I am new to this forum, but my husband has been posting for a few years. I am searching for a new bike to commute to work, about 10 miles one way. I am currently riding a Trek 800, which i purchased about 5 years ago, when I was just getting back into biking. The problem with the Trek is it is big and bulky and hurts my wrists and arms after riding for about 15 minutes. I herniated a disk in my lower back a few years back and still have pain in the lower back muscles that the siatica nerve runs through (in my case, but should run behind). I am seeing a chiropractor who works with the muscle to reduce the pain. I am 5'4" about 180 pounds and not in very good shape. I currently ride about 6 miles without much trouble. I live in an area that has alot of "rolling hills" (so says my husband, but seems like mountains to me...he rides alot more than I do ). I have been looking at bikes for about 2 weeks now and get more confused every time i go into a bike shop. My LBS thinks I need a Trek 7500FX with some adjustments to the handle bars to sit me up straighter, another thinks a Specialized Sequioa adjusting the bars up a little but giving me more hand position choices.

I rode my husbands Sequioa which was OK. I did not like the hard ride, he has 28mm tires, but that's the largest tire the Sequioa will take. I test rode the Sirrus & the Trek 7500FX. The Sirrus was nice but again it had narrow tires, a hard ride. The Trek 7500FX had larger tires so it had a smoother ride. After riding the Sequioa I'm rethinking the drop bars for more versitilty as I ride more and become more flexible.


Any sugestions?

Specialized Langster. 440 buys you a brand new, high quality bike and only one gear combination. If you ride daily like I do, you will not want the hassle derailluers can present. But, If you are looking for a comfy ride and road bike efficiency and gearing, Look into a Trek 1000c, 1200c, or a 1800c. They all use suspension seat posts, cushy saddles, drop bars, and nice, easy roller roadie tires. But, if you are diding every day, you will want to kill your derailluers after a while...just keep that in mind.

At 5'4" you are borderline between 700c and 26" for normal riding. IMHO, you are better off with smaller wheels, you get a lighter, more compact bike. With slick tyres, you wont notice any difference in efficiency, but 1.5" rubber will give more comfort than those 28mm.
All you need to do is find a high quality, lightweight touring-style bike (flat or drop bar) for that wheel size. If you were in the UK, I would suggest a Thorn from sjscycles.com. Check them out for inspiration.
Dont forget smaller components such as bars and cranks.

That 7500 FX is a nice performance oriented bike for $700. For commuting, you may not want to start at the high end. Nice stuff likes to be pampered by it's owner and stolen by thieves. You want a bike that gives you no excuses for taking the car!

Look around for a good used bike or a lower end ($350) bike that is rugged and comfy. The Kona Smoke is a mountain bike with fenders. Those big tires really soak up the bumps.

Thank you all for your input. After much thought I have decided to buy the Specialized Sequioa.

yeah.. congrat... another specialized bike.. yeah~~~~