Originally Posted by valygrl
My sister bought a bike that looks perfect on paper for the geometry, is a touring specific model by a highly respected touring bike mfr., has tons of people that swear by it as a loaded tourer, fits her perfectly in terms of ride position.... and handles horribly. I rode it last weekend (we are exactly the same size) and it's not the rider's fault. It's swoopy and wierd. You can barely reach for a water bottle, it's so bad.
This might apply more to folks at the small end of the size range (which we are) but I would try really hard to test ride the bike before you buy. If you can't, you might be able to find a shop that will take a return (good luck) or just buy it, but with the understanding that you might be re-selling it soon.
Anyway.... good luck finding a shop to test ride at. And if you can't there's always ebay.
Cheers,
Anna
Anna brings up a good point. It sounds like her and her sister are what are called statistical outliers. If you are especially small or especially tall then getting a professional fit and trying before you buy is imperative. If you are within the average range then my above advice would still hold.
And just as a counter example, my new tourer, bought with absolutely no experience riding any of the makers cycles, fits great and rides incredibly. I bought it based on the makers reputation, countless rider reports of both daily use and real world tours. Obviously I haven't toured with it yet but with a full load of groceries and my commuting load it handles just as well, maybe even better. The bicycle? A Rivendell Atlantis the same as Anna's sister.