Looking to buy a road bike in Los Angeles area, help?

[Bluetree]

the only two widely available options I know of are the Specialized Dolce/Ruby 44cm and Lexa SLX 43cm or Madone 5 or greater 43cm frame

The Madone 47s and Jamis femmes have a sub -70 standover too, but they are probably out of your price range. Felt offers an XS with a smaller standover with 650 wheels and their entry level starts at around $800. Good luck finding a shop with one in stock, though.

Just as important, XS Treks, Felts, Jamis and Specs have top tubes shorter than 50cm. Unless you have disproportionately longer arms for your torso, this is an important consideration. A top tube longer than 50cm may force you to shorten your stem beyond 80 or 90cm, which will make your bike feel squirrely. Orbea, Giant, Cervelo and Cannondale have longer top tubes.

I recommend looking for a 44 Spec Dolce first. It is in your price range and you might find a really good deal on a 2010 – you should get at least 20% off last year's model. Don't be afraid to ask if they will upgrade you to the 105 level, minimum. They want to get older stock out to make space for the 2011s.

[lovebike]

If Parlos Verdes is not too far from you, there is a store there that you might want to check out:

http://pvbike.com/

My husband and I owned Hybrids previously. During our search for road bikes, we must have been to at least 10 bike stores in Los Angeles. We ended up buying 2 road bikes (for me and him) at the store above. Firstly, before we even tried on any bikes, the owner, Steve Bowen, actually gave us a complete measurement before recommending bikes that fits us. We had never had any of the other stores do that for us voluntarily. We now buy all or other bike needs from them too because of their care and service. They are never pushy and extremely patience. Wonderful store!.

PS: I am 5'3 and am very happy with my Specialized Amira.

[Koronin]

From their own websites:
Canondale 44cm Synapse Women's standover height is 71.6cm
Trek Madone 4.5 standover height is 69.2 cm
Trek Lexa S standover height is 69.1 cm
Trek 1.2 (men's) 47cm standover height is 69.8

That 2 and a half cm CAN make a difference. I personally have to have a bike with a standover height of UNDER 70.0 cm to be able to standover it with my feet flat on the ground. The 69.8 is what my current bike is and I have no clearance at all when I stand over it. My current bike is the extreme limit of what I can ride.

As you can see a 44cm Canandale is bigger than a 47cm Trek, by enough that it does not equate. I personally have tried to stand over a Canondale 44cm of the new bike and cannot do it with my feet flat on the the ground. I have to be on my tip toes. With the Trek Lexa 47cm I can stand over it with my feet flat on the ground.

[tangentgirl]

Echoing recomendations from above - PV Bikes is my new favorite bike store. I got my new Ruby from them, and while the bike fit was the main driver, the service was the reason I bought my bike there. They know bike fit, and will spend time with you to help find the right bike. Just like another bike store that I won't name used to be - I was really glad to find these guys.

It is a hike from the 562, however. It's one of those places that takes a hundred years to get to from any freeway. You would do well to call ahead and see what size bikes they have in stock. They had one or two closeouts when I was there a few weeks ago.

[Bluetree]

Try Surf City first. Besides being the closest to you, they have the biggest selection around, plus they have two locations (another one in Costa Mesa) to double their stock choices. Check out the videos on their web site to see the amount of product they have.

[purdyd]

From their own websites:
Canondale 44cm Synapse Women's standover height is 71.6cm
Trek Lexa S standover height is 69.1 cm
.

You are correct but....

What I hadn't realized until now is that the alloy Synapse has a standover of 71.6cm but the carbon version standover is 69.8cm.

http://www.cannondale.com/usa/usaeng...ns-Alloy-5-105

I was wrong about the Giant Avail, it is even higher

My fuzzy mind seems to recall there are other options with 69-70cm of standover - particularly if you have room to go 70cm

One option would be the Trek 3 series carbon frame, which unfortunately does not come with a 43cm size.

Hopefully we can agree that if your standover height is 69cm or less you have very few options in mass produced frames.

@Brigitte031 good luck in your quest for a new road bike, there have been some great suggestions for you

[Eden]

Just to clarify though... stand over is one of the *last* things you should look at to evaluate bike fit and should never be used as a sole determiner.....

Reach (top tube length) and the ability to achieve good knee position are much more important on a road bike. For something with a lot of active mounting and dismounting - like racing cross, little clearance is more worrisome, but for road bikes it is less compelling.

[Koronin]

However, you still need to be able to have your feet on the ground when stopped on any bike. So standover height is important for that. If I can't put my feet on the ground while standing over the bike it's not something I would ever be comfortable riding. So you must consider standover height and eliminate anything that does not come in a size that will work for you. Now for someone who is say 5'4 they have a lot more options than someone who is 5'. For me if the smallest bike a company builds is 70cm or larger it is not worth my time to even look at that company because the bike is too big for me to ride. So yes for a short person, esp with short legs, it is going to be one of the first things I look at to make sure it's under 70cm before going any further. Once you find the bikes in the range that can work then start looking at other things and see how it fits. But if you are not comfortable getting on or off the bike you'll never ride that bike. I have already gone through this with a bike that was too big. I couldn't stand over it and I basically never road it.

[Koronin]

You are correct but....

What I hadn't realized until now is that the alloy Synapse has a standover of 71.6cm but the carbon version standover is 69.8cm.

http://www.cannondale.com/usa/usaeng...ns-Alloy-5-105

I was wrong about the Giant Avail, it is even higher

My fuzzy mind seems to recall there are other options with 69-70cm of standover - particularly if you have room to go 70cm

One option would be the Trek 3 series carbon frame, which unfortunately does not come with a 43cm size.

Hopefully we can agree that if your standover height is 69cm or less you have very few options in mass produced frames.

@Brigitte031 good luck in your quest for a new road bike, there have been some great suggestions for you

We can most definitely agree that there are very few options for a standover height of 69cm or less.

[Bluetree]

Reach (top tube length) and the ability to achieve good knee position are much more important on a road bike.

I agree, Eden. TT length is always the first thing I look for.

I've had a few bikes that gave me a serious wedgie but fit and felt awesome in motion – my fixie is a perfect example (I just track stand as much as possible). Bikes are made for riding... not standing over. Besides, you don't need both feet on the ground. All you need is one foot on the ground and the other clipped in around the 12 o'clock position, or slightly in front.

I think having sufficient clearance is important for newer riders. There's a learning curve and feeling comfortable is essential to progress. But I also think that the more experience people get, the less relevant standover will become.

[TxDoc]

Hi,
I second the advice of visiting Cinergy - wonderful shop and awesome customer service.