Quote Originally Posted by roo4 View Post
I had trouble finding carbon women's bikes to ride--our local stores don't keep a lot of bikes on the floor. I can't say that I blame them, but it did mean that I traveled outside of my town to find bikes to try.
Yeah, I think we are going to have to drive a bit further. The stores we checked are 20-40 min from us (what I consider local). I think we are going to have to branch out to Cincy which is closer to an hour.
Quote Originally Posted by Owlie View Post
I had a hard time finding women's carbon bikes to test ride. (Not that I'm in the market right now...) Most shops don't keep the higher-end WSD bikes around, period, or they have a limited pool of sizes to choose from. (I need a 51-54cm; no one has them.) The floor stock may be a matter of what they have lying around. Can you find aluminum in your size with the same geometry? I think you'd need a 48-50cm, depending on the manufacturer and your build. You might have to do a lot of driving around. Last time I wanted to test bikes I had my BF take me around to shops in Phoenix...
I'm definitely going to try some aluminum bikes. After looking at the bank account, that might be best for now.

Quote Originally Posted by thekarens View Post
FWIW I'm 5'3 and my partner is 5'5 and the 50 Trek Madone 4.5 fits us both. She did not get the wsd version. I'd try both regular and wsd versions. In the end I got a Jamis because I like steel and in it I ride a 48 in the men's. My partner loves her Madone though.
Thanks. How heavy is your Jamis? My current bike is steel and so heavy; I have a hard time wrapping my head around getting another steel bike.