And in response to the other posts.

Yes, I know it's very unrealistic to expect to find bikes in my size, in stock. Waah.

Custom: Every time I ask the LBS guys around here about custom bikes - they steer me off because they say they are too expensive. They tell me I'll have to pay at least $4500 for a custom bike. Whether that's true or not, it tells me they don't know enough about custom bikes to help me and I certainly don't know enough to do it myself.

Fitting: From what I can tell, there's no one who does professional fitting in Kelowna. They are claim they can fit me, but none are pros who charge for it. You buy the bike, and they tweak it until it fits.

Leap of Faith: When I bought my first road bike 2 years ago, I was lucky. I had no idea about what I wanted (or needed), knew nothing about frames or components or fitting. I rode it around the parking lot for 5 minutes and bought it. It felt weird because it was a road bike and I'd always ridden a mountain bike but it ended up fitting well and I love it. This time, I didn't want to go with a leap of faith. I wanted to be able to try out a number of bikes that are my size and compare them. I want to take them out on a 10km ride and see how they feel, see how they climb and how they feel on the flats, before I decide on a bike. This one is supposed to feel 'stiffer", that one has a smoother ride etc - I want to see how that feels. If I'm going to spend $3500, I want to make sure I buy the best bike for me and actually know what I'm getting, ya know?

Anyway, I have come to the realization that the combination of being a small female, in a small town, means that I can't do these things. So I'm going to go back to the Bike Barn and try the Orbea. And then I guess I'll choose between the Orbea and the Ruby because they are both here in town and I've been able to ride them both.

Thanks for your suggestions and responses. I'm mostly just whining, (but not about actually living in this gorgeous city kat_h. )