To the OP - can the LBS do the basic measurements while you're on a trainer - arm angle and such? I'm only two inches shorter and a relative newb, but that sounds big (I could be way off base, so take that with the associated bucket of salt and wait for the more experienced voices to sound).

Quote Originally Posted by TigerMom View Post
...plus the 44cm bike could only hold 1 bottle.
I've got a 44 cm Ruby and I was able to find a bottle that fit the second holder. BARELY, mind you, but it did fit. LOL. I'm 5'1" and short everywhere. In fact, when I had my pedals put on, the guy at the LBS (different from where I bought the bike) thought that I might have gotten too large of a bike. "But they don't come any smaller!!" Then he recognized that it was a 44 cm, not a 48. I had the thought that I was going to need remove training wheels to find the right sized bike.