road bike with a really aggressive setup. I tried a few hybrids, mostly at the shop where I bought the mountain bike, but didn't feel like they clicked, and I also didn't feel like I was being taken seriously. I don't think they believed I was really going to do long rides.

Then I found the bike shop I now think of as my LBS (I LOVE them!), and after listening carefully, they recommended either a "comfort" road bike (I think the Specialized Sequoia falls into that category) or a cyclocross. They offer more hand positions, for one, and are generally more comfortable for longer rides, though of course you *can* do a long ride on a hybrid...

Anyway, I ended up with a Bianchi Volpe, which is kind of a cyclocross / touring bike, and I love, love, love it so far. I started bike commuting (12.5 miles each way) in order to get more bike time in, which I never thought I'd do. And I do appreciate the drop bars. I find that just about *exactly* at the ten mile mark, I start to want the ability to move my hands around a bit, and with the drop bars, that's easier. Being that it's a cross rather than more of a race bike, I'm able to set it up with beefier tires, so I have a nice cushy ride. And it has a steel frame, which supposedly can feel nicer. I think it's much less jarring than my aluminum mountain bike, but I'm probably a little blinded by my feelings for the bike.

A lot of folks here really like cross bikes of various models, being as how they tend to be nice and sturdy and with a little more of a relaxed position than other road bikes, plus they're easy to set up with wider tires and fenders should you so desire. I think they're one of the best choices for all around riding, unless you really want a race bike.

Just one more (obvious biased) opinion!

[Fredwina]

the one Bad thing I found with pedal pushers was that tend to categorize folks, Sounds like what's Happening to you. So, yeah, a trip out 322 might be in order....