Advice on road bike purchase

[bcipam]

I am considering the Cannondale R1000 Feminine or the Trek Pilot 5.2.
How do I ride these particular bikes in MY size if they do not have them on the floor. How do I get any more testing time than a 10 minute parking lot trip?

Do any of you gals ride either of these bikes?

Please help.

This is where belonging to a cycling club is a real help. I decided to buy my Lemond Zurich after riding another members Lemond Buenos Aires. I had before that done tons of research so knew I wanted a steel bike and once I had a chance to take her Lemond around the block knew I wanted the Zurich.

Some bike shops have loaner bikes and will allow you to take the bike for a day. These bikes tend to be higher end, say $3000+ range. You can also contact the various manufacturers to see if they are holding demo days in your area. Otherwise, you buy a bike like most of us - on faith and research.

PS my comment on the Cannondale R1000 - beautiful bike but very very stiff and harsh. If you are lightweight and your roads are smooth, you will be OK. In addition the bike is very agressively styled - its geometry will have you very stretched out although WSD bike maybe be alittle less agressive.

And what's interesting is the Pilot is exactly the opposite of the R1000. It's geometry is less agressive, more relaxed, you sit further up not as stretched out as the R1000. If these are your two choices you need to think about why you selected these two bikes and why you think either suits you. Like I said, they are "ying and yang" "night and day" from each other.

Check around to some other shops and look for brands alittle less "big" such as Felt, Lemond, Lightspeed etc. Even Colnago makes a beautiful steel bike.

[Lenusik]

I think that you certainly need to go fitted first. Then you will know if you need WSD. Testing would be great. I undesratnd that finding a short that has everything that you need is impossible. I would use every resource that I have. Good fitter is the first one. They usually have different bikes. I think that my coach/fitter probably has 15-20 bikes at home. He is crazy. Check with your friends and definitely shop around.

[dachshund]

How do I go about trying out bikes? When I bought my hybrid, I spent about 10 minutes riding it in the parking lot. Not enough time to really know if it is the correct bike for me. I did go to a LBS an hour away from my home for the better service. The LBS near my home (15 minutes away) has an owner and manager who come across as very aloof.

Hmmm... the LBS should offer to let you ride the bike as long as you want. I would go back to the local place and ask to take the bikes out on long test rides. This is standard, so "Mr/Ms Aloof" should know this.

Do both shops carry the same brands? I would narrow it down as much as possible at the local place, to make the best use of your time, and maybe take my business somewhere else if I thought they would handle the fitting and advice better. In fact, this is exactly what I did. The local places were good, but the bikes they put me on felt too big. I felt like I was stretching my arms too much. Then I went to a place near work, which is about an hour away from home, and chatted about the situation with them. They said "You probably need a smaller size frame." They also said more "female positive" things that made me feel like plunking down my $$ there. For maintenance work, now I'm building a relationship with one of the local places that carries Bianchi.

On the fitting, I think (could be wrong) that the full-blown fitting is offered after you buy the bike. This is when they put you and the bike on a trainer and spend an hour looking at all the angles and measurements. They may recommend changing one or more parts as a result of this. I learned a lot from this while chatting with the fitter. I had a pair of shorts to wear during this, which helped because he could see what my knees were doing. So my sequence was, test-ride bikes all over town, narrowed it down to the Bianchi, decided I like the LBS near work, rode the Bianchi there. Slept on it. Paid for the bike, made the fitting appt for 2 days later, then did the fitting and brought the bike home. Somewhere in there I bought a helmet & shorts.

During the test phase, they lined me up against a wall and took a couple of measurements, to get in the ballpark. So if they don't mention doing a full fitting, ask them if it's included in the price of the bike. If they say "we already fitted you", well, maybe they don't do the more involved fitting.

[fasteryet]

I've had a lot of experience with Cannondales. My first was a 2002 hybrid, which I love and still ride on the towpaths and old railbeds. The next year I bought a R800 WSD C-dale road bike, which was a great way to get into road biking. I'm a little over 5'4'', and the 50cm size fit perfectly. After putting about 3400 very happy miles on that bike, this spring I bought a Cannondale Six13. It's not a WSD, so I went for a little smaller bike, and put a shorter stem on. It's like driving a Porsche.
Some people say otherwise, but I really love Cannondales. And don't be afraid of aluminum. If you need to, a little gel bar tape, and Buzz-kills in the bar ends, and you'll smooth right out.
Also consider what you want to do. Is touring in the picture? Or just club rides? If you're planning on touring, you may need something else entirely.
The best thing is to go with a good shop, where you can ask anything, get any adjustment made, and be treated well.
They shouldn't mind you taking a long test ride, either. Go up and down hills, stop fast, go over bumps. Do everything you think you'll do while riding.

[Cyclesome]

Thank you for the advice. I haven't ridden either of these bikes, but have been reading on line and trying to get advice. There are no bike clubs in my area that I know of.

I am not looking for a speeedster, but one with somewhat relaxed geometry and plenty of gears to get me up those hills and good components. I am not looking for a bike that streches me out at a ninety degree angle. Remember, I am going from a hybrid to a road bike. I know my half century would have been a bit easier had I had a road bike. I want to use my hybrid for the Rails to Trails and my road bike for training and organized rides with my husband and friends. All three LBS carry Trek, Giant, & Cannondale (15 minutes, 45 minutes, and 1 hour away).

Does Cannondale make a bike comparable to the geomerty of the Trek Pilot? What would be the best Pilot for me? The 5.2 is about $3000. A bit of money.

I don't want to make any hasty decisions. I have a lot to learn! Thank a million!

[fasteryet]

I don't have any experience with the Trek Pilot, but from what I read it is supposed to be a bit more upright, with a little more relaxed geometry.
The biggest problem is that is takes some time to get used to go from riding a hybrid to a road bike, so whichever bike you pick will feel a little strange at first.
I think you will have to try as many as possible. I don't think you'll need to start with the top of the line Pilot. Again, if you have good feelings about a particular shop, see what they advise.

[Fredwina]

I also have an older 'dale r1000 (CAAD7 frame) regular geometry with a shorter stem. I really don't notice the harsh ride. But then again, I've never ridden a Carbon bike. It's a nice bike.
I believe Cannondale competitor to the pilot is the Synapse. I have priced it, but it should be similar. The only thing is the all carbon models are imported (not made in Bedford, PA. I noticed that the OP lives in Somerset) There are aluminum Version of the Pilot and the Synapse that would run you less. I think a lot of other brands are hopping on the bandwagon, too