Quote Originally Posted by GLC1968 View Post
I closely considered custom when I first started riding seriously because I am a tough fit. I went through 2 nice road bikes before I found my dream bike. And it's not custom at all. I've since stopped looking at nice road bikes and fancy frames except to admire them. I don't want them because I love my road bike more than I love my car (and that's saying something!). There are two things that have let me fall in love with my bike: 1) my road bike is unique and I've never seen another one like it in real life and 2) my road bike was as close as I could get to a perfect geometry for me and then I paid a lot of money for a spot-on fit. It rides like a dream and it fits me like a glove.

My road bike is dated. It's a 2005. It runs 9-speed Ultegra. It doesn't have fancy wheels nor is it 'tricked out' at all. It is Ti, but it's painted, so you'd never know unless you rode it (or read the label). But it's unique and it works for my needs 100%. Because of all this, I've stopped looking at other bikes and I can't imagine how any other bike could be better for me. That means, I bought the right bike. It wasn't the most expensive. It wasn't top of the line. And yet, I'm not swayed by those bikes because I love mine so much.

My point is similar to Indy's. The best bike for you is the RIGHT bike for you. Having the best of everything will not guarantee that you won't keep shopping around. And having custom won't guarantee that it'll be the perfect bike for you. It's really a shopping process and I can speak from experience in that when you get it right, it's right and you'll know it!
Thanks GLC1968 - your experience is precisely what I'm concerned about since I actually don't know how a bike is supposed to "feel" when it fits. I mean, the Amira and the Maldone felt like slightly different rides but nonetheless similar. I get the sense that there should be a more comfortable ride for me but I just don't know what that means given the fact that I don't know what I don't know. How do I know what "perfect fit" is supposed to feel like without putting enough time on the saddle to figure out my needs. That takes having a bike already. The hard part is you can't really find a less expensive bike with digital shifting, which is one of the only things I know I really like so far because our rides require lots of shifting - lots of hills. More upright is more comfortable generally but I don't want a ride too upright. This concept of fit and recognizing it when I meet it seems so nebulous to me - I understand it conceptually/theoretically, but I don't want to buy a bike that seems fine only to find something later that slams me in the face as to how "fit" really feels. A test ride on a new bike at LBS only can go so far. A 50-mile bike ride up and down hills is a good test but bike shops don't allow that - I've asked. I dont' even know if I make any sense but I do know I'm reeling in confusion. Thanks for listening.