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Bike recs
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I started running triathlons last summer using an ill-fitting road bike that I bought used (it's way too long). Since I'm pretty much hooked on triathlon, I am looking to upgrade to a solid mid-level ($3,000 range) tri bike that will be great to ride now, and that I can grow into as I get to be a better biker. I am relatively short (5' 3") and have a shorter reach than other women my height, and I'm very concerned that the bike I buy be a good fit, as I've exerpienced firsthand a lot of the problems that come with riding a bike that fits badly. If anyone can recommend brands/bikes, I would appreciate it. I've been looking at the Felt B12 and the Quintana Roo Lucero and Caliente, and would love to hear thoughs on those, as well as on how they compare to other bikes out there for short-ish ladies.

Thanks!
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Re: Bike recs [NYCLauren] [ In reply to ]
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If you want one of the QR's there are some really sweet deals on them on http://www.bonktown.com just watch for them they are going for 1k to 1.8k

ishi no ue ni san nen | Perseverance will win in the end. | Blog | @nebmot | Strava | Instagram |
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Re: Bike recs [NYCLauren] [ In reply to ]
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I'm a bit taller than you (5'6") but I apparently have a really short torso and apparently long arms and legs...I've always had to ride with really short stems on my road bikes. Until just recently I was on a 2006 QR Seduza that I loved...loved,loved,loved. Had the perfect set-up. For some reason I have really flexible hammies, so I was able to ride fairly steep and the bike fit really well by just tilting up the aerobars just a tad. That said, I cracked that frame to bits a few weeks ago.

Took the opportunity to replace it with an 09 LuceroLite frame (and all my components from the 'Duza). We thought the geometry was the same all the way around but apparently the top tube is slightly shorter on the 09. This works out pretty well to me - tilted the bars back down to level and dropped the seat just a smidge. Love the frame, love the way it fits and I feel really stable after just a couple of rides.

For what it's worth - I've always descended quickly, but it was a hill with an off-camber turn that whopped my ass at 35mph and snapped the frame. Until then, I've never been scared or felt unstable on that bike and I've hit good speeds - up over ~45 earlier that day. I wanted to replace it with another QR - the guys at QR worked hard to get me the frame I wanted very quickly. Great bike company.

The Felts are supposed to have similar geometry and have good feedback.

AW
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Re: Bike recs [AWARE] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks! It's good to know the QRs are really durable and hold up at high speed. I hope you walked away from your fall OK! What size frame did you go with? I am unsure if I'm a 48 or a 50, and have gotten conflicting advice from different bike shops.
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Re: Bike recs [NYCLauren] [ In reply to ]
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I actually sat up right away, stood up a few minutes later and ran a marathon the next week. I somersaulted through the air about 10 - 12 ft and cracked all the way through my helmet in 3 spots. The bike absorbed an amazing amount of kinetic energy when the frame ruptured and that's what probably kept me from being very seriously injured. Anytime you're in the air long enough to have multiple thoughts before landing, you're in the air too long. That was me....extremely lucky. (It keeps dawning on me more and more how much so...and each time I'm more thankful for my bike...)

I was and still am on a Small Frame - it was fairly close and I almost could have gone with the XS because of my torso (keep in mind I'm 5'6"). BUT - I think in the end the Small works much better for me (and it has 700C wheels). That said, you might see if you can take both an XS and a S for a ride and see which feels better.

AW
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Re: Bike recs [AWARE] [ In reply to ]
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Wow - your crash story is so scary. I'm glad you were able to walk away from it - and run the marathon, too, since by that point you'd already put in all the training hours.

If you're 5'6" and on the border of small/xs, I will definitely focus more on the XS. That's where I thought I'd be, but since this will be my first tri bike it's a bit harder for me to guage the fit.

Thanks for all your help!
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