123sadie123

A few months ago before a move, I unloaded my road bike--after 6+ years of riding a 56cm Trek, I learned the reason it was SO INCREDIBLY uncomfortable was b/c I need a 52cm bike. Geez!!

These past few months I've been saving $$ (and missing a bike to ride)...I've been doing my research online, talking w/ friends and have ridden a few bikes at the shop....Im READY to buy! Problem though....

Whats the process to buy a bike that fits??? I cant seem to figure out how it works. The two Ive narrowed it down to (on my own) are Kestrel Talon and Litespeed Bella-a female specific bike. Ive ridden each at LBS (the talon I road was built up as Tri...though right now, i'm looking for road..so was hard to get a 'real' feel for it-but still felt 100xs better than my old bike).

A fit comes with bike purchase the bike at the LBS-THAT I understand. There's a FIST certified bike fitter at the LBS who I'd like to have do my fit - and make recommendations to get the right bike. I called today to 'schedule a fit' with this guy...and was told I should BUY the bike first, then do the fit (to fine tune it) for free. so confused.

When I was in to try out some bikes...I didnt feel the person helping me had the best knowledge on guiding me. Im sooooo wanting to make an investment in something thats best for me...so I can carry on w/ training and move past sprint tri's into longer Oly. distance, etc. Most of all, I want it to be a great fit. Problem is, in my area, there is only 1 certified Kestrel dealer....this particular shop.

Im 5 6 1/2" female...looking for road bike that can be changed to tri w/ clip on aero's and forward seat post after several months down the road.

Do you have suggestions???

DannoXYZ 

What was uncomfortable about your previous bike? The size of the frame really doesn't matter that much once you're riding, it just holds the parts together. When you climb on and off a bike, yes, the larger frame can cause you some straddling issues. Imagine putting all the exact same parts on a bike that's of a different frame. Then you adjust it so that the seat, handlebars, etc are all in teh same alignment, the bike will feel exactly the same as before (assuming similar frame mateiral, construction, etc.).

Actually 52cm is probably too small for you. A 5' 6-1/2" female most likely has a 28-28.5" inseam and a 56cm is about perfect. Did you see the other post from the guy with numb nuts?

Here's some common adjustments that must be made to an off-the-shelf bike for women riders that a lot of shops aren't aware of:

1. swap seat for wider, shorter model
2. seat usually needs the front tip aimed down about 1/4-1/2"
3. seat needs to be slid forward about 1/2"
4. shorter stem fitted, about 1" shorter
5. stem adjusted higher, about 1" up
6. appropriate gearing selected, ditch that 11-19t block for a 13-26t

Steelrider

I don't think you'd go wrong with either bike - I also have a Talon and a steel road bike, but they are pretty different from each other. If you were going to own one bike, you'll want to carefully consider intended use. Sounds like you want to get into Tri at some point in the future, so the Talon would look awfully good as an all-around choice (for you). Although if you have never competed before, nothing says that you can't outfit the Bella similarly and start competing with that. However, your major question was chicken or egg? Depending on how confident you are of this shop, how much they charge for the fitting and whether you can retroactively apply the full amount toward your purchase, assuming you buy from them are things to think about. Is this a shop you would go to for a fitting independent of buying the bike there? Sounds like you have some confidence in the person you were trying to schedule the fitting with - considering you've already narrowed it to one or the other, find out if you can apply cost of fitting to bike or just buy one, do the fitting, and exchange it for the other if the fitting reveals that one choice is actually better than the other (recommendation-wise). Most reputable shops are able to charge for the fitting independently and credit most/all of the cost toward purchase of a bike from them. Before committing, you will also want to ask what kind of part-swap flexibility they have. Often, if the bike is on the lower end, they rarely deviate from the stock set-up. For the bikes you're considering, often they will do the stem and maybe cranks for little/no charge if you need a different size, but you'll really need to ask. They're just trying to cover themselves and make sure they sell a bike before investing the time in a fitting. Again though, if their fitting service is that good, they have a price for the fitting independent of buying the bike from them. Good luck.