So, the Tourmalet didn't work out...

[ASammy1]

...The bike shop sold it before I could come up with the rest of the $$$ even though I put a deposit down. Sounds shady to me...

But, I found this on my local CL. Is this a good price?

http://norfolk.craigslist.org/bik/833430732.html

[sundial]

Did you get your deposit back??

[ASammy1]

Yes, I did get my deposit back. Thanks for asking...

[Tri Girl]

That does sound shady.

What does the CL ad writer mean when he says: BUT it has standard size tires (which is a good thing)? What's he talking about? Does he just mean that it has 700's instead of 650's or that the tires are not skinny but wider? Strange way to put it. If his wife is 5'3", I doubt that it could be a 52. I'm that height, and it would be a stretch for me to ride a 50 (but I know every body is different). I'd say go check it out and see if you like it in person. He doesn't say anything about the year so you could look up the specs. I wonder what the components are?
It's a pretty bike for sure, and a Trek is always a good bike.

[ASammy1]

Hey Tri Girl,

That's what I was thinking. I'm 5'4" and ride either a 49 or 50 usually depending on the brand. I emailed him to find out more specifics...

[Running Mommy]

You put MONEY ON IT and they sold it out from under you???
Whaaa??????
I'm a shop owner, and I would NEVER do that! If you put money on a bike it's called a layaway, and therefore should be moved off the floor.
I do layaway here. I require 20% down and then give 60 days to pay. Very straight forward.
I'm so sorry that happened to you. But as for that shop, I wouldn't be dealing with them anymore.
Not cool!

[ASammy1]

Running Mommy,

I know!!! I think the bike went to the owner's friend... I didn't quite put down 20%, but a deposit is a deposit. They didn't even call me to tell me they sold it. I went there with the rest of the $$$ only to find out that it was gone. I then demanded my deposit back and told them I would not be doing business with them in the future.

Do you by any chance have a 49 cm LeMond Tourmalet WSD??? I loved the bike and it fit perfectly...

[Running Mommy]

sorry.. don't do anything with trek/lemond....
And now that trek stopped producing lemond- and is locked in a legal battle- that may be a tough one.
Bummer!
I read the thread to my manager and he questioned whether what they did was even legal.
It was shady at best tho.
NOT COOL!!!

[ASammy1]

Exactly why I wanted the LeMond-it was on sale!!!

[Fujichants]

Oh my god that sucks! What a shady store!! I can't believe they did that to you. I would be so pissed and throw a hissy fit in the store. But that's just me.

I was also wondering about the size of that bike. I'm 5'6 and ride a 52 cm Trek and it fits perfectly. If she is 5'3, wouldn't it be a bit big for her? Best thing to do is go take a look at it. The guy posting that ad probably doesn't know much about bikes, hence the weird wording of his listing.

Argh, I am getting frustrated thinking what that stupid store did to you! But maybe now you will find something you love just a bit more than the tourmalet?

[Aggie_Ama]

Well one bright spot is other bike shops might be putting their 2008's on sale as well since the 2009s are out. That is one shady thing they did!

[ridebikeme]

Well, I agree with everyone else that the shop certainly didn't handle your situation very professionally. However, I believe that everything happens for a reason, and perhaps this is your chance to find something even better!!

I am 5'5" and I ride a 50 cm bike... so not sure whether this would fit you or not. I would like to see what the bike has for components before I would make a decision, and of course, would like to ride one that is similar. Is there a Trek store that is close to you so that you can ride something in that size? You might also want to check the geometry of that particular bike as well, as it changes from time to time.

AS for the future, I too, would look for another shop to work with... very bad karma at that one!!

[ilima]

Gary Fisher (owned by Trek) will be selling road bikes for 2009, and--surprise--they look awfully familiar.

The geometry for the Arc Super GS (I just checked the women's but I suspect it's true for the unisex version, the Arc Super) is EXACTLY the same as the LeMond Tourmalet, right down to the stem length and crank length.
http://www.fisherbikes.com/bike/model/arc-super-gs

Price is $1370, up from the LeMond.

Question is whether you want to go back to the same shop & have them bring you in a Gary Fisher. I seriously think what they did probably crossed into illegal territory. Plus it's just a downright crappy way to treat a customer.

Any other Trek dealers nearby? Maybe you could talk to the regional rep for Trek, who might be sympathetic to you since one of his/her dealers did you wrong, and get the GF for the same price you'd have gotten the LeMond. There's no doubt the GF is just a repainted LeMond.

[ASammy1]

ilima,

Thanks for pointing that out! I had no idea...

[ASammy1]

Per the email from the owner...

"The tires are the standard 700, it has ultegra/105 components (105 brakes, ultegra levers, crank, and derailuer). The components are basically lower competition level, so unless you are entering alot of crit races and have money on the line, you won't notice any performance difference moving up to durace etc.

Since it is women specific design, it is a triple on the front (apparently they didn't think women could handle a double....). Since there aren't really hills around here this shouldn't play too big of an issue (unless you travel west etc.). Is that what you're looking for?I have no problem waiting until Saturday morning. do you want to shoot for around 9am?"

Yay! I'm really excited. This is what I'm looking for!