Originally Posted by
sknhgy
People talk about bike fit and all that stuff. However, when you go to a bike shop they only have a few bikes that fit the style, price, etc. that you are looking for. Then when you find a model that you like, you only have a choice between, say, a 52cm or a 54cm.
I'm looking for a road bike. Yesteday I rode a Felt Z90 and it was very comfortable. Today I rode a much more expensive Cannondale Synapse and it felt like I was riding stretched-out and face-down on the street, although both are supposed to have a relaxed geometry.
So, what do you do when you're buying a bike. Just buy the one that feels the best?
This bike buying thing can get very time consuming.
At this time of year, and especially this year, bikes are getting sold down. Two years ago Mrs Road Fan became interested in moving up from her town bike to a lightest-possible hybrid ("fitness bike"). We found only one in her size and it was not the component spec she wanted, so we added upgrades.
This summer I'm asking around for a Ruby for her, thinks she's ready to try a drop bar bike, and the local dealer says 2008s are about played out, but 2009s are on the way.
However, he thinks that with the Olympics in China and the forced idling of some Chinese parts plants, bike availability might be delayed this year. Who knows?
I guess the main point is that bikes are now a global industry, subject (like say, cars) to a global range of problems and issues.
Shop around.