Am I ready for a road bike?

[Crankin]

I can't imagine "not knowing how to shift" would be a reason not to get a bike. If you've never had a road bike, why would you know how to do this?
When I got my first road bike, I had been riding a bike with trigger shifters. The switch didn't seem too arduous and I am not the most coordinated person in the world! DH showed me when I had the bike on the trainer in the LBS and it seemed kind of intuitive. I spent a bit of time in the middle ring, exploring the range of gears on the right, but I also had to use the granny right away, too. The big ring never worked well on my first road bike, so it wasn't until I got my Trek that I started using that.
I made the decision not to switch to SRAM when I got my custom bike, after someone explained how it worked. After using Shimano for almost 10 years, I knew switching back and forth between systems on my 2 bikes would not be good for me, as I like things the same. It probably would have been OK to switch if that's the only system I would be using.

[jyyanks]

Owlie - "There's never "too much bike" (until you get to the pro-quality stuff--then it gets ridiculous), just bike that you don't know you need"
Love this quote! Buy your self a new bike! (LOL - I'm an enabler too.) I think since you've invested so much in your current bike and it's still not quite right, a new one may be the solution. Of course, it's easier said than done but you do deserve to treat yourself.

Koronin - thank you ! Very helpful. I was looking at the ZW Series but will take a look at the F's. A local place has both in stock.

happysurfer - yep that was me! I was going to invest $700 on a hybrid and am now thinking I need a road. So glad to hear that it worked out for you and that you are hapyy with your purchase.

Crankin - hehehe - I did feel like an idiot when I had no idea how to shift. My current folding bike has the shifters that you turn so I had no idea what to do when I was on the road bike. It will take a lot of getting used to but since I'm new to all this, there's a lot that I've been trying to learn (like how to pedal correctly, how to stay on rollers etc). I haven't had this much fun in years!

[jyyanks]

For those still following, I just took my measurements.

5ft (exact)
27 inch inseam
25 inch torso
22 1/2 arm length

Basically, I'm short all around! I'm headed to the Jamis and Felt LBS's today to see what they have. Thanks for all the help!

[goldfinch]

For those still following, I just took my measurements.

5ft (exact)
27 inch inseam
25 inch torso
22 1/2 are length

Basically, I'm short all around! I'm headed to the Jamis and Felt LBS's today to see what they have. Thanks for all the help!

Felt is going to have the shortest standover I think, on the ZW line, the petite bikes with the 650 wheels. You might not have to go that small. But the most important measurement in my mind is the reach. You just don't want to be stretched out too far. You can get away with a slightly too high top tube. Though it has been nice for me to have a bike where I don't have that issue (my 43cm Madone with 650 wheels, no longer made).

Enjoy your test rides! I wanted to try the Felt but never tracked one down.

[laura*]

Felt is going to have the shortest standover I think, on the ZW line, the petite bikes with the 650 wheels.

Let me point out that Felt doesn't have a Woman Specific Geometry line of bikes. They simply have a single range of frame sizes. The two biggest ZW geometries are identical to the two smallest Z series geometries.

This may not be an issue for the OP who likely fits one of the two smallest ZW sizes. As those aren't offered in the unisex Z series, they might actually have WSG.

[indysteel]

Let me point out that Felt doesn't have a Woman Specific Geometry line of bikes. They simply have a single range of frame sizes. The two biggest ZW geometries are identical to the two smallest Z series geometries.

This may not be an issue for the OP who likely fits one of the two smallest ZW sizes. As those aren't offered in the unisex Z series, they might actually have WSG.

From their website, it sounds like their ZW line is "women specific." Am I misunderstanding their website? Granted, I think that label doesn't always mean much and I don't necessary agree that there is some magic geometry that works for all women, but it does sound like they make some accommodations for women with that line of bikes, e.g., shorter cranks, narrower handlebars, compact gearing.

I've never actually looked at Felt before. Given my own short legs, I might have to if I'm ever in the market for a new road bike. They're certainly nice looking.

[jobob]

Hee hee.

Reading through this thread really took me back. Almost exactly 8 years ago I was asking the same kinds of questions as you, jyy.

This was from my very first post on TE:

So I’m thinking I’d like to get a road/touring bike too, and expand my territory beyond the bike paths. But I feel I should up my skill and conditioning level beforehand to justify the new bike (that’s the way my mind works, I have to “deserve” it, LOL!).

I went on to talk about a womens-only metric century ride I had just found out about, that was to be held that coming spring.

Heh, the big question is, do I get the new bike as a reward to myself for completing the century? Or do I get it sooner knowing that the ride will be that much easier on a road bike rather than the hybrid?

That was followed by a resounding chorus of "Get the bike!"
(hmmm, can't help but notice a certain MS Veronica was a part of that chorus too )

The rest is history.

Good luck with your decision. And enjoy your new bike.

[laura*]

From their website, it sounds like their ZW line is "women specific." Am I misunderstanding their website? Granted, I think that label doesn't always mean much and I don't necessary agree that there is some magic geometry that works for all women,

The geometry of the Medium ZW is identical to the 51cm Z, and the Tall ZW is identical to the 54cm Z. That leaves just the 650c wheeled Petite ZW and 700c wheeled Small ZW as unique from the Z line.

but it does sound like they make some accommodations for women with that line of bikes, e.g., shorter cranks, narrower handlebars, compact gearing.

I didn't check, but presumably they do change the componentry they hang on the frames. I lost interest in researching** further when I noticed that 1 ) the ZW line ends before growing to my size, 2 ) the larger ZW geometries aren't unique, and 3 ) their regular geometries totally wouldn't work for me.

** I've recently been downloading road/cyclocross geometry charts from many manufacturers...

[Koronin]

Felt is going to have the shortest standover I think, on the ZW line, the petite bikes with the 650 wheels. You might not have to go that small. But the most important measurement in my mind is the reach. You just don't want to be stretched out too far. You can get away with a slightly too high top tube. Though it has been nice for me to have a bike where I don't have that issue (my 43cm Madone with 650 wheels, no longer made).

Enjoy your test rides! I wanted to try the Felt but never tracked one down.

Yes the petite ZW bikes do have shorter standover than what the 48cm in the F series has. Actually the Z and ZW lines are a bit different in geometry from the F series.

[jyyanks]

Thank you goldfinch,laura and koronin!

I was supposed to go to the Felt and Jamis dealer (2 different shops) today but it was beautiful out and I ended up riding instead I'm trying to ride as much as I can before the NE winter truly sets in. The next time I can go bike shopping is Friday (most LBS's close at 6 and I don't get home from work until 7:30) but I am definitely hitting both those shops this week.

[Koronin]

I know you'll find the right bike for what you need to feel comfortable. That is the big key, make sure you are comfortable on it. We bought a Cannondale CAD 8 for my husband and are now trying to sell it as he just cannot get comfortable at all on it. Basically just the wrong bike for what he needs in a road bike. So make sure you are comfortable on whatever bike you end up choosing.

[Koronin]

For those still following, I just took my measurements.

5ft (exact)
27 inch inseam
25 inch torso
22 1/2 arm length

Basically, I'm short all around! I'm headed to the Jamis and Felt LBS's today to see what they have. Thanks for all the help!

You're height and inseam are actually the same as mine. My arm length is 23 inch. From attempting to measure my torso it's also around 25 inches. (of course I'm trying to measure myself with no help).
Definitely check out the Felt. Look both at the ZW series and the 48cm F series. For me my F 5 fits great. Now we are looking at changing out of the seat post because it's has an offset of a couple of degrees for a 0 offset seat post to give some adjustment in the front to back for the saddle, which is all the way forward right now.
If I did this right, I've included a picture of my Felt which is actually a limited edition.

[Owlie]

Owlie - "There's never "too much bike" (until you get to the pro-quality stuff--then it gets ridiculous), just bike that you don't know you need"
Love this quote! Buy your self a new bike! (LOL - I'm an enabler too.) I think since you've invested so much in your current bike and it's still not quite right, a new one may be the solution. Of course, it's easier said than done but you do deserve to treat yourself.

It'll happen eventually--probably a graduation present to myself.

I had no clue how to work the shifters when I got my bike--I'd never had a geared bike before. I still have a bit of an issue trying to figure out the levers when I test ride (since Sora has thumb triggers instead of the secondary lever). And SRAM makes no sense to me.