looking at trek and gary fischer... need advice!

[Kathi]

Keep in mind that your friends bikes are set up for them not you. The WSD bike with adjustments might be a better fit than the men's bike. For example, my fitter just put a new stem with higher rise, on my mtn bike. The stem raised me up and back so my reach is better. It feels like an entirely different bike, mainly the tt feels shorter. However, my same height girlfriend might think my tt is too small or to upright without realizing the stem is making it the tt feel shorter and the handlebars feel higher.

The best way to find the right bike is to learn your needs with a bike fit. It will save you from the guessing game of bike fit. Then go shopping. If you don't want to do it that way demo bikes but make sure the person you are dealing with can do minor adjustments that will make the bike feel comfortable.

This link has some thoughts on how to buy a bicycle.

http://masterbikefitters.com/how-to-buy-a-new-bike

Good luck