I just bought my very first road bike!

[Over50Newbie]

YEAH - it worked and it is the right picture.

Isn't she a beauty? - (it is not a picture of the real bike, but this is exactly what she looks like)

Can you tell that the front wheel is smaller than the rear wheel? It might look a little weird, but, boy, does it ride beautifully.

And I will keep you posted. Unfortunately, it is supposed to rain all weekend here in CT, so I might have to wait just a little while before I get to ride. So far, I've only been able test ride it at the bike shop. But he let me take it out for an hour!

[emily_in_nc]

Congratulations!!!

Terrys are great bikes. I test rode a pretty lavender Terry Classic back in 2002, and it was a sweet ride. I tried it on for size before buying an Isis (which had to be ordered). The Isis was my first upright road bike in many years, and yes, it had the two different wheel sizes. That's a good thing, though, for tiny riders, as it prevents toe overlap with the front wheel that can occur with a short top tube and avoids compromises in frame geometry that can affect ride comfort and bike handling.

The only downside of the two different wheel sizes is that you have to carry two different size tubes, and the 24" ones can be a bit hard to find, so either order a bunch of them from the Terry Bicycles site or ask at your bike shop to see if they carry them (mine did, since it was a Terry dealer). And yes, a few people will think it's weird, but WHO CARES?! You have a bike that fits you, and that's what's important! You will get a lot of questions and interest about it if you ride with others. I was constantly asked by other women "Do you like your Terry?"

Another woman on this forum has a Terry Classic she has modified to use drop bars, so if you ever decide to make the switch down the road, I am sure she'd be happy to advise you on that.

Again, congratulations and enjoy your Terry!

Emily

[WrensMom]

Congrats! That's a very nice bike. Many happy miles to you!

[Geonz]

This could be the start of a beautiful relationshiop :-)

[Over50Newbie]

Thanks everyone for your kind words. There is a good chance that the rain is going to let up by tomorrow afternoon and I am "hot to trot" to go on my first real ride. YAHOO!!

Pascale, here is the geometry for the Terry Classic. I have a 28" standover height and I got the 16" Terry Classic. It is the 2005 model. They didn't make this model for 2006 and my LBS said that they are going to continue it again next year, but it will have drop handlebars, instead of straight ones like mine. Also, the brakes fit me perfectly. I know what you mean about not being able to reach the brakes. That happened to me on many of the bikes that I test rode. The same issue with the shifters. Good luck!

P.S. Go to a different bike shop. I went to 5 different shops and only one of them didn't have the right equipment to measure me (I didn't buy the bike from them!). Three of them used something called the "fit system" and one actually used a beautiful new computer system that they said cost them $5000. They all came out with the same measurements, so I know that they were accurate.

I now know all types of things about my body that I didn't know before, such as my standover height (which is the height of my pubic bone from the floor), both of my arm lengths, the width between my shoulders, and the height of my chest bone in relationship to the floor. They put all of this information into a computer, and it told me exactly what bike would fit me the best. And the Terry bikes kept coming out over and over as one of the "best fits".

Also, don't let them talk you into a 47 cm bike. I fit best on a 43 cm and can just make it into a 44 cm.

[Pascale]

Thank you! You're an angel

[Over50Newbie]

Hi Again Pascale,

Before I forget, Terry bicycles has a spot on their web site for people to sell used bicycles. There is a 16" Terry Classic there for $400. Here is the site:

http://www.terrybicycles.com/trade/?browse=sell

Hope this helps.