How many bikes did you buy before you got the right fit?

[Geonz]

welp, the Schwinn 5-speed my mom got me for CHristmas when I thought I might ride around prob'ly shouldn't count... but it did make me realize I *was* riding enough to justify a "real" bicycle.

Lots of luck as well as good guidance, and a bike shop willing to stick a Bianchi stem into a Giant bike 'cause they'd sold the Bianchi I'd ridden and liked better, and knew what made the geometry different, and even tho' it was an entry level hybrid they listened and fiddled. (I wonder if they knew how much I'd ride it - that puppy's goin' on prob'ly 20,000 miles.)
The Trek FX is almost as good... but the whole aluminum factor means it's just less comfy than steel after the third day doing 50 miles or more.

[Slothful Topsy]

I've thought about selling them but I'm not really sure where to start. Also, to some extent, they work as kooky examples of my folly. In addition they insure that I ride the Jamis and the Cannondale at every opportunity so that I feel like the 'journey' was worth my financial investment!

[RoadRaven]

Only one... the frame was a fraction big, so the next bike we bought a size smaller, and thats been great.
Had to work with seat post/stem heights, as well as saddle poistion and crank length to get them perfect for me... but thats not too bad

[Trek420]

Not counting bikes I had as a kid .... One.

I still have it 20 some odd years later. Than another and .... right now I have 3 bikes not counting the one a bike thief got from me all fit wonderfully.

I <3 my LBS.

[Kathi]

4 road bikes and 2 mtn bikes,

I started riding in 1980. My first road bike was a mixte frame, I was too small for a regular frame. Mixte's were considered women's frames but the design was based on men's sizes so it was still too big. Bike fit wasn't well known in those days so I rode the bike for 15 years and suffered but didn't understand why.

In 1995 Cannondale came out with a frame they called the compact frame. 650c wheels, 75 degree angle seattube and 165 mm crankarm. I thought I was in heaven. I had bought a 48 cm Cannondale the year before and it felt better than the mixte but not as good as the compact.

By Y2K I was doing bike tours and found the Cannondale aluminum to stiff for my lightweight. I made modifications, carbon fork, etc but still felt every crack in the road. I went carbon fiber with my Aegis Swift. It was a good fit but not perfect. In 2005 I decided to get a custom frame.

My custom frame is a Serotta Ottrott. It's a perfect fit, handles well and is a joy to ride.

I went through the same process with mtn bikes but not so many as mtn bikes seemed to fit better than road bikes did. My current mtn bike is a Titus bought in 2003. It fit so well that it started my search for a perfect fitting road bike.

In today's world no woman needs to go through the "hit and miss" process that I did. Bike fitting is becoming the norm rather than the exception. I learned alot about what works for me but I also spent a lot of money to get it right.