test riding a bike - they both fit, what is the deciding factor?

[ny biker]

What shop are you working with?

[MauiRockHopper]

I'm in the same position as the original poster, except I've only tried 1 road bike so far: Dolce base model. Being on an island (Maui) our choices are really limited, and only 1 shop had a woman's specific bike to try. I rented it for 2 days and it was ok, but I HATED the shifters. I then found out they were Shimano Soras. More like Sore. Stupid design they dig into your hands in every position and you can't shift in the drops. This bike was $850. If I spent $1300 for the next level up, I could get the Dolce Elite w/ Tiagra shifters. I've read that Tiagras suck too and they have gear indicators which just add weight.

After doing a lot of research, I've decided to get a bike with a minimum of Shimano 105 shifters, but realistically Ultegra and if I win the lottery, the Dura-Ace. Heard Campangnolo shifters are better, but can't find them here so far.

We only have 4 decent bike shops on my island, and I happen to dislike the shop where I rented the Dolce from. He only sells Specialized but supposedly services all brands. However I will try to avoid going there as much as possible. I found a LBS I like for service, but they only sell Scott and never had any to try. So I am going to Oahu island to try to test more brands. I have 3 brands in mind so far: Giant, Trek & Specialized. I read that Giant makes the frames for the latter two, but saves the best technology for their own brand. My dream bike is an Orbea Diva but it'll be like $4,000. In my dreams. I'm looking at a price budget of $1400 with the components I want. If you go any cheaper you will end up w/ the crappy Sora shifters and hate life.

Don't settle for half-*** salespeople, you are gonna dump a lot of $$$ on a bike they should be accommodating. If you have more bike shop choices than me, I'd shop around until you find a Local Bike Shop you like. I think I will end up buying a bike off-island or from the internet but have it serviced locally. I am worried too about the fit, but I've read that if you had to choose, pick a bike smaller than usual because it's easier to tweak it to fit you vs. picking a too-big bike. You can't make the handle bars go back if the reach is too long. There is some play in the seat fore and aft position, as well as the tilt. The seat position is really important I found, so you may like the Giant Avail if they make it fit you properly. Also try the bike on w/ cycling shorts and ride at least 20 minutes in varied road conditions.

[rubysoho]

Thanks all. Maui, good luck in your search. I felt the same way about the shifters.

I am happy to say I gave the shop one last chance. I went back to ride the 09' Giant Avail 3 one last time because this was the bike I originally thought I would be coming home with. The guy who had been not so nice was there. And he was especially nice (maybe his new haircut made the difference ) and very helpful. Sent me out on my ride on the Giant. I came back pretty happy but in the back of my head I had concerns about wanting more out of the bike next year and doing like so many people do and upgrading.

So, we got to talking more (again, he was SUPER helpful this time) and he was patiently answering all my q's. Then, he took a pause, looked over in the corner of the girl's area and made a suggestion. "Why don't you just try out the Ruby Elite?" It was the last one in the store. My helmet went on and out the door I went. I didn't come back for a good while - going all over, shifting the 105's, and literally just riding in amazement at how FAST this bike was performing for me.

It became the bike for me. Amazing because I had seen it before and thought "nah, not for me" in the past. I am *very* happy that the guy was so accommodating for me yesterday.

He took time to adjust the bike to fit me. Did all the little tuneups they do before sending the bike home. Was very helpful in pointing out what I might *want* to have but that some stuff just wasn't necessary. I asked him how to change a flat. He took me back and showed me both the front and the back on my bike. He even helped me to put my trunk rack on my car (thanks ny_biker!). And double checked my bike after I had mounted it all.

Because of all this, I am now the proud owner of an '08 Specialized Ruby Elite (I am now in debt for the next two months while I pay it off!) and a loyal customer to this store.

[gingerale]

Congratulations! If I'd had the money, that was the bike I really wanted, too. I hope you enjoy it!! And now you have to post a pic. lol

[rubysoho]

Congratulations! If I'd had the money, that was the bike I really wanted, too. I hope you enjoy it!! And now you have to post a pic. lol

Well, you can see my original pick was the Avail 3 - no where NEAR that price range. I really dug deep for the bike, put it on a cc which is something I have *never* done without already having full funds to pay it off immediately. I figure this bike will last me a lifetime.

[gingerale]

Well I can't wait to hear about all of your stories!

[MauiRockHopper]

Thanks all. Maui, good luck in your search. I felt the same way about the shifters.

Because of all this, I am now the proud owner of an '08 Specialized Ruby Elite (I am now in debt for the next two months while I pay it off!) and a loyal customer to this store.

Did you get a double or triple crankset, what size frame did you get, what is your height and inseam?

I'm waivering between Giant Avail Advanced 2 and the Specialized Ruby Elite. Both are the same price ($2200) and pretty similar all around. The dilemma is that I haven't tried the Giant and probably can't because nobody stocks them around here. I've been avoiding the Specialized dealer because the guy is a jerk but I have tried the Dolce basic model and liked it (except the crappy Sora shifters). The geometry fit me pretty good and I've been happy w/ my Specialized mtn bike for many years. So, I'm gonna get over my personal feelings about the dealer in order to get the best bike for me.

Mahalo!