Suggestions welcome

[lgibster]

I am looking for a good road bike to ride my first century. Carbon vs alum and compact double vs triple. I currently ride a Specialized Vita Elite. I have participated in a local 34 mile Cancer benefit race and last weekend completed the 25 mile leg of the Hotter'n Hell Century in Wichita Falls TX. I am racing on and off with my brother and he recently purchased an older Specialized Roubiax Elite Triple. I just can't keep up on my Vita Elite, so I am looking to purchase something like a Ruby or Dolce type bike. Any suggestions?

[zoom-zoom]

What's your budget? I'm personally a fan of compact doubles, at least on road bikes. I've had better luck with my compact than my triple, but I also went from Shimano to SRAM, so it's not comparing apples to apples.

I also like carbon, but we have a lot of really rough chipseal. If our roads were nice asphalt I'd probably be fine with aluminum and maybe swap for higher end components for the same price.

[lgibster]

Currently I am looking in the range of $1400 to $2200. I am 5'7" but weight 230 lbs so I have a difficult time with hills. I also have heel spurs and plantar fasciitis so I sometimes have trouble applying too much pressure to the petals. I ride the SPD pedals currently and don't plan on changing that. I had my first taste of Texas chip seal at the Hotter'n Hell....did not like that stuff, but will ride it again I am sure.

[Owlie]

What are you looking to spend?

Aluminum is light, cheap, and stiff. Carbon is more expensive, but doesn't transmit vibrations the way that aluminum does. There is also some issue with frame geometry--aggressive aluminum frames seem to be a smoother ride than the relaxed ones. My current bike is aluminum and I just did a 50-mile ride, with about 20 miles on chip-seal. That was...unpleasant. But on decent asphalt, it's fine. I've ridden three carbon bikes, and only one of them actually fit, so I can't say much.

Compact double vs. triple. There's a lot of discussion on that subject here. I've been using a triple, but a lot of the bikes I'm looking at use a compact double. It's hard finding anything other than entry-level bikes with a triple, these days.

Test-ride a bunch of bikes and use that to make your decision.

[ColoG8r]

I can't stress enough to try as many bikes as you can to find the right bike. I found a great deal on a Trek Madone 4.5 in the late Spring. I rode it and it seemed to be a good fit. After riding it for about a month, I realized that it was a little too aggressive of a stance for some of the distance riding I like to do.

I bit the bullet and went out looking for a better match for me. I swear I rode almost every brand. I ended up with a Specialized Ruby Comp with a compact double. The bike shop did a fairly detailed fitting for me and ended up changing out the stem for me. I love my bike! My Trek had a triple but I don't feel like I'm missing anything gear-wise and it lightened up the bike.

Do any of the bike shops in your area offer demos? Renting a demo for a day can allow you to find out if the bike will work for you on longer distances.

I sold my Trek to a woman who was looking for a more aggressive WSD bike and she loved the Madone. It all worked out n the end!

Enjoy the search! I actually loved my second shopping expedition and enjoyed trying out all different kinds of bikes.

[zoom-zoom]

I would throw steel into the ring, too. I have really liked the feel of the steel bikes I've ridden, so much that I have a steel mountain bike on order. If I were looking at a new road bike I'd definitely be looking at the Salsa Colossal. $2400.

[ColoG8r]

I almost forgot, in your price range, you should be able to find the following:
Specialized Ruby Elite or Amira (Amira more aggressive than the Ruby)
Trek Madone 4.5
Giant Avail Advanced (carbon)
Cannondale Synapse

The ones above should come outfitted with Shimano 105 or comparable SRAM.

I also rode an Eddy Merckx, Orbea, Felt, Bianchi (all were carbon) but they were pricier than my previous suggestions.

I definitely needed the WSD as I have the common short torso, longer inseam in addition to wanting a more relaxed geometry. I rode several non-WSD bikes in my size and felt very awkward on them. Oh, the other thing is bike sizes. I tried sizes ranging from 48cm to 52cm. Some of the "smaller" bikes felt larger than some of the "bigger" bikes. It truly depended on the manufacturer and the model.

[zoom-zoom]

Oh, the other thing is bike sizes. I tried sizes ranging from 48cm to 52cm. Some of the "smaller" bikes felt larger than some of the "bigger" bikes. It truly depended on the manufacturer and the model.

Definitely. My 48cm Cannondale feels pretty big. It has a 51.5cm long top tube measurement.

[tulip]

Jamis makes some very nice steel bikes in your price range. I prefer steel over aluminum by a huge margin (I wouldn't ride an alu bike unless it was the only one left, which it never is because I have 4 steel bikes and 0 alu bikes).

I've never ridden a carbon bike, but I'm sure they are plenty nice. Titanium is very nice, too, but likely out of your price range.

[TigerMom]

+1 to what all the above TE members wrote.

Also, since you are 5ft7inch, men's bikes might be good options for you too. Sounds like you are going to have lots of bike options.

Also, you might want to find out when your favorite bike store will be having their big yearly bike sale.
____________________________________

2012 Specialized Amira Elite, upgraded carbon handle bars, Jett saddle 143mm switched to 145mm 2012 Selle Italia Max SLR Gel Flow saddle

2011 Specialized Ariel Sport,suspension post,Serfas Rx Women's Microfiber saddle

[indysteel]

Jamis makes some very nice steel bikes in your price range. I prefer steel over aluminum by a huge margin (I wouldn't ride an alu bike unless it was the only one left, which it never is because I have 4 steel bikes and 0 alu bikes).

This. I'd take a serious look at the Jamis Quest or Quest Femme. Bianchi has a model or two that could work as well. I have a Bianchi myself (a model they unfortunately no longer make). I love it.

Like Tulip, I've never ridden carbon. I'm sure they're nice, but I'm partial to nice components, too, so they end up being pretty pricey. Certainly, follow the advice to test ride as much as you can. At your height, it'll likely be easier to find bikes to try. Us short gals are often disadvantaged in that regard.

As for triples versus compacts, I've had both and prefer the former because I'm a bit like Goldilocks in that I like just the right gear for the conditions and terrain. I have a tendency to mash my pedals a bit with my compact when I can't quite find the perfect gear. Given the medical issues you have, it might be best to error on the side of having too many gears versus too few.

But as Zoom suggested, sometimes they don't shift as nicely. I was spoiled with my old triple. It was Campy and shifted far better than the cheaper triple that came standard on my Bianchi.

[warneral]

Steel!

[warneral]

Surly, bianchi, soma, Here is a soma/rivendell colab. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/forkids/

[lgibster]

Ok I went down to my LBS this morning and rode a ton of bikes. I need a larger frame than anyone thought, but after my fitting they realized that my legs are a lot longer than they thought. So the most comfortable bike was a Specialized Women's XL frame on a Dolce.....but I can't get a triple crank in that bike. So they are going to order me a Specialized Rube Elite Apex Compact in my frame size to try. The Apex has an 11-32 cassette that would give me a lower gear than some of the other and I liked the SRAM Apex shifters better too. They said they can't even get one for about 3 weeks so they would call me. I am under no obligation to purchase the bike if I decide it is not what I want....so right now I am waiting. I love me LBS though for all the help and for not making me commit to the bike they are ordering. Will update when I get a chance.

[zoom-zoom]

Apex is great! That's what I have on my CX bike and it's super reliable, even with the abuse that a CX bike takes. I think you will be really happy. I am totally sold on SRAM for my road and CX bike, since Shimano just never seemed intuitive to me and SRAM fits my hands better.