Originally Posted by
lcinva
Hi -
I've done some searches, and I've found some good information here, but I thought I would post and see if I could get some more pearls of wisdom!
I'm not that new to road biking/tris (a couple of years) but my husband and I decided I've finally outgrown my $500-bought on craigslist-doesn't fit right-terrible brakes Trek. I've been test riding at LBS, and was put on a couple of unisex bikes, which were ok, but still felt weird. At that point I thought maybe I was just a pansy and road biking was uncomfortable for everyone, and I just needed to deal with it. Then I tried a Specialized Dolce Elite...OH MAN! I couldn't believe how different it felt. I was like a new person!! I didn't feel like I was stretching, my hands didn't hurt from all the weight on them, I wasn't totally stressed out like I was going to fall over at any point, it was crazy!!
I also later test rode a Scott Contessa Speedster 15, which I *think* felt similar to the Specialized, but it's hard to tell when you have to drive back and forth between two stores. If nothing else, it's close enough that I'm sure it can be adjusted. This is important b/c my husband is buying a new bike too, and he doesn't like any of the bikes at the LBS that carries Specialized, and we can get a good deal if we buy at the same store.
Anyway - I'm kind of overwhelmed by all of this. My first question is, will the more upright women's geometry affect my speed significantly, and by how much? We do olympic tris and my goal pace is about 20-21 mph. Will I have to be on the lower handlebars the whole time to get to this speed?
2. The Scott has ultegra on the rear, 105s in the front, but a triple ring. Specialized has 105s throughout with a compact ring. Specialized (Dolce Comp) is $100 more than the Scott already, without the buying 2 bike discount if I get the Scott. Is the ultegra that much better? What about compact vs. triple? I get the difference, but I don't know how that applies to me.
3. The WSD confuses me anyway. I get it, but what I'm having a hard time understanding is what specific parts I could look at between a WSD and a unisex and say "oh, that's why it fits me differently". I think I have a long-ish torso (that's what seamstresses say when fitting me)...maybe I have short arms? I'm 5'7'' with a 32" inseam. So, maybe I don't really have a long torso, I just have no hips and they think I do. I don't know, but everyone talks about how the WSD bikes are for more petite people, and that's not me. I don't get why they fit me so well. It makes me think they DON'T fit me well and I'm actually all scrunched up and just don't know it yet. So what really changes with women's geometry? top tube length? I was told the Dolce and Ruby have the same geometry, but the measurements on the Specialized website weren't the same. I rode the Ruby and while it was really nice, it wasn't quite as good fit wise as the Dolce. I don't know if that was a geometry thing (but it shouldn't be, everyone says they're the same geometry) or just the bike tweaked a little bit.
Sorry this is so long. It's just so overwhelming, and unfortunately I'm one of those neurotic people that has to over-research everything before buying. Any advice about any of this would be awesome. Thanks!