hey everyone,

Thanks for all feedback and tips.

An update--I went back to the same store to check out the blue/silver bike again and ask about ordering other colors but the blue/silver bike in person does not appear the same shade as online- it still read masculine manly oh man to me. The colors shades actually appear nicer online.

At any rate, I ended up getting this bike in brown:
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/...quipmodel=Myka HT Sport Disc

Fit as most of you have stressed was dead on an issue. I tried both the hardrock and the myka in the same size (17 inch) and the hardrock fit better. Given the the helpful information you ladies provided me regarding fit & wsd/non-wsd bikes , I ended up nagging that something didn't feel right. They were able to swap out the stem for a longer one, which made a difference. I still think I may need to push the seat back just a little. Haven't really had much time to ride it yet. Next step is to work on getting all the accesssories that go along w/buying my first bike!