How did you choose your bike?

[eofelis]

Finding the right bike(s) for me was also a learning process that took a few years and a few bikes.

I started out with a steel Giant Rincon rigid mtn bike. I didn't know anything about bikes, but it took me all over town and lots of commuting, shopping and yard saling(!)

Then I met my bf. He knows a lot about bikes. I learned a bit and decided I was ready to move up a bit. I decided I wanted a touring type bike and got a Novara Safari (mtn type touring bike) on sale for about $400. I rode that for a couple of years, mostly as a commuter, and then wanted something a bit faster. So I got a Trek 520 touring bike. I rode that bike for a few years, as a road and touring bike. When I decided I wanted a road bike, I had a much better idea of what I wanted. Using the measurements off the Trek 520 my bf helped me choose a Surly Pacer frame and a group that would suit my needs. I have been riding the Pacer for 4 years and I love it.

The Giant Rincon was sold to some friends of ours and it still gets ridden quite a bit.

I came across a NOS Novara Randonee frame (steel) for $15! So I replaced the aluminum Novara Safari frame with that, (I prefer steel) and sold off the Safari frame. The Randonee is my commuter now.

I got a Haro V4 hard tail mtn bike when bf was working for a Haro dealer. It was my first mtn bike with a shock. I don't mtn bike much, so I didn't want an expensive bike. Then I got a steel Gunnar Rockhound hard tail frame on ebay and moved the parts off the aluminum V4 and sold the frame.

I liked my first Surly so much that I wanted another. I wanted a Long Haul Trucker touring frame. I felt my 520 was a bit long in the top tube, the LHT is 2 cm shorter. So I got the LHT and sold off the 520 frame.

I can say I'm presently quite satisfied with all my bikes right now, not looking to buy another one or change much of anything on any of them. Never mind that I have ridden very little in the past couple of months, due to a Calculus class taking over my life! (The bikes will be there when I'm ready to ride again!)

[Kitsune06]

I started out with a good will bike, $20 (some huffy "mountain" hybrid) but it was huge and slow, and heavy. When I showed my interest in biking, we (ex and I) looked for a good bike for me. Miz Cakes called to me from Collins and sat there, so quietly and patiently as I ran my fingers over her FS counterparts, then shuddered at their price tags. Then she quietly called me back, and I took a close look at that quality work on her soldering and joints- she was so much lighter than the other bike I'd had... and I took her out for a ride.
It was love!
She and I have been together ever since... I admit I didn't really try other bikes. I researched her and her reviews online before looking.

[Trek420]

As a child through young adult I went from a Schwinn to Raleigh to Gitane to Mercier then .... stopped riding. What was I thinking????

When my GF (now the ex) ex and I got back into cycling we got GT mountain bikes. I still have "Bradley" my commuter, much upgraded and loved by now.

Wanting to do longer rides I got a Trek420, more about this bike on the "someone stole my bike" thread...gosh I came to love this "customised" bike. But no more Trek so I needed a new bike.

After much prodding on my part ("subliminal hint, get steel get steel") the ex got a Mondonico. I saw how much she liked the bike ("toldja you'd like steel").

The other name for my Mondonico should be "Revenge", I'll admit it is the Divorce bike Same make and model as she got but...mine's full custom so neener neener neener.

They say [I]the best revenge is living well.

My 3rd bike chose me, someone threw a Motobecane Mixte in a neighborhood dumpster. I did all the checking I could to make sure it was not stollen. Came up clean. I'm having it made into a freewheel.

[DebW]

My 3rd bike chose me, someone threw a Motobecane Mixte in a neighborhood dumpster. I did all the checking I could to make sure it was not stollen. Came up clean. I'm having it made into a freewheel.

Trek, that's rather wasteful to turn a whole bike's worth of steel into a freewheel. Unless it's a giant freewheel. You could have a really REALLY low gear.

[Trek420]

DebW my LBS and I are debating that or a fixed gear. He says there's a hub that I could flip over and use either way?

[bike4ever]

Trek420 - flip/flop hub. Surly makes one reasonably affordable.

[light_sabe_r]

BF put me on his old mountain bike to show me what I was missing out on. After that ride my body was SOOOOO SORE I could hardly move for a week!

That when I decided I needed a bike. So I started researching.

BF got me "fitted" and put me on a few road bikes (trek) I felt so overwhelmed and shocked at the price! I was a beginner! What if I didn't even like cycling??

Then I knuckled down. Researched a lot of women's bikes, went to a lot of stores then decided I wanted a step through while I was learning to ride again. And I needed to be able to lift it into my car (because at that stage I lived with my parents WAYYYY out of the city)

I looked at may different types, Wound up with Jamis Tangier. ^_^ I've now done 1035km on him and I've only had him since June 26... WOOHOO

Now as for picking my new roadie, I've test ridden a whole heap of different bikes, But SUB is the best thing I've ridden! Let's just say she fits and she handles like a dream. I want her because Jamis is hard to get up hills, but I CAN get up those hills which two months ago I would have walked.

[7rider]

I really don't have any women cycling friends around to discuss bikes with, so I was wondering how you all chose what you ride? I know absolutely nothing about bikes other than my Giant. Did you visit different shops and ride what they had available? Living in Phoenix, I am lucky to have a lot of shops around, but some of the people in some of the shops talk down to me or don't seem to have the time for me. The shop I bought my present bike from has great people and I'll probably go back there to talk to them first, but I don't want to limit my options, either.
Any suggestions?

My early bikes were hand-me-downs from my older sister (who is shorter than me and the bikes were always too small) in her efforts to get me to do something active (I was a major couch potato through college).
While working, I lost a whole lot of weight and discovered exercise. Walking was too slow/boring, I can't run to save my life, and I was being treated for a back injury by my chiropractor. He recommended a hybrid bike. So, I just visited local shops and rode a lot around the parking lots. Ended up with a Miyata. Loved it.
A few years later, that was stolen. I caught an article in Bicycling Magazine about a new "trend" in bikes - triple chainrings and integrated brake/shifters. They reviewed 4, including the Bianchi Eros. I went to several local shops who had those 4 (including a Giant, a Trek, and I think a Specialized that my sister ended up getting) - plus a few others of these new fangled things (this was in '95). I got the Bianchi. Loved it.
A few years later, I hook up with a weekly ride with a bike shop. I'm on my steel Bianchi with a rear rack and a headlight I forgot how to remove. The hammerhead shop riders were all on ti, aluminum, or carbon, and left my slow butt in the dust, except for my friend, the shop owner's wife, who escorted me home (I was new to the area and had no idea how to get around). I arrive back at the shop 15 minutes after everyone else (maybe more, and they were just being kind to me). Owner comes over to me. "I've got a bike for you," he said, and rolled over a ti Seven Axiom. Next week, I demo'd it and the rest, as they say, is history. Loved it.
Other bikes have come and gone. I'm still unsure about my mtb, but the rest all have one thing in common: I love 'em. If I were a better mtb'er, I'd probably love that, too.
So...moral of the story? Don't limit yourself to one brand or style of bike. Don't get hung up on "I gotta have bike x" Find a bike you LOVE to ride, because that's what it's all about.

[Dianyla]

I didn't choose the preeeccciousssssss. She chose me. Yup, pretty much jumped up on me and made me take 'er home.

[alforfun]

Only went to two bike shops. The first one, which is where my DH bought his road bike, for some reason just wouldnt give us the time of day when I went looking. Went to another bike shop (1/2 hour away), where they have treks. Tried on a few for size, really liked the WSD much better, (and I am 5 foot 8) but of course the one I wanted (the 1600) was not in stock in the WSD. Had to wait another week, but finally got the blue bird last week in Sept.

[Bluetree]

When I decided to get a road bike, I did my homework.
I asked a lot of different cyclists their opinions about makes, frames, material, gearing etc. I also found helpful information at this site: http://thebikepalace.com/page.cfm?PageID=52

When I started actively looking, I had already decided on:
• My ballpark size - I had my inseam measured
• Max. price for a starter bike: $1500
• Looking for last year's model to get a better deal
• The min. components I would settle for: 105s or Campy Veloces
• Carbon forks and a triple ring

Once I knew this, I pulled up as many bike specs as I could from the web, narrowed it down to 6-7 bikes. I then took these printouts around to experienced cyclists and asked for the pros and cons of each. Down to 4 choices.

After that, it was just a matter of calling or visiting bike shops (13 in all) to see if they had any of these bikes in my size to test out. Some bikes were prefectly fine, but as soon as I sat on them I wasn't happy. The last bike I got on, I sat on it and everything just seemed to fit perfectly. I have no explanation as to why I like it, I just did.
To make room for next year's bikes, the LBS knocked my price down from $1300 to $1000 so I have been able to put in $500 more in upgrades (carbon handlebars, etc.) All in all, a happy shopping trip!

[roadie gal]

I started out on a mountain bike: GT Karakorum because a boyfriend rode. Later I got into road riding. I went to every store in a 60 mile radius and rode every different brand I could. I finally settled on a Bianchi Veloce. A few years later, as a gift to myself for finishing the Death Ride, I bought a Sampson Silverton. I still have that bike and a Sampson Diablo set up as a tri bike. I must have spent a total of 5 or 6 hours on the phone with Eric Sampson each time I bought a bike from him. They're expensive, but they fit perfectly and they're beautiful bikes.

That being said, the key to a bike is the fit, not the price. Each brand is set up just a little differently. Try as many as you can.

My roommate is 5'2". It took a while to find one for her. Now she rides a Jamis. I can highly recommend them as good bikes for the money.

[MomOnBike]

When my wrists and fingers informed me that I was going to get a recumbent if I wanted to keep riding bikes, I resisted for a while, but started doing some homework as to what is out there. My head spun.

Then one day I walked into my friendly LBS (the owner takes fat ladies seriously!) and looked around. I could hear whispering from the back of the store. ("Hey, sweet thing, you look like you need some excitement in your life.")

DH was with me, so I tried to ignore it. ("We'd turn heads together.")

I test rode a bike. Um, not IT. ("I'm back here. We were made for each other.")

I ignored harder and discussed gear ratios with the LBS owner. ("Remember that cross-country trip you've been planning all your life? I can take you. I want to take you. It will be fun.")

I gave in and looked. There in the back corner was a blue and silver long wheel base aluminum bike with a smoke fairing and an attitude.

I fell in love.

And that, my friends, is how William came into my life. I've told people I like him better than DH, and I'm not entirely sure I'm joking - and neither is DH.

[spokewench]

My very first bike was an LBS bottom of the line (around 1985) (what they called a mountain bike back them, women's mixte frame) It was bright yellow! My husband got the same bike in a men's frame. His bike was okay My bike was horrible because of the mixte frame. If you don't know what mixte is, it is frame with the top tube that goes down instead of across so ladies can wear skirts and you don't have to kick your foot over the seat or top tube. We were doing real mountain biking and that bike was so laterally weak side ot side that it was scary to ride even for a newbie who didn't know the difference!

My husband went and bought a new Specialized Stumpjumper so I rode his old men's frame from above for a short time. I soon learned that I was right that the mixte handled horribly! But, the men's frame of my husband's was WAY TOO BIG!

So, off I went looking for a reasonably priced mountain bike to ride. Back then there were not very many bikes for small riders (women). I looked and looked and looked. No the smallest size for most makers was a 16" and it was just too big for me. Finally, I found a Klein mountain bike, rigid bike, that's all they made back then. It was probably way more bike than I needed and way more expensive than I wanted to spend, but it fit and I loved it! It was bright orange!

Then, I wanted a road bike so I could ride century rides. So, off I went to some different stores, checked out a few, and bought a grey with yellow writing trek 1000. It was a good entry level bike as I wasn't too sure I was going to like road riding. I had help from my hubby and the LBS and they got me fitted pretty well. The LBS did their fit and my hubby who is quite talented, had read a lot about fit and we fine tuned the bike. It actually fit me pretty well. I kept this aluminum frame for quite a while, but then I started racing and thought I needed to upgrade. (I sold the old bike to a guy friend who still has the bike in his garage.)

So, the next road bike was not particularly light weight nor was it really a fast race geometry bike, BUT, it was classic geometry and handled really well. It was a Bridgestone RB1 with Ultegra. (Cream colored with english racing green and red logos) They don't sell these in the US anymore. This time, I knew about what made me comfortable and what fit was all about so I drove all over the San Francisco Bay Area visiting different shops that had Trek Carbon bikes, and other bikes that looked like they might work for me. (can't really remember what else I was looking at.) I went to a shop in Palo Alto and rode this RB1 in my size - I knew immediately that this bike fit me. See, I am lucky, I fit on standard sized bikes so when I find one I like, I can buy it off the rack. I loved this bike. I race, and rode this bike for years, actually until just a couple of years ago! People were starting to make fun of me because my bike was so retro, heavy and old!

The next bike I bought was another Klein Pulse Mountain Bike (Bright royal blue, very pretty). I had finally given in and needed to get a mountain bike with front fork suspension and my old Klein just did not have the correct geometry to put a suspension fork on it. So, because I really liked my old Klein, and the bike shop I was riding for at that time also carried Kleins, I bought a new Klein Pulse Mountain Bike with a wonderful carbon fork legged, suspension fork! It was very TRICK in its day and the bike shop gave it to me for a steal cause they knew I would Represent it and the shop well! (now, it is an antique, but it sure was cool back then) (The old Klein got sold to a girl who had a road bike and was trying mountain biking for the first time. I don't know if she still owns it but she had it for at least 5 years after I sold it.)

Big Breath, the next bike was a Specialized M-2 full suspension rig! (Flat Black with red logos) Wow, what technology, light weight, great suspension. Yahooooooo now this is a Mountain Bike! I still have this bike and I still love it! It gets me thru the really technical rocks of Flag and rode me to a 2nd place in the State Championships one year! I still love this bike and have no intention of selling it for a long time!

The next bike I got was a Redline Cyclocross bike (red, white and blue, it is really pretty). I had raced cyclocross for two years and was riding my Blue Klein Pulse MTB (very light). That year, they had a frame for a prize and they did a raffle for it at the end of the year and my husband won it. Hubby already had a nice cyclocross bike so he gave it to me, and I sent off to Redline and they got me one in my size! Of course, I had to build it up and that cost some money, but now I had a cyclocross bike as well.

The next bike was two years ago, in 2005, I was sponsored by the local bike club on the road and I rode a Giant TCR frame, (Black) (and bought at a big discount durace components and really nice wheels). This bike was on loan, but after riding the Bridgestone RB1 tugbout, this lightweight steed was the nicest thing since sliced bread! My climbing got immediately better just because I think I dropped 10 pounds of bike! The bike was sweet (the only problem is side winds are kinda scary it is so light).

So, after the 2005 racing season, I had to give the bike back; and we had it planned to go to do the Bicycle Tour of Colorado. With the huge amount of climbing that I was looking at for 2006 (both in the ride and training for the ride), I decided there was no way I was going to ride the RB1 (especially since I only run a double chainring) so I decided since I already had all hte components, wheels, dura-ace, etc. I splurged and bought a year old frame (brand new) just like the one I had ridden in 2005. Well almost like the one I rode in 2005, My new bike is black Carbon fiber with bright pink (they call it magenta) fork and front part of the triangle! It is a beaut and boy did it do its job with all the training mileage and riding I did this year!

So, that's the end. I told you it would be long!

I still have the RB1, the Redline, the Specialized MTB, the Blue Klein Pulse, and the Giant TCR. Five bikes in all. I guess I'm crazy! I use the Redline for cross and winter riding. I use the Specialized MTB for mountain biking. I use the Blue Klein Pulse for commuting. I use the Giant TCR for road riding.

The only one I don't ride any more is the RB1 - Guess I need to sell it soon! Anybody want a 50 cm RB1?

[guest1]

My first bike was in college -- a Trek 520 tour bike. For WHATEVER reason I decided I wanted to bike over spring break, so I went to the local college bike shop and told them I wanted a tour bike. They had last year's model on sale and I bought it. It ended-up being 2 sizes too big, but I didn't know it then! I rode it and rode it a long way, only to get hurt because it did not fit me. It was 15 years until I rode again and bought my next bike.

My next bike was a mountain bike. I rode it on the road because I didn't like trails. Six months later, I bought a road bike, Giant OCR1. I studied bikes and components and the OCR1 was a really good bike for the money. I shopped around for last year's model, to get a deal, and I found it! My only downfall was I did not understand compact geometry and bought a size too large. After riding for a few months, my local bike shop helped me fit to the bike, changing components and explaining why. I rode it for 2 years.

Now I had "bike experience" and started searching for a "dream bike". It was a bike I knew I would build, with help of friends, and not a stock bike. I found a used Bianchi steel frame on eBay. It was NOT my ideal frame, but it had so much character and the geometry seemed perfect, so I bought it. I then hand picked my components, wheels, etc., and built the Bianchi. I have NO REGRETS!! What a BIG BIG difference the Bianchi was to the Giant -- proper geometry and great components rule!!!! I rode it for a year and a half.

Now that I had gotten a geometry that fit me well, I wanted a better frame -- an Italian carbon frame. So I started looking for deals and discovered a new 2006 Italian carbon Battaglin frame at half price. It was MY GEOMETRY!! So I bought it and took my Campy Chorus components off the Bianchi and put them on the Battaglin. It is my dream bike. I hope to be riding it for a very long time!