Does this bike exist?

[emily_in_nc]

Try one of the Pinarello Easy-fit models, too. Not sure which model, as they change them from year to year, but they actually make very good women's bikes. Easy Fit have higher head tubes and shorter reaches.

Thanks, Sheila! I'll look at those too!

[north woods gal]

Emily, I'd be very surprised if your bike shop couldn't do better than a 25 on your Pilot's cassette. They should be able to at least go with a 30. My 2013 Domane WSD compact 10 speed came with a 30 and I recently had my bike shop go to a 32 on one of my Tiagra 10 speed compact bikes and it works, fine. A lot of the new 11 speeds come with a 30 on the cassette, too, and have heard of folks going with a 32 on those, also. Of course, if you want another bike, I get that.

I am a firm believer in going with a WSD when, possible. Until WSD came out, I was constantly changing out handlebars, stems, seats and all the other tricks needed to get standard bikes to fit me the way they should. Fortunately, I am on the tall side - almost 5' 10" - so I have a lot more options bike sizing.

I love drop bar bikes. The lowest geared drop bar bike I have is a Salsa Fargo. It has a 42-28 front and an 11-36 in back, so it does get me into MTB gearing. Not what you're looking for, what with those big 29er 2.3s for tires, but mentioned it to show that there are drop bar bikes out there with real low gearing. Was wanting the similarly geared Salsa Vaya which is a touring bike with 700x42s, when I went shopping, but it was out of stock. (May still get one.)

I like carbon, too, but being the old gal biker that I am, my favorite remains steel. Just like the feel better than any other material. Each to their own, though, as always.

[Crankin]

Emily, I did not get the Di2, but DH did get it on his new Time, which he got after the settlement from his crash. I used it on my tour in France last year. Fun, but I don't see as necessary. DH loves it.

[emily_in_nc]

Thanks for the replies!

NWG, I will definitely look into what could be done to lower the gears on my Trek. I have a triple crank, not a compact, btw. It seems like the last time I researched it, it would require changing the rear derailleur for a long-cage and some other mods as well. But it certainly might be doable, and I'd like to see what it would cost vs. a new bike. Since it's a 10-year old bike, even though it fits me, I'll have to decide how much more to put into it vs. buying new. I do like steel (and that is what my Bike Friday is made out of), but I don't want a touring bike or a cross bike or a utilitarian bike (I consider my Bike Friday to be all of those things and will always keep it for those reasons), I want a performance road bike (with a more comfort geometry, tho) that is as lightweight as I can afford. I am petite and weigh < 105 lbs myself, so the lower I can get my bike as a % of my body weight the easier I can climb and attempt to stay with my DH, who still climbs like a mountain goat at 62, darn it!

Sheila, I looked at the Pinarellos briefly, but the gearing isn't low enough. One really nice women's model I was looking at was a 36/50 (or 52) compact in front and only a 25-tooth large cog in back...eeek. I know that can be switched, but often at an additional cost, especially since I'd want both front and rear to offer lower gears. I found their website fairly hard to navigate, though, so I might have missed a bike with lower gearing.

Crankin, I agree that the Di2 is not necessary, and it will probably be out of my price range too, but it does sound pretty sweet!

[Crankin]

Yeah, at a certain point, it is probably better to invest in a new bike. I lowered the rear gearing on my triple Kuota twice, but I after I got the Guru, with the 34-34, I wanted lower on my other bike, too! Plus, as you do, I wanted more endurance geometry. My bike is smooth as silk, which is why, I am sure, it's called a Silque! I also love the feel of steel and my Guru, which is titanium is smooth, but even though it is custom, I don't like the geometry as much.

[north woods gal]

For sure, it is always more cost effective to get the gearing/group set you want, up front, rather than adding, later. I would like to see the bike manufacturers offer more lower geared performance/endurance class bikes like Emily wants. Seems like they just assume that if someone wants a high end road bike, they must be Tour de France competitors. Or maybe they think we're all young males.

I do okay with a standard compact double 50/34 up front and 11-30 on the back on my Domane WSD for the country we have here, on the roads I bike, but I still find myself bottomed out on some of our steeper hills, even now after getting back into prime bike shape. Be nice to have an extra gear or two in reserve. If heading out into new, unknown territory, though, I opt for my Fargo with its more MTB like gearing. Out in real mountain country, though, I'd only go a triple up front and I'd still be looking hard at the gearing on any particular model.

Best of luck, Emily. I may be doing the same kind of shopping at some point. Be very interested in what you find.

[Eden]

I can't imagine having to recharge my bike… I can't remember to recharge my phone or my lights (which is why I have at least one that uses AA batteries at all times..) on particularly consistent basis… I'd be stuck with no shifting or not being able to ride too often. I think I'll stick with cables.

[north woods gal]

I'm iffy on gearing, at best. I live at sea-level, and not much applies. That's why I thought a frameset would be better, but that can be a pain.

FWIW, Trek has great women's bikes. Dialed in, backed by a lot of research.

Very true. My Domane 4.3 WSD is one of the very few bikes I've owned that fit me right, no mods or ad ons needed. All I had to do was adjust the seat height and start riding.

[emily_in_nc]

For sure, it is always more cost effective to get the gearing/group set you want, up front, rather than adding, later. I would like to see the bike manufacturers offer more lower geared performance/endurance class bikes like Emily wants. Seems like they just assume that if someone wants a high end road bike, they must be Tour de France competitors. Or maybe they think we're all young males.

I do okay with a standard compact double 50/34 up front and 11-30 on the back on my Domane WSD for the country we have here, on the roads I bike, but I still find myself bottomed out on some of our steeper hills, even now after getting back into prime bike shape. Be nice to have an extra gear or two in reserve. If heading out into new, unknown territory, though, I opt for my Fargo with its more MTB like gearing. Out in real mountain country, though, I'd only go a triple up front and I'd still be looking hard at the gearing on any particular model.

Best of luck, Emily. I may be doing the same kind of shopping at some point. Be very interested in what you find.

Thanks! Like I said originally, this is a next year thing for me, but I will certainly be posting about it when/if I decide to pull the trigger either way.

I do get what you're saying. A 34 front, 30 rear is still not the lowest gear around. I am hoping for at least a 32 in back, and I'd love a 30 in front, but I am not sure how many performance road bikes even offer triple cranks any longer -- probably not many. And we don't ride monster hills all that often, but when we do....

This one we've been riding daily here to get back to the campground after visiting town looks like this in Google maps:

Attachment 18066

Even in my lowest gear on my Bike Friday (30t front, 32t or 34t, can't recall which, in rear), I am in my easiest gear and tacking like crazy (plus panting) to get up it. Today we rode our MTBs, and it was a leetle easier with a 22t front ring. My legs are fine, it's more the cardio that is so tough. I did determine that I can go 3.9 mph without falling over, however!

Fortunately, these kinds of hills are few and far between in our riding. Normally they're either steep and short or long and gradual. Those I can handle. It's the steep and long ones that kill me, and since we're traveling all over the country, we never know where we may encounter them. My DH thinks I just need to train more and harder, and I am sure he's right, BUT sometimes we go from very flat areas (say Florida, or parts of the midwest) to very hilly areas in just a couple weeks of traveling. That makes it hard to train for the hillier areas.