Finding Your Riding Style?

[bluebug32]

+1 on what everyone else is saying. Get it from the place that's on the ball and that's helped you with the bike. I also patronize many different bike shops and, while I've only bought one new bike in a shop, I give them a good amount of business with accessories/clothing. And I still get discount/free repairs at all of them.

[Owlie]

What everyone else said about LBSes.

I'm relatively new to riding, and have only ever had the one roadie. While I'd still like a nicer roadie for when I want to ride hard and fast, my "dream bike" has turned into a steel or Ti (probably custom) CX bike that can handle light touring as well.

Of course, my ultimate goal is one of each.

[Bethany1]

I got thinking about the bike and wondered what it was I liked so much about it. Short of selling a sewing machine worth that much or more, I really can't justify the bike.

I started thinking about what I liked about the bike and I'm guessing it was the handlebars and the seat post. The seat post is a Thudbuster and the handlebars are Salsa's Woodchipper ones. I also loved the shifter set up.

I called up my LBS, asked about the bike and then asked about the components of it. Would they fit on my existing mountain bike and make it a half street/half mountain like the Fargo? If it's just those parts, I wouldn't need a new bike.

He said the handlebars wouldn't work with the shifters I have now. They don't have a clamp and you'd never get the set around the bar. The shifters like the Fargo were 400 bucks. You click once on the paddle or you push all the way over with the paddle instead of having to use both the brake and the paddle to shift. I asked if that would work on my Madone and he said yes and I could use the Woodchipper bars on it as well. Just not sure how much money I want to put on the bike if I'm not sure what I want.

He said he'd order me the Thudbuster and go from there. He thought it was a pretty cool idea and had never seen one.

He wasn't sure he could order the bike from Salsa, but was happy to service one if I did buy it.

I'm still going to try out the 17 inch Fargo w/o the Thudbuster when he calls up and says it's ready to make a comparison.

[pll]

What if you try that seatpost and handlebar in your Madone, perhaps with a different stem to make the position in your bike more upright?

[indysteel]

I have a Thudbuster on my hardtail mountain bike. Are you looking to soften up your 29er for trail riding by using the Thudbuster? I'm otherwise not sure why you'd want to use it to ride on the road. Because it effectively changes your saddle placement (your saddle goes compresses down and back), it may make your pedal stroke less efficient. You'll just end up having to work harder. I guess I'm just trying to figure out what you're trying to accomplish. If you want to make your 29er more of a road bike, put some slicks (tires) on it or get a dedicated set of wheels with slicks for the bike so that you can go from road to trail/gravel more easily. And if you want to have a snow bike, put some snow tires on the 29er.

[Bethany1]

I was evil. I bought the Fargo 3. I just like the bar end shifters better. They seemed more intuitive. If it would stop raining, I'd take her out for a test ride.

[KnottedYet]

Congratulations!

You can take the bike out in the rain, you know. It won't melt. I promise! All my steel bikes have been ridden in the rain (for years and years) and they are fine.

[Bethany1]

Murien,

I know they make a WSD Madones but my bike store didn't have one and I would have to buy it to know if it fits better. Another bike store had a much smaller WSD model and there is a difference when I stood over it. LBS guy said once you get up into the larger sizes, it doesn't make much of a difference. I still wish I could have tried a WSD version to know.

I still have a hard time getting over the top tube on mine, but I think it's more me than the bike.