Trek or Specialized WSD???
 

Let me first tell you that I am 45 years young, about 5'2", perhaps slightly under and have a petite-medium build. My legs are proportioned to my body and my arm length is proportioned, perhaps a little longer than average.

I am looking at 2 WSD bikes - the Trek 2200 WSD and the Specialized Dolce Comp. Both are pretty comparable in components and price. While I'm a newbie, I'd rather get a bike that I can grow into and race if I choose. I'm pretty active at the gym so think I'll stick with this especially since I just joined a bike club.

For arguments sake, lets say both bikes feel the same in terms of comfort. The main difference between them is the tire size. The Specialized Doce uses a 700c tire. Therefore, I need the 48 cm frame. They stand behind the argument that having a larger tire is best for maintenance of speed, etc. In a brief fitting at the shop that sells Trek, I would take a 51 cm frame but Treks come with a 650c tire. The philosophy here is that this size tire is proportionately the right size for the bike and it is easier to gain speed. It was pointed out that many triathlon racers use 650c tires for this reason. Someone else said to me they didn't care what I bought but don't let anyone talk me into a bike with a 650c tire.

So all things being equal, is there anyone who has riden both of these bikes or has made the decision based on tire size? Why did you like one over the other? Pros and cons? This is confusing.

Thank you in advance for you feedback.

I am 5'4" and pretty proportional and I was "fit kitted" to a Trek 51cm WSD and a Specialized 50cm WSD. I felt too cramped up on the Dolce bike. I liked the Trek, but felt like I was falling forward on my face and did not care for the 650cc wheelset. I went with the Specialized "unisex" small Sequoia. MOST comfortable do-anything road bike I've been on, period. Be sure you check it out. You won't be sorry...:)

If you choose the 650c size bike your choice in tires will be severely limited when it comes time to replace them. However many cyclists do not really care that much about the choice of their tires.

Yes...sometimes hard to find 650 innertubes, tire choices are limited, and resale of 650cc outfitted bikes is limited. I'd stay away from them, but that's me...

A friend of mine test rode the Trek WSD and non-WSD frames (2300 I think), the Specialized Dolce, the Specialized Sequoia, the Specialized Allez and the Cannondale Feminine-series of their R-bikes.

She wasn't comfortable with the Trek WSD frames but felt the non-WSD frames fit well. She also liked the Sequoia but felt too stretched out on the Allez and thought the Cannondale (R2000F) felt noodly. She ended up with a Specialized Dolce Elite. It seemed to fit her best.

Even though my friend ended up with a WSD bike, she did find some non-WSD frames that fit better than some WSD frames. My point in all this is to not limit yourself to just the WSD frames. You might want to try the regular frames too.

From what I've read in different places, it seems that Specialized is one of the companies that does a better job of building bikes with geometry that fits the proportions of women better. But if you find both bikes equally comfortable to ride, it sounds like the deciding factor should be the wider acceptance of the 700 tire size.

i have the dolce elite and really like it...

when shopping.. i looked at the trek.. but decided i didn't want to deal with the smaller tires. with the dolce i can borrow any of the guys tires/tubes in a pinch!