Lost in Hawaii. Short newbie needs advice!

[sarahspins]

-a sport touring bike (I want to do a century ride this year, but will mainly use this bike for commuting)

My sister completed the Honolulu Century last year on a Mountain Bike She mostly commutes on it (she is a dedicated commuter - pretty much never drives anywhere unless she has company staying with her), and kind of has the mindset of "I don't want to own more than one bike". She does ride "for fun" on the weekends.

I don't know why I mention that, other than don't let whatever you end up with stop you from dreaming of a century. If you want a bike for commuting I'd be more concerned that it meets your needs for that.

You can ride on the tops of drop bars... most people ride on the hoods, not in the drops, you can even add cross levers to the top without much work if whatever you're looking at doesn't have them (this could be a DIY job if you aren't afraid to cut the brake cable housings and re-tape your bars, but IMO a shop shouldn't charge a very much for it either, and the levers themselves are only $25-30)... I put them on my errand bike after I put drop bars on it, but my new-to-me road bike came with them.

There are also bikes with drop bars with more "relaxed" geometry, so you're not in a low road racing position.

[alimey]

I love my 650 wheels - or more precisely the bike they are on. It sold it to me when a frame designer said "I design the frame to fit the person - then I see what wheels will fit. If the person is under 5'2", 700c wheels never fit without adjusting the frame geometry". Frames which will fit a 5'1" person which take 700c wheels are a bit of a compromise. You tend to get a very steep seat tube & a very slack head tube (as well as toe clip overlap. In addition, the bike proportions look a bit odd as the back wheel is higher than the top tube. Disadvantages of 650c wheels are less choice in wheels (& to some extent tyres) - but fit is king & in my mind vastly outweighs all the other issues. If you are 5'4" then you are on the cusp. Note the discussions by really tall blokes - they have issues w/ 700c wheels because they are too small for their needs.

[kauai_gal]

What great feedback!

Thanks all. I will look into the Surly Pacers.. my biggest concern with that one is the issue of weight.

I have checked out the Terry bikes. Great looking, but I'm not sold on having tires of different sizes.

I agree that fit should be the most important factor. I wish I could find something in my size here locally. The LBSs here want me to pay for half of the bike before I even get to try it, since it is a custom order. If I pay for it and it doesn't fit, I'm stuck with it. Is that typical of most bike shops? It seems unfair to both the short and tall riders of the world who don't fit the bikes on the floor. Boo. I guess I should guestimate my size as best I can and then pick one model and hope for the best? The LBS here sized me at a 43-44cm frame (and that was for a Felt or Bianchi frame).

As for the Honolulu century ride - on a mountain bike?! That's amazing! I want to do the Haleiwa century ride but it is in a month, and I don't think that gives me enough time to find / order a bike I want. I'll aim for the Sept. Honolulu century instead, I guess. I'm so excited to start cycling! I can hardly wait!