Road Cycling - Test Riding -- Larger Frames

i'm in the market for a new race bike. my price range is from 2K-4K, and i'm
interested in a bunch of different frames (e.g. Time, Calfee, Kestrel, Giant).
i had this dream of touring every local bike shop and riding every frame and
then deciding. however, it is turning out to be difficult to find any dealer with ~60cm bikes
in stock that i can test-ride. i can find plenty of Trek 5200s and LeMonds to
ride that will fit, but nothing else. on this forum, lots of folks ride frames from
brands that are not so commonly found in local bike shops. how did you go about
getting those bikes?? did you choose the frame without riding it? get a fit and then
order the bike?

also, if anyone from the bay area can recommend some good bike shops that
generally have such race bikes in stock, let me know. i am willing to drive a decent
way to test-ride.

thanks in advance,
-m

Usually people who are ready to spend that much on a "boutique" frame, pretty much know what they like in a bike regarding geometry. Top tube length, chainstay length, head and seat tube angles...etc.

Then they find a Manuf. who's geometries most parrallel their "best fit" and order away. Test rides are difficult on $5,000 bikes. Not too many shops I know have an full size range of Colnagos on the showroom floor.

WIsh I could help.
L8R

Aren't the Wrench Science guys based in like Fremont? I know they stock a huge bunch of high-end bikes. I wonder if they take walk-ins.

Aren't the Wrench Science guys based in like Fremont? I know they stock a huge bunch of high-end bikes. I wonder if they take walk-ins.

actually they are based in berkeley. i gave them a call, but they only had about 4 frames built and
only 1 in my size. their business is based on biulding bikes for customers who know wht they want.

Usually people who are ready to spend that much on a "boutique" frame, pretty much know what they like in a bike regarding geometry. Top tube length, chainstay length, head and seat tube angles...etc.

Then they find a Manuf. who's geometries most parrallel their "best fit" and order away. Test rides are difficult on $5,000 bikes. Not too many shops I know have an full size range of Colnagos on the showroom floor.

WIsh I could help.
L8R

what you say makes sense with respect to fit. but what about the feel of the frame?? if you never
ride the frame, you get no sense for how different frames handle, how stiff they are, etc.
-m

Honestly, I don't know how you can accurately critique/judge the merits of any frame with a 10 minute romp around the parking lot. If the shop will let you borrow it for a 10 - 20 mile ride, that is different (and rare). If you don't have a lbs locally, search the reviews and study the geometry of the competing frames. When one speaks to you, you'll know it.

I purchased a Fondriest over the 'net without ever even seeing one in person. Risky? Not really. I knew what fit and knew what I wanted in a bike. The reviews at RBR were glowing and the price was great and I am one happy camper :D

I actually ordered my Orbea sight unseen. I had the brand suggested by the guys that ride and race on them through the shop I got it from. I was ready to buy another Cannondale and they suggested, almost insisted that I check out Orbea. So, I did. Looked at their goemetry, decided what material I wanted in the frame and got it. Turned out incredibly well. I absolutely love the bike. Like has already come up, though, you need to know what you look for in geometry and fit before you do something like that. Besides, the Orbea, as mtnman suggested, spoke to me. I had to translate what it said for my wife to get her behind the idea, but it worked out in the end.

I bought my Lemond Maillot Jaune frame without ever having seen or ridden one. Why? I already had a Poprad, loved the steel, knew the geometry and had a keen sense of what I wanted and needed. I haven't been disapointed.

55/Rad

IMHO, if you're an already experienced roadbike rider then guestimating frame fit based on the numbers can work out pretty well but if you're new to the sport or don't have much experience with that type of bike then it becomes risky. Even if the numbers work out and the fit is good, what about the ride quality? This is something you really can't get a good sense of even by reading other's reviews. If you buy the bike sight-unseen then of course you'll want to go over the return policy in detail.

I think expecting to be able to test ride a myriad of bikes in your size is unreasonable. Think about it - do you expect bike shops to stock one of very size of every brand of every model just so people can come in, go for a ride, and devalue their entire inventory? It's not like a car dealership where 'one size fits all'.

I run a small custom bike company and nobody has test ridden one of my frames before buying - it's just not possible 99.99% of the time. By the time anyone calls me or drops me an email, they know what they want and what they expect. Riding a bike in the parking lot isn't going to give you any indication of 'ride quality'. Chances are, you'll notice small diferences in setup, and end up buying one brand over another partially because the test bike you rode was closer to your current or preferred setup.

I think if you've got 4k to spend on a bike, you'd be crazy not to get a custom and build it up with the parts you actually want. Do you have some idea of your preferred geometry? Have you gone and got yourself fitted up yet?

I think expecting to be able to test ride a myriad of bikes in your size is unreasonable. Think about it - do you expect bike shops to stock one of very size of every brand of every model just so people can come in, go for a ride, and devalue their entire inventory? It's not like a car dealership where 'one size fits all'.

I run a small custom bike company and nobody has test ridden one of my frames before buying - it's just not possible 99.99% of the time. By the time anyone calls me or drops me an email, they know what they want and what they expect. Riding a bike in the parking lot isn't going to give you any indication of 'ride quality'. Chances are, you'll notice small diferences in setup, and end up buying one brand over another partially because the test bike you rode was closer to your current or preferred setup.

I think if you've got 4k to spend on a bike, you'd be crazy not to get a custom and build it up with the parts you actually want. Do you have some idea of your preferred geometry? Have you gone and got yourself fitted up yet?

from my previous bikes, i have a good idea of what geometry that i'd like. i still haven't ridden
enough carbon bikes to feel familiar with that material as i do with different steel and aluminium
frames. i also have never tested a bike with compact geometry. i definitely plan on getting a fit
done by whatever bike shop that i end up choosing to go with.

as for custom, i'd like to go that route. but custom bikes tend to push you over 4K once you
equip them with dura ace or campy chorus. still, this weekend i am going to visit a calfee dealer.
the one thing that i do like about custom bikes is that the warranties are usually much better from
such companies.
-m

I think we should refer to road frames with sloping top tubes as maybe "Sloping Geometry" or something. Giant, the perpetrator of the term "Compact", "invented" it just so they could reduce the size spread of their frames and therefore reduce their inventory. It's a horrible blight on the road scene as far as I'm concerned. Anyway, I digress.

In terms of building a bike up, you can probably save a lot of cash if you buy a complete custom bike kit from a builder. If you're happy using your LBS just to build the wheels and press the headset in, it's very easy to build the bike up yourself and you can save a lot of money that way. A recent costing I did for a customer included a custom Tephra ( Columbus Foco ) with Chorus, and with a 4k budget, leaves you 1500 for forks, parts, wheelbuild etc. It's very doable.

I think we should refer to road frames with sloping top tubes as maybe "Sloping Geometry" or something.

I agree. I remember when mountain bikes started coming out with sloping top-tubes (and they had a better reason) but the manufacturers never referred to it as anything but "sloping toptube". I was surprised and confused when I first heard the term "compact geometry"... especially when I found out that it just meant a bike with a sloping toptube.

Yeah, a sloping top tube and only 5 sizes to choose from, instead of the 'traditional' 10 or 12. Whats in this deal for us again? *laugh*

I'm all for sloping top tubes on road frames. I not only dig the look, but they also make the frame lighter, and more vertically compliant without sacrificing torsional stiffness.

Thylacine or anybody, care to comment on best material and diameters for big, strong guys?

I found my original Reynolds 531 lugged race bike with normal tube diameters for the early '80's, to be too flexible, with the bottom bracket flexing an inch in either direction during sprints. It's long since retired, with cracks in the seat tube spigot in the bottom bracket shell about 50 percent of the way around. Every winter I try to break it the rest of the way on the resistance trainer, but so far no luck. Yes, I know Sean Kelly won sprints on a Vitus (?) with small diameter aluminum tubes, but I would rather have something stiffer.

Next time I went shopping, I got a Cannondale, and I've been getting them ever since, with three singles for me, a smaller girlfriend bike (hope springs eternal), a tandem (does get used), though I now have a Meridian aluminum tandem as well.

The original 3.0 with the aluminum fork was a rough-rider on coarse roads, but they've been getting better ever since, as the carbon fiber forks and additional butting and shaping and curving have improved the ride. For anything but the skinniest of tall guys, if they exceed the size range of the Trek carbon fiber frames (61cm?) and do not have open-ended budgets, I like to recommend large-diameter aluminum frames as being the best ride for the money in the middle of the price range.

Your thoughts?

Well, to be honest I only do custom frames, so I have almost no idea on what's good value in the middle of the price range - whatever that is. If you're a big, tall guy, the bottom line for me is that you're going to get the **** end of the stick either way you look at it. Aluminium is just easier to fabricate and easier to market - that's why it's predominant. If you're a tall guy and you can't go custom, you're simply stuck with the limited options that you have anyway. Chances are, it's going to be Aluminium, because that's what most of the mass merchants prefer to sell.

If you have no choice, then a lot of decision making process is already 'made' for you, so may as well chose the bike that has the least worst geometry and start saving for a custom ;)