New bike?

Janyne wrote:>I am interested in either replacing my current bike or getting a

Quoted message said:

new/additional bike. I ride on the road for recreation/fitness and I have been doing 70-100 miles
per week. I am trying to work up to more. The bike that I have is a Novara Gran Fondo and I have
some concerns about fit but mostly I don't like that it has a compression seat post and fork. It
has a combination of Sora and Tiagra components. My concerns about fit come from the fact that my
neck muscles get sore and I feel that I am reaching too far. The thing is, I am 5'8" and the bike
is a 49 so if anything wouldn't that be on the small side?

Also, I realize that most of the folks on this list are men but any thoughts on women's fit bikes?

Finally, I have recently lost some weight and I have some more to go. I was wondering if it would
be best to wait and exam fit after I am at or near what I think is my final weight goal?

Anyway, any pointers would be appreciated.

Janyne

Janyne,

Does ncsu.edu mean that you're at North Carolina State in Raleigh? I'm sure that there's at least
one good LBS in Raleigh, and if not, I know there are some good ones in Chapel Hill. You need to
find yourself a good shop where they know how to fit a road bike. The big difference between "men's"
and "women's" road bike is the proportions, which correspond to the different average body
proportions of men and women. For example, I'm also 5'8", but my torso and arms are long, while my
legs are relatively short. This means I do better with a longish top tube and stem. If you're like a
lot of women, you have a short torso and arms and long legs (at least compared to me), so you'd need
a shorter cockpit, or length between saddle and handlebars. A 49 cm. bike might very well be too
long for you, even if the standover height is perfect, in which case a women's-specific bike might
be better for you. There are a lot of good ones out there-Cannondale, Trek and Lemond have women's
designs, and Bianchi makes the Eros Donna (steel frame and Campagnolo components!). More important
than the brand is a good shop, one that'll take the time to find the best bike for you, and not just
one that they happen to have in stock. I agree that there's no need for suspension on the road. HTH.

Cheers, Tzahi Ben-Moshe

Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo!

Yes, I am in Raleigh. I have started "pre shopping" at a few stores. I just like to do research
before hand and I also feel a little bit intimidated by some of the LBS employees. I thought that if
I had more of an idea of what what I was looking at and looking for it would help.

Thanks a bunch!

Tzahi Ben-Moshe said:

Janyne wrote:>I am interested in either replacing my current bike or getting a

Quoted message said:

new/additional bike. I ride on the road for recreation/fitness and I have been doing 70-100 miles
per week. I am trying to work up to more. The bike that I have is a Novara Gran Fondo and I have
some concerns about fit but mostly I don't like that it has a compression seat post and fork. It
has a combination of Sora and Tiagra components. My concerns about fit come from the fact that my
neck muscles get sore and I feel that I am reaching too far. The thing is, I am 5'8" and the bike
is a 49 so if anything wouldn't that be on the small side?

Also, I realize that most of the folks on this list are men but any thoughts on women's fit bikes?

Finally, I have recently lost some weight and I have some more to go. I was wondering if it would
be best to wait and exam fit after I am at or near what I think is my final weight goal?

Anyway, any pointers would be appreciated.

Janyne

Janyne,

Does ncsu.edu mean that you're at North Carolina State in Raleigh? I'm sure that there's at least
one good LBS in Raleigh, and if not, I know there are some good ones in Chapel Hill. You need to
find yourself a good shop where they know how to fit a road bike. The big difference between
"men's" and "women's" road bike is the proportions, which correspond to the different average body
proportions of men and women. For example, I'm also 5'8", but my torso and arms are long, while my
legs are relatively short. This means I do better with a longish top tube and stem. If you're like
a lot of women, you have a short torso and arms and long legs (at least compared to me), so you'd
need a shorter cockpit, or length between saddle and handlebars. A 49 cm. bike might very well be
too long for you, even if the standover height is perfect, in which case a women's-specific bike
might be better for you. There are a lot of good ones out there-Cannondale, Trek and Lemond have
women's designs, and Bianchi makes the Eros Donna (steel frame and Campagnolo components!). More
important than the brand is a good shop, one that'll take the time to find the best bike for you,
and not just one that they happen to have in stock. I agree that there's no need for suspension on
the road. HTH.

Cheers, Tzahi Ben-Moshe

Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo!

jmk said:

I am interested in either replacing my current bike or getting a new/additional bike. I ride on
the road for recreation/fitness and I have been doing 70-100 miles per week. I am trying to work
up to more.

Good so far.

Quoted message said:

The bike that I have is a Novara Gran Fondo and I have some concerns about fit but mostly I
don't like that it has a compression seat post and fork.

I wouldn't like those, either. They can be replaced, though, if you wanted to keep the bike.

It has a combination of Sora and Tiagra components. My

Quoted message said:

concerns about fit come from the fact that my neck muscles get sore and I feel that I am reaching
too far. The thing is, I am 5'8" and the bike is a 49 so if anything wouldn't that be on the
small side?

Well, if you are feeling all stretched out, then you probably are. It seems that a 5'8" person would
be too big for a 49cm frame, but these days it is not so clear. Seat tube length is not the be-all
and end-all of bike fit. Top-tube length is more important. Stem length could also be a problem for
you, especially with all that mechanical stuff there.

Quoted message said:

Also, I realize that most of the folks on this list are men but any thoughts on women's fit bikes?

Some of us have friends who are women... And several of my friends do ride womens' specific designs
and love them. They are designed with a relatively shorter top tube -- just what you need -- and in
smaller sizes, some so small as to require 650c wheels (not what you need).

Quoted message said:

Finally, I have recently lost some weight and I have some more to go. I was wondering if it would
be best to wait and exam fit after I am at or near what I think is my final weight goal?

If you are not comfortable on the bike you won't ride as long. If you don't ride, you won't reach
your goal. One's reach (goal, that is) should always exceed one's grasp, but you don't have to
deny yourself a better bike just because of that. You'll ride more with a new bike. Do it...
Besides, you need to get something that fits. Go to a shop, have them help you get a fit. If they
have you just stand over the top tube, go to another store. A good fit costs some money, but it
seems called for here.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win you're _`\(,_ | still a rat. --Lilly
Tomlin (_)/ (_) |