SadieKate,

Thank you for your responses and questions. I've not considered two aspects you've brought up. The shims are a great idea. I don't have the reach problem, so I didn't think of it. I'll have those installed immediately, and as you've said, they're inexpensive. As you've suggested, Mindy is borderline whether she needs a WSD or not. This spring we'll go into our LBS and have her professionally fitted to determine the needed top tube length. As it is now, she's a bit stretched out, but the shorter top tube might not be the right idea as well. Of the two manufacturers, Giant and Specialized, to my knowledge (limited as it is) only Specialized has the life time warranty on their carbon fiber bikes. Mindy hasn't ridden the Specialized Ruby, but has ridden the Giant. She's noticed the response difference in the two bikes and likes the Giant a lot, but believes her Lemond is a bit more comfortable to ride. The Specialized Ruby has Zert inserts to dampen road vibration......

I sense a determination from you to stear me away from either purchasing a very expensive bike prefering maybe to just change certain components on her current bike, or from deciding exclusively on a WSD bike. As it is now, Mindy's Lemond is only 1 pound heavier than Eileen's Giant fully built.

Any additional questions or comments from you or anyone are greatly appreciated!

Thanks again!