Performance Bicycle and women specific bikes

[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.