Road bike shopping, part I: Internet research & the first test drive
So, since it was kind of rainy today, Rob had blocked out the day to read the latest in witchcraft and wizardry, my escrow refund is in the mail, and I have had biking on the brain for weeks, I decided to go road bike shopping today.
(Warning: Because my desire for a road bike has graduated to full obsession status, this story is very, very long. I have broken it into multiple posts so that you can read it without going blind/nodding off halfway through. I have put most of it in the extended entry so that you can skip it if you couldn't care less.)
Since I intend to make Sunday's ride my last long haul on the hybrid, I've been researching bikes and components for about 2 weeks now. My price range($600-$1200) is pretty entry level, so I knew I would have to cut corners on some things while getting the best bike I could in more important areas.
First, of course, I had to find out what were the most important things to look for. Everywhere I looked and everyone I asked said that fit was going to be the most important factor, but after that it was a tossup between components and frame. There was also a consensus that mid-range components were the way to go, but I didn't know what "mid-range" meant. All the bike specs on the manufacturer sites had names on their components--Tiagra, Ultegra, Mirage, oh my! I mean, it's cool that they like naming things and all, but unless you work for a bike shop or keep up with cycling as a hobby, it can be a bit hard to figure out which one is better than the other from those catchy names. So I just stuffed the words "mid-range components" into a little cubbyhole in the back of my mind, and hit the review sites.
I read all the reviews I could get my hands on, and also any manufacturer propaganda literature/message boards/articles/etc. on women's specific designs. This was as confusing as the components. It seems that I fall right on the edge of WSD usefulness. With my relative shortness (5'5"), short torso, longish legs, short arms, and yet pretty big hands(long fingers), a WSD would benefit me in some ways but hamper me in others.
After several days of intensive research (read: lots of quality time with google and team estrogen), I picked out a handful of bikes that I liked, and started compiling a list of local bike shops that carried them. I also eventually figured out the Shimano component scale by pricing them in various places, then discovered the good-better-best table for them on the sidebar of a Trek spec page about 2 seconds later. (It's Sora, Tiagra, 105, Ultegra, Dura-Ace, in ascending order. Who knew?) I crammed as much information into my brain as I could hold, and now all that was left was to test ride and decide which was right for me.
What prompted me to start today was that when I went to pick up my race packet for the KFC yesterday, I noticed that the bike shop had one of the bikes I had short-listed (Specialized Dolce Elite) on sale for about $400 off MSRP. I had seen that they had a 51cm, so I wanted to check it out before the sale ended.
I got to the shop about 11:00 this morning, just as it started to rain...I swear, it did it on purpose. Nary a sprinkle until I was at the freeway exit, then BAM! Pouring. Anyway, I went in, cornered a salesperson, and told her I was interested in a road bike. After telling her my needs, a list of bikes I wanted to try and my "to WSD or not to WSD" confusion, she handed me off to a fitting guy.
Even though I had told him I wanted to try the Dolce Elite, he seemed reluctant to show it to me. He had no problem with showing me all the other bikes I requested, though--Trek 1500, Giant OCR2 (I wanted OCR1, actually, but they didn't carry it), and Trek Pilot 2.1. We started out with 50cm frames, but it became evident as soon as we clipped the Pilot into the trainer that this was too small. Since he didn't have a bigger one, Pilot was out of the running. I tried the Trek 1500 in a 52, and that was MUCH better. It was a good fit with very little pressure on my hands and arms, rode and shifted smoothly...but, well, I'm sorry, but that red-white-and-blue paint job is just ugly. I didn't say anything about it, though, because I felt like such a girl for making paint design a factor in choosing a bike.
I finally asked to ride the Dolce, since that's what I drove across town for in the first place. He got the 51 down for me, and from the second I sat on the seat we knew it wasn't going to work. As soon as I seemed to realize the fit was wrong, he gave his opinion that WSD bikes would not be a good fit for me because of the seatpost angle. Apparently, I have long thighs, and WSD bike geometry puts my knees too close to the handlebars. I suspect he knew this from the start, but I appreciate that he let me see for myself. With some regret, I crossed Dolce Elite off my list. Also, all other WSD bikes.
It then occurred to me that I hadn't tried the OCR2 yet. I wasn't overly enthused about this one, mainly because it had lower-grade components than the rest I had tried, but also because (sing it with me if you know the words) I didn't like the look of it. I'm not a black bike kind of girl. The guy seemed very excited about this bike, which struck me as odd because 1)it was the least expensive bike I had tried, and 2) it didn't fit. At all. The handlebars were too wide, the reach too long. The only thing that really did fit was that my elbows were now directly above my knees. It didn't really matter, though, because I didn't like the feel of the shifting at all. It was jerky and there was a persistent rattle...he said that it was a cable adjustment problem, but the shifters didn't feel nearly as responsive as the ones on the 1500 either. The bike did not make a good impression, and was off the trainer faster than you could say "Jane, get me off this crazy thing!" Or Jim, as the case may be.
Thinking I could maybe get past the paintjob on the 1500, I had him put it back into the trainer for another test ride while I pumped him for information. What did HE think was the most important thing? (Fit, fit, fit. Also? Fit.) And what are some ways you can tell by looking that a bike is a good fit for someone? (I don't remember all the answers, but "No 90s." for reach stuck with me. Meaning, nothing in the rider's upper body is at a 90-degree angle...back, wrists, elbows, etc. I thought that was interesting.) Are bikes in this price range pretty idiot-proof to maintain, or are there some that are better than others for, say, someone who fucks up her brakes every time she takes off the front wheel? (They're all about the same.) For someone riding 100 miles/week or less, is it better to get a lower end bike and upgrade components later, or get a higher quality bike from the start?
Now, up until this question, I was pretty confident with his right-bike-getting abilities, but he let me down a little bit with this one. He said that you always want to get the whole bike, and then sell the whole bike to upgrade. Oh, and you should always do it within two years, because bikes go down in value considerably after two years. Now, I don't doubt that this is true, if you have the means to buy a fully equipped road bike every 2 years. I do not have such means. It struck me as a solution you might suggest if, say, you sold bikes for a living. But it was a minor annoyance.
By the time I got through my battery of questions, I knew that I couldn't buy a bike I thought was ugly. I also felt like we had finally built up enough of a rapport that I could just come out with it.
"You know, this bike rides great, shifts smooth, it's comfortable. There's only one thing keeping me from buying it right now, and I'm embarrassed to even say it because it makes me feel like such a girl."
He smiled and waited.
"I just..." Agonized pause. "...I really don't like the color. I think it's ugly."
"Well, color is an important factor." Bless his bike-sellin' heart, I could not detect even a TRACE of sarcasm in that reply.
I got off the trainer, thanked him sincerely for his time, and we shook hands. I walked out without a bike, but with a much clearer picture of what I wanted--52cm frame, Shimano 105 components or above, and no WSD.
UP NEXT: Road bike shopping, part II: Dances with Idiots
Posted by Joy at July 16, 2005 06:48 PM
