Performance Bicycle and women specific bikes

[denny]

Does anyone have any experience in taking up the Peformance customer satisfaction guarrantee? I'm still a bit skeptical about the fit and feel of my bike (Scattante 560 with chiple chain rings). The store manager said to just bring the bike back and get one that I think may work for me. They carry only 2 women specific bikes in the Fuji line. I'm kind of surprised they are so limited- so my question is:

1. Is it really noticable to get a women's specific design? I still feel very stretched out over my bike despite adjusting the stem length. I'm 5'8.5 and the top tube is 54cm.

2. Does going from a triple to double chain ring reduce my chances of learning to the "take" the hills sooner rather than later,especially for a wobbly newbie like me? I've found shifting on the triple downright irritating at times as I can't figure out if I'm really in my 2nd or 3rd ring?

3. Do they trade the entire bike or just the frame?

It just sounds too good to be true. I'm just waiting for the extra fine print on this one.

[Cataboo]

I've never taken them up on it - but I don't think you should have a problem. I can't tell you if they'll swap the components as well, but I'm assuming they will.

The return policy on their website is pretty clear you can return whenever you want for whatever reason you want. I'm not sure whether the in store policy is the same:

Performance guarantees satisfaction with every product we sell. If an item does not meet your expectation, please follow these procedures to insure a prompt replacement, refund, or credit:


As for the double vs. triple - there's a thread on that in another section on here. I don't think it's any easier to learn on a double. If you don't know what chainring that you're in on the front, it's easy enough to look down on your feet and you'll know whether or not you're in your middle or granny gear. If you're riding a lot of hills and steep ones, I'd probably recommend that you keep a triple, unless you've got strong legs. Doubles are lighter and possibly shift faster, big disadvantage is that you have less gears for hills - which you can compensate for by putting a bigger casette in the back or using a compact double. (again, there's a thread on here somewhere that's really informative about all of this)

WSD's - I don't think are necessary, but I haven't ever bought one for a road bike. I'm 5'1 - short legs, short torso. I don't have the classic longer legs and short torso that the WSD is supposedly made for. If you have that body type, maybe you'd enjoy a WSD. But only one of my bikes is a WSD, and I don't find it a problem. I'd just test ride any of the bikes at performance that you're interested in and see what feels right.

You can try putting a higher angle stem on the scattante and see if it moves the handlebars even closer to you - are you riding in the drops or just keeping your hands on top of the bar? If you're riding in the drops, getting shallow reach handlebars might help. I have a scattante non-women's frame, the XRL ss carbon or something like that - 48 cm, and I actually just put a longer stem on it because I felt it was too short. So maybe you could try that frame if they have it? 54 cms doesn't sound like a very long top tube for your height - my other road bike has a 519 mm top tube, theoretical (if level) of 529 mm and I'm fairly upright on that bike.

[kermit]

You and I are very close in stature. That being said, I do not have a womens specific bike. Went for a Specialized roubaix, size 54, shorter stem and the big difference for me was changing the bars. I put the carbon ruby bars on my bike, they are womens specific. Big difference in reach and comfort. Look into the bar swap, that might be all you need.

[OakLeaf]

WSD doesn't have to do with your height per se, it has to do with your torso and arm length as a proportion of your height. For women that tends to be shorter than for men. Some women can ride men's bikes quite comfortably, others can't.

What's the top tube length of the bikes you're thinking about? Is 54 cm the sloping top tube length or the effective (horizontal) top tube length, and how does that compare to the bikes you're looking at? Can you test ride the bike you're thinking about? What's the frame size of the bike you're on - is it possible it's too big all around? How long is the stem you have on now, and what's the rise - are you at the point where the bike will be too twitchy if you go any shorter?

No answers, just things to think about... it's hard enough to get a fit exactly right in the shop, it can't be done on the Internet...

[echidna]

Hi -

Weighing in as a former PBS employee - we would take the bike back, but we'd do everything we could imagine to make the Scattante work for you, first. The Scattante line is a "house" brand - which means that the overhead of purchasing and marketing it is low, but the profit margin is pretty good even when we sell at a great price (translation: the store can afford to invest time and effort to make you delighted with this bike if that will help).

Caveat on the Fujis - the frame geometry on the Fuji WSD is EXACTLY the same as their "unisex" counterparts. The ONLY differences are in the build (narrower bars, shorter stem, short-throw levers, different saddle...) and the paint scheme. They don't exactly tell you this, but if you read the frame geometries closely, that's the way it is. So - you'd be trading for a "Womens Specific" bike that's not all that...women specific.

Assuming you did well on the deal, the Scattante was probably a screaming bargain, so it may be worth fiddling with to dial the fit, especially since the option that you see in front of you would be to trade for a bike that's essentially similar, just pre-built with more friendly components

On the other hand, your bike should rock your world. And if it doesn't, it doesn't. Whether that's a customer satisfaction issue for you, or not, is totally up to you.

[TxDoc]

1. Is it really noticable to get a women's specific design?

I guess my main question is... were you fitted on a WSD? or did the store just assume that you needed a WSD? Not every woman does well with WSD models.
My recommendation would be to go back to the store and ask for a professional fitting service so that you can go home with the bicycle that is right for you.

[denny]

Ok, so I went to Performance Bike with a friend who owns a LBS. He advised me to get the Scattante 660, double ring with much nicer components. As the former PBS employee on the board predicted, Performance tried several suggestions to "fix" my current bike. I told them I wanted the double rings, 54cm, carbon stays, etc. So they agreed to trade my Scattante 550 to the 560 model and with the higher price tag $1,339. I refinanced the difference in price of $550.

I went home happy that Performance made the trade fairly seamless despite my almost 3 hour wait at the store. So- I take the bike to my friend's shop who immediately notices the following.
1. The chain was used.
2.They took off 1 of the chainrings on my 560 and put it on the 660.
3. The components of the 660 seemed to be what they had on my 560.
4. The tires were obviously worn out from more than test rides.
In short they seemed to swap out used parts from another bike on the new.

My friend was really ticked off on my behalf as he feels this was not an oversight by the store and a former Performance employee who works at my friends shop stated that it was obvious the parts were not new.
I called Performance and they stated "We only took the bike from the floor that you pointed out and nothing was switched". Not quite true, as I saw the manager put the squewer(sp) from my old bike into the new one which wasn't really a big deal, but I had a tiny hunch they were switching the parts. Even so why did they charge me the price of a new bike? I am really disappointed in this transaction with Performance if that is indeed what they did as I thought their staff seemed trustworthy despite the bad PR they receive now and then.

Since I had my bike (560) I've had 4 flats as a result of defective tape used in both tires. They replaced the tape on only 1 wheel. They were other incidents that didn't register too high on my radar until today. My option is to return the bike to them and replace it with another one from the floor (and never take my eyeballs from them during the trade). Second option is to completely refund the bike and take my business elsewhere where I can have the confidence that the staff is taking the time to assess and take care of any issues that arise from my purchase of one of their products.

I feel like the dumb chick at the car dealer at this point. I just don't get the rationale behind how this trade went today.

[Cataboo]

I think I'd just return it if I were you, unless you really like the bike. Putting your old components when they're not of the same quality level on the new bike is definitely unacceptable.

[uforgot]

Why aren't you buying from the friend who has the lbs?

[Triskeliongirl]

I agree with Claudia. Just return it, get your money back, and buy a bike from your friend. Start with a fit, and work from there at finding frames that will work best for your body.

[Blueberry]

Return it. As quickly as possible. If they refuse, deal with your credit card company. I WOULD NOT support that kind of business. Period.

You deserve more!

CA

[Jiffer]

I'm 5'9" and have a 54" NON WS bike. I've had it professionally fit and it's fine for me.

As for the 3 rings, my husband doesn't like triples because they tend to have shifting problems, plus they weigh down the bike more. The pros use doubles and so do we. He did add a smaller cog to my bike to give me some help on the steeper hills, though. I could go with a compact double, but he says that would take away my bigger gear that helps me speed down the hills, which I love.

Educate yourself on the triple, double and compact double to figure out what's right for you.

[Running Mommy]

I'm also confused??? Why not buy from your friend the lbs owner??
As an owner myself, I'd be pretty upset if my friend went to a chain??!!

I see a lot of problems come in our door with the way performance fits people on bikes. Or should I say- doesn't bother to fit people.
I've mostly had problems with the Fuji's geometry. Effective top tube is very long compared to it's "size". An unfortunate side effect of the new relaxed geometry vs. the old sizing.

But again, WHY did you buy from a big chain vs. a friend/small lbs??
And 'Scattante'?? I think there are so many better brands out there. Yeah, they may cost a few more bones, but are worth it. IMO

[Cataboo]

Lots of people choose not to do business with friends because when things go wrong, they might no longer be friends. We also don't know if her friend at the LBS is a new friend or not.

My LBS shops are very expensive - and I'm not in a salary range where that's affordable to me, I can get things cheaper online or buying them used.

[denny]

Hi Everyone to answer a few questions. I didn't buy my bike from my friends bike shop because he wasn't open for business when I first purchased the bike in May. Second- the bikes they currently carry are out of my budget ($2,000 and up, Orbeas, Kuotas, Felts). After some thought over the weekend, I went back to the store where I did the upgrade and spoke with the manager. As I stated, I've never had a problem with them from a customer service stand point, just simple bike maintenance. He took a look at the bike in proper lighting and realized that they had given me a used bike and more than likely forgot to remove it from the floor.

In the end I upgraded to a carbon, 2008 Fuji Silhouette WSD, 53cm for a $100 more. Right now I'm happy about it and have a gut feeling that this bike will work for me. I love the reach between the drops and the shifters (Pro-Ritchey handlebars on this one- no extra long stretch to reach the levers). My shoulders feel like they're in the right place without my expanding out my elbows to compensate for the extra width. Interestingly enough, one of the female store managers tried to talk me out of a WSD bike "because I'm such a tall gal" and I probably should have been on a 56 instead of a 54cm top tube. Her thought is that the WSD's are better for shorter gals.

However, I have to wait 2 weeks for my bike as it's on order and I'll have to be on the road for another 2 weeks before I can test it!!! arghhh. Hopefully it won't be cold in Atlanta by the end of November. So now I'm without a bike.. just when I started to get my groove on.