OK, so I rode a Specialized Dolce compact 48cm and Trek Madone 50cm this morning. The LBS guy was very thorough in fit, I think, putting me through the BodyCRM scanner, changing the stem on the Dolce and adjusting the saddle position after measuring with a plumb line. I was probably there for about three hours on just the two bikes. He talked about putting the bike up on the trainer and doing more adjustments after I found the right bike.
I did like my riding position on the Dolce, though my wrists/hands were sore after about the first 15 minutes. Not sure whether that is due to the new angle, to fit issues, or both. After my first ride on the Dolce and adjusting the saddle, the wrist issue eased a little. I found it somewhat hard to reach the brakes with my hands on the hoods, and could only brake with my lower two fingers. He mentioned that they could add a shim to make everything slightly closer. Is that normal? Also, I was really struggling to get on the saddle and moving because I was having some trouble touching my foot down. How much should I be able to reach the ground from the saddle?
I wish they'd had the 44 Dolce so that I could compare, though LBS guy insisted that it would be too small, and that I really needed something between the 44 and 48.
I expected to like the Madone a lot more, but I think that it was waaay too big. 50cm meant a 51.7 effective top tube, and I was stretching like mad. Of course there was nothing smaller in shop. They won't order the Terry for me unless I commit to buying it or unless Terry pays to take it back. Need to find out if they still have that offer, and figure out whether I want to deal with that. I'm feeling somewhat stuck in that I think this LBS guy was great and really paid attention to fit, but that out of a huge store with probably 100 or so bikes on display, there were only two for me to try, and both seemed a bit big. Obviously I can't make myself taller, but gosh, looking at all of those shiny bikes that weren't my size-- well, that was depressing. We had a separate convo about cyclocross bikes, but same problem-- nothing remotely my size in the shop.
Thinking about trying to hit the Trek concept shop tonight before they close. We'll see. I'm going to call the Terry dealer that's 3.5 hrs away (in Columbus) and see how quickly they could get in a bike for me to try, and then perhaps schedule a weekend trip later in June.
I'm also back to thinking about the Surly. While most of my current riding is on paved trails, one of my goals has been to ride part of the GAP trail between Pittsburgh and Washington, DC. Its a crushed limestone rail trail. So perhaps I need to think more about what I want to do with this bike, too. I want to go fast and far, but maybe I need to compromise.