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Newbie alert. Don't quite know if this is the proper board for this but here goes. As the weather
gets warmer, I'm looking into getting into road biking. Went to a couple of highly recommended local
shops to get fitted for a bike. The first place, I dealt with the owner directly. Told him directly,
I wasn't looking to buy a bike that day and that as I was just getting into road biking, didn't know
what I was looking for. He asked me a few questions like, how many miles a year I plan on riding, in
town vs. long road trips, etc. I told him, I was just looking for something I would enjoy getting
some exercise on. Maybe in a year or so, do a century ride. As for miles a year, I have NO clue. =)
So we eventually made our way to what he called an entry level road bike. A Trek 1000. All stock
parts. He and two others spent about an hour with me adjusting this and that, taking measurements
and such up on a trainer. We started on a 52cm Trek but eventually settled on a 43cm Trek. I have a
30" inseam. They moved me to a smaller frame because I guess I was reaching out too far on the
larger bike. Also swapped out the bar for a wider one as the stock one was too narrow. They even let
me take it for a test drive. A very positive experience. Absolutely no pressure to buy either, I
really appreciated that. I wish buying a car was that nice. Shop #2. I go in and repeat my
situation. Tell them my situation and my goals for biking. Guy takes me to some Bianchi bikes. Tells
me to hop on one and ask if I can see the front hub in relation to the bar. I told him I could see
the hub just in front of the bar. He asked me to pedal a bit as he held the front wheel. He said the
bike was a pretty good fit. It was a 52cm bike. I felt I was reaching out just a little bit. My legs
felt like I was having to stretch a little as well. The Bianchi was a 530 Cro-molly frame and better
suited for absorbing road shock I was told. The salesperson then pulled out a Giant OCR-1 bike I
believe was the model. Aluminum frame with carbon front fork. This bike was about $400 more than the
Bianchi and the bike that the salesperson was more leaning towards selling me. The second shop had a
whole room devoted to fitting, but the salesperson didn't offer to fit me. The Giant felt more
comfortable, but I wouldn't say $400 more comfy. The salesperson was trying to get me to buy a bike
that day, something that I don't take well to. He said that if I didn't like it, I could always
exchange it for something else. At this point I thought I should just think about it. Another
factor, shop #1 has free tune-ups for life. As many as I want. Shop
#2 only has 2. End of story and they have to be in the first year.
I talked to a couple of my friends that had been biking for years and related them my experiences.
The first things they said were "You sure they told you it was a 43cm bike at the first shop???"
Seems that really seems small. Their other comment is that spending about $1K just to "try-out" this
sport is insane, which I agree whole-heartedly.
In my mind, I think my business is better off at shop#1, where they took the time to fit the bike
just right for me. Also, the free tune-ups for life are definitley worth something as well. My only
concern is that a 43cm bike seems really small, even for someone with a 30" inseam. I mean, they did
spend alot of time fitting me, I really can't see where they would have made a mistake. And bottom
line, I did feel very comfy on the bike when I took it for a test drive. I wasn't afforded the same
test drive on the bikes from shop #2 so couldn't really tell how they fit. Is Bianchi going to be
THAT different from a Trek?
Any thoughts? Any advice? I didn't mean for this to be as long a post as it ended up being. Thanks
in advance.
gets warmer, I'm looking into getting into road biking. Went to a couple of highly recommended local
shops to get fitted for a bike. The first place, I dealt with the owner directly. Told him directly,
I wasn't looking to buy a bike that day and that as I was just getting into road biking, didn't know
what I was looking for. He asked me a few questions like, how many miles a year I plan on riding, in
town vs. long road trips, etc. I told him, I was just looking for something I would enjoy getting
some exercise on. Maybe in a year or so, do a century ride. As for miles a year, I have NO clue. =)
So we eventually made our way to what he called an entry level road bike. A Trek 1000. All stock
parts. He and two others spent about an hour with me adjusting this and that, taking measurements
and such up on a trainer. We started on a 52cm Trek but eventually settled on a 43cm Trek. I have a
30" inseam. They moved me to a smaller frame because I guess I was reaching out too far on the
larger bike. Also swapped out the bar for a wider one as the stock one was too narrow. They even let
me take it for a test drive. A very positive experience. Absolutely no pressure to buy either, I
really appreciated that. I wish buying a car was that nice. Shop #2. I go in and repeat my
situation. Tell them my situation and my goals for biking. Guy takes me to some Bianchi bikes. Tells
me to hop on one and ask if I can see the front hub in relation to the bar. I told him I could see
the hub just in front of the bar. He asked me to pedal a bit as he held the front wheel. He said the
bike was a pretty good fit. It was a 52cm bike. I felt I was reaching out just a little bit. My legs
felt like I was having to stretch a little as well. The Bianchi was a 530 Cro-molly frame and better
suited for absorbing road shock I was told. The salesperson then pulled out a Giant OCR-1 bike I
believe was the model. Aluminum frame with carbon front fork. This bike was about $400 more than the
Bianchi and the bike that the salesperson was more leaning towards selling me. The second shop had a
whole room devoted to fitting, but the salesperson didn't offer to fit me. The Giant felt more
comfortable, but I wouldn't say $400 more comfy. The salesperson was trying to get me to buy a bike
that day, something that I don't take well to. He said that if I didn't like it, I could always
exchange it for something else. At this point I thought I should just think about it. Another
factor, shop #1 has free tune-ups for life. As many as I want. Shop
#2 only has 2. End of story and they have to be in the first year.
I talked to a couple of my friends that had been biking for years and related them my experiences.
The first things they said were "You sure they told you it was a 43cm bike at the first shop???"
Seems that really seems small. Their other comment is that spending about $1K just to "try-out" this
sport is insane, which I agree whole-heartedly.
In my mind, I think my business is better off at shop#1, where they took the time to fit the bike
just right for me. Also, the free tune-ups for life are definitley worth something as well. My only
concern is that a 43cm bike seems really small, even for someone with a 30" inseam. I mean, they did
spend alot of time fitting me, I really can't see where they would have made a mistake. And bottom
line, I did feel very comfy on the bike when I took it for a test drive. I wasn't afforded the same
test drive on the bikes from shop #2 so couldn't really tell how they fit. Is Bianchi going to be
THAT different from a Trek?
Any thoughts? Any advice? I didn't mean for this to be as long a post as it ended up being. Thanks
in advance.