LBS and womens bikes

[Koronin]

I agree with dumping this LBS. We actually have and do on occasion drive 2 plus hours to a couple of the LBS's in Raleigh, NC. We're at the coast and do have a new very good LBS, but they do not carry a lot of clothing (which I understand in this market), going to a larger city we have more options. As far as the bike it's self and parts the LBS here is great. Well the new one is. I don't care as much for the older one. Until we found the new (opened less than a year, their 1 yr anniversary will be next month). We were actually all set to drive 2 plus hours so I could figure out which bike would be my next purchase.

[kajero]

I recently purchased a 44 cm Specialized WSD Ruby Carbon Compact bike. The LBS had to order it from the company. The saleperson, who is wonderful, said they just don't stock them because there isn't much demand for them. They did have one left in my size from last year which was a really good deal so I did get to test ride it. But I hated the color, so I didn't buy it. The LBS still has it. I am pretty sure that's why they don't stock the smaller sizes. they don't want to mark them down to sell them.

[nuliajuk]

... I am pretty sure that's why they don't stock the smaller sizes. they don't want to mark them down to sell them.

That could happen with any size bike. My Look 566 is a really common size (medium/53cm) and it would probably still be sitting there unsold, last year's model on sale, if I hadn't bought it recently.
Some bike shops are selling on sites like eBay, I've noticed. For a person who does want an unusual size, at either end of the spectrum, it exposes them to a much wider range of choices, and the shop to a wider range of customers.

[breeze]

Thanks for the feedback-- I'm definitely dumping this LBS.

There's another LBS, about a 30-min drive, that I'm going to check out this weekend. They sell Specialized, Trek, and Surly, and have a Dolce that may fit me. If I come in for a fitting, they are willing to order a Terry for me to try, as well.

Depending on how well that goes, I'll probably also get in touch with the Terry dealer that's 3.5 hours away and plan on a weekend trip sometime soon. While they don't have a smaller Symmetry in stock, they said they could get one in for me with 1-2 weeks notice, no problems, no charge/obligation. That's the shop where I bought my first Terry, and I've referred a few other customers their way, so it is a decent option.

[goldfinch]

Thanks for the feedback-- I'm definitely dumping this LBS.

There's another LBS, about a 30-min drive, that I'm going to check out this weekend. They sell Specialized, Trek, and Surly, and have a Dolce that may fit me. If I come in for a fitting, they are willing to order a Terry for me to try, as well.

Depending on how well that goes, I'll probably also get in touch with the Terry dealer that's 3.5 hours away and plan on a weekend trip sometime soon. While they don't have a smaller Symmetry in stock, they said they could get one in for me with 1-2 weeks notice, no problems, no charge/obligation. That's the shop where I bought my first Terry, and I've referred a few other customers their way, so it is a decent option.

Also short (4'10.5") with short arms. The biggest issues I had with bikes was the reach. The 44cm Dolce may work for you, it has a top tube of less than 50cm. This bike has the more standard 700 wheels. I ended up getting a Trek Madone in the 43cm size, which was even more compact. This size was also available on one of their Lexas. (They have 650 wheels, not 700s) Unfortunately, Trek quit making this size and it is not available after 2011, though their might be some 2011 Lexa's around for a good price.

The Felt ZW75 650 in petite is another possibility, again it have a top tube of less than 50cm. It also has the 650 wheels.

I tried the Surly LHT in the 42 size--the reach was too long. Plus, I didn't really want a bike that heavy.

Depending on your size, the Terry may very well be your best bet. I never was able to track one down to try. I had a terrible time finding anything to try out and ended up taking the risk on the Madone without trying it first, after working with a fitter who thought it was the best choice for me. My other option was going custom but impatience for wanting a bike won the day.

[Dogmama]

Run, do not walk, away from this LBS. If they can't be bothered to sell you a bike, what happens if you have a major issue? I would also let the Terry people know why you are not buying from that LBS.

Trust me on this one. Been there, done that & got the t-shirt.

[Triskeliongirl]

What size bike are you looking for? I road terry bikes for years (classical long legs, short torso and arms) and am very happy on my 48cm Cervelo RS w 650c wheels.

[rivergal]

I'd also suggest looking at Felt. My sister at 4'11" has a small ZW95 and likes it a lot.

[breeze]

goldfinch, I'm wondering if reach will be an issue for me. (Probably). Thanks for the Felt suggestion (rivergal, too!)-- I'm going to call the local dealer tomorrow to see what they have in the shop.

Triskeliongirl- the Cervelo is gorgeous! Unfortunately, out of my price range right now (trying to keep this bike under $1200; less would be better, as I'm still in grad school).

Size-wise, I'm slightly less than 5'1", with a 28" inseam. There's an LBS with a Specialized Dolce that I'm hoping to try tomorrow, but they only have the 48 and not the 44, so we'll see how it goes.

[moderncyclista]

The saleperson, who is wonderful, said they just don't stock them because there isn't much demand for them.

*beginning of rant*
I don't quite believe there isn't a demand for smaller bikes.

My LBS doesn't stock them either and I've been their patron for over 10 years. Believe me I see tons of small women go in there and "special order" sight-unseen, lots of bikes. It's then ridiculous when I see them selling those bikes on consignment, a year later because they "don't fit."

Because women aren't a priority in the cycling industry, even though I believe we're the largest growing base!

Also, commuters are the largest growing base, but all I see are road-bikes in all my local shops. One of my LBS just started carrying fixed-gear bikes (Way to be late on that one. Lulz.) and the other never has. I know there is general snobbery in the cycling community, but I don't care what type of bike someone rides as long as they're on a bike!

To sum up, I think that the cycling industry in general is missing out on marketing to women - the demand is there.
*end of rant*

[Owlie]

Moderncyclista, I think you hit the nail on the head. Because women still comprise a relatively small portion of cyclists overall (road, mountain, commute, whatever), it makes more business sense from the shop's perspective to stock what they know is going to move. Likewise, if you go to most LBSes, they dedicate much of their stock to road bikes because the "roadie elite" are probably seen as more likely to plonk down a lot of money in their stores, as opposed to buying a low- to mid-price bike to minimize loss due to theft. I think the money thing is the same in road bike land. A few weeks ago we had a thread about why women didn't ride. One idea that came up repeatedly was "beginner women are less willing to spend a lot of money on a bike." So why stock the higher-end WSD stuff if it's not going to move?

My home LBS is pretty big, with several locations. Their women's road bikes are sadly lacking. They stock the mid-range sizes (48, 51cm), with not much on the high or low end of the bell curve. It's annoying. (And they don't have anything nicer than partial 105 on the floor.)
ETA: And they don't have anything in the way of WSD mountain bikes, either!

[Irulan]

I think it's important to not use a broad brush here. Most of my local shops understand pretty well what women want/need, and the broader community as a whole ( not just road riding). Just because it's not happening in your community doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

[Owlie]

I think it's important to not use a broad brush here. Most of my local shops understand pretty well what women want/need, and the broader community as a whole ( not just road riding). Just because it's not happening in your community doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

I agree, but I think it's regional. The guy who did my fitting at my LBS, when I mentioned something about it being hard to find WSD bikes, even in that LBS (the area's largest), said that they'd love to offer more things that aren't pastel cruisers or lower-end road bikes (not that there's anything wrong with either of these!) but from a business perspective they have a hard time justifying it because they don't move as fast. They're trying to have a frame in each size that's representative of the line at least somewhere in their system, but it still means that you either have to drive all over the region or wait several days to be able to test it.
But then, this is bass-ackward Ohio, so I'm sure it's better in the PNW and other more bike-friendly parts of the country.

[breeze]

OK, so I rode a Specialized Dolce compact 48cm and Trek Madone 50cm this morning. The LBS guy was very thorough in fit, I think, putting me through the BodyCRM scanner, changing the stem on the Dolce and adjusting the saddle position after measuring with a plumb line. I was probably there for about three hours on just the two bikes. He talked about putting the bike up on the trainer and doing more adjustments after I found the right bike.

I did like my riding position on the Dolce, though my wrists/hands were sore after about the first 15 minutes. Not sure whether that is due to the new angle, to fit issues, or both. After my first ride on the Dolce and adjusting the saddle, the wrist issue eased a little. I found it somewhat hard to reach the brakes with my hands on the hoods, and could only brake with my lower two fingers. He mentioned that they could add a shim to make everything slightly closer. Is that normal? Also, I was really struggling to get on the saddle and moving because I was having some trouble touching my foot down. How much should I be able to reach the ground from the saddle?
I wish they'd had the 44 Dolce so that I could compare, though LBS guy insisted that it would be too small, and that I really needed something between the 44 and 48.

I expected to like the Madone a lot more, but I think that it was waaay too big. 50cm meant a 51.7 effective top tube, and I was stretching like mad. Of course there was nothing smaller in shop. They won't order the Terry for me unless I commit to buying it or unless Terry pays to take it back. Need to find out if they still have that offer, and figure out whether I want to deal with that. I'm feeling somewhat stuck in that I think this LBS guy was great and really paid attention to fit, but that out of a huge store with probably 100 or so bikes on display, there were only two for me to try, and both seemed a bit big. Obviously I can't make myself taller, but gosh, looking at all of those shiny bikes that weren't my size-- well, that was depressing. We had a separate convo about cyclocross bikes, but same problem-- nothing remotely my size in the shop.

Thinking about trying to hit the Trek concept shop tonight before they close. We'll see. I'm going to call the Terry dealer that's 3.5 hrs away (in Columbus) and see how quickly they could get in a bike for me to try, and then perhaps schedule a weekend trip later in June.

I'm also back to thinking about the Surly. While most of my current riding is on paved trails, one of my goals has been to ride part of the GAP trail between Pittsburgh and Washington, DC. Its a crushed limestone rail trail. So perhaps I need to think more about what I want to do with this bike, too. I want to go fast and far, but maybe I need to compromise.