Woodlark

Well, I visited two bike shops today, rode three bikes and bought one.

At the first shop, I liked the bike that I rode, but I had reservations about the shop itself. Based on online charts, Talking with friends and the other shops that I visited, I had figured out that I needed a 17-17.5" frame. The salesman decided that the preferred bike for me was a Giant Sedona. However, he did not have a 17" on the floor and recommended a 19" frame. When I straddled it, there was zero clearance between me and the top bar. He said that wouldn't matter on a road bike anyway. I looked around the shop and found a Giant Cypress in 17.5" (which is very similar to the Sedona except it has 700c wheels instead of 26"). I test rode the Cypress and liked it.

I then went to the shop I had visited on Saturday and test-rode the Trek 7.2FX that they had assembled for me. I liked it, but surprisingly, I was not as impressed with the shifters as I thought I would be. You have to use your thumb to upshift and index finger to downshift the rear gears, and the front gears are just the opposite. I could probably get used to it in time...but.

I then rode a Trek 7200. I didn't think I would like the grip shifters since that is what I have on my Huffy. But, it turned out that there is a significant difference in how well they work. The 7200 (and the Giant) also has an adjustable Head Stem which I rather like. It and the Giant have front shocks; these I could probably do without.

The 7200 and 7.2FX have two sets of braze-ons for water bottles and mounting points for a rear rack as opposed to one set and no mounts for the Giant. The Giant has 21 speeds vs 24 for the Treks (although Giant has a 24 speed DX version).

Both shops offer lifetime tuneups. The Giant was $320 ($380 for the DX); both Treks were $380.

Primarily because of the first shop trying to sell me the wrong size frame, I decided to buy from the second. I think I could have been happy with any of the three bikes, but I bought the Trek 7200.

Only time will tell if I did right, but for now I am happy.

Deanster04

I have been riding continuously since 1955. I ride road, mountain, cross, and fixed gear bikes. I have a collection of bikes from which to choose. Last winter I found some miscellaneous bike parts to experiment with. A problem I have been having is with my hands going to sleep on very long rides 80+ miles. I setup one of my road bikes up with a pair of flat bars, interior barends with with campy 10 speed barend shifters, a pair of cane creek ergo bar ends, and a taller stem arrangement. I was amazed at how much this helped on long rides. This summer I used that arrangement on my road bike doing the Bicycle Tour of Colorado, a 450 mile one week ride with 108 miles on the second day. I had no problems with the setup and was quite comfortable for the entire ride. The BTC is 38K feet of cumulative climbing.
I have raised up my stem height on all my bikes and have eliminated my sleeping hands and sore elbows. I guess at 63 I needed to get away from the racing position I used in my teens and 20's.
I would recommend a good (meaning light and expensive) cyclocross bike that you can use with flat bars and had a choice of road and cross wheels for on and off road riding. Lemond Poprad, Waterford Gunnar, and if you are a travelling man the Ritchey Breakaway would be some of the best steel cross bikes for your use. I recommend steel because it will last and the bikes I mentioned are light enough to car top. The Ritchey can be broken down and put into a suitcase for travelling on airplanes. If you would like a picture of the setup I uses with flat bars let me know.
I had major surgery 5 years ago for prostate cancer (a radical Prostatectomy) and was back on the bike in 12 weeks. Today cancer free. Cycling has been my best health medicine. I ride about 3 to 5 K miles per year and love cycling...I use my mountain bike in the snow here in Boulder, CO.
Regards and good riding.

stapfam

The one size fits all bike is the one you have currently got- and Winters coming. If you are in the Can't ride in Winter zone- Then hold off getting a new bike for a while. The Standover height does not matter once you are in the saddle so use the current bike to build muscle. Never been on the canals by the way- But A boating holiday on the Norfolk Broads counts as one of my most enjoyable holidays. Problem now is that Rivers and bikes don't mix very well. On the bypass stakes- You will have lost a bit of circulation in the hands and feet- Think about warm gloves and Socks for winter riding. Still causes me a problem 7 years after the triple. If thinking of the flat bar bike- It may be your best bet for a while. Get out and look at the Specialised Sirrus. A road bike with road gearing and lightness with flat bars. A real Comfort bike that works. Other than that- if you really do want the Bianchi- Go for it straight away. I only got a road bike this year, and a 19lb cheap end of the line- Definitely works on the road and Rarely get into the drops. Still find it comfortable though.