tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6203074149634807485.post7200550616381786199..comments2024-03-14T10:19:04.234-07:00Comments on Taiwan In Cycles: Road Bikes Are A PainUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6203074149634807485.post-3355244945841706242010-09-13T14:58:35.807-07:002010-09-13T14:58:35.807-07:00I am sorry you had to go through that. I know for ...I am sorry you had to go through that. I know for a fact that the heads of Giant do not even trust their own people to do a good fitting or to work on their bikes.NONEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00312011183953017842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6203074149634807485.post-33636223114444570902010-09-13T09:52:48.047-07:002010-09-13T09:52:48.047-07:00I agree with you 100% about shop floor workers at ...I agree with you 100% about shop floor workers at Giant shops not having a clue about bike fitting. They just ask your height and pick a bike for you. The first Giant road bike I bought was a Defy 3. The sales guy sold me a XS size. Since it was my first road bike, I had no idea about bike fitting. After a few months of being uncomfortable I started learning a bit more about bike fitting and realized that the bike was just too small. Although Giant bikes are a pretty good deal here in TW, I'll never get a Giant again.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6203074149634807485.post-2435581575968130362010-04-21T17:07:09.879-07:002010-04-21T17:07:09.879-07:00There are definitely a lot of sizing problems for ...There are definitely a lot of sizing problems for the really short and the really tall. In Taiwan the tall lose out more often than not. I have one friend we tried to get on a bike, but he was close to 7' tall. He ended up on an Arthur mtb. The compact geometry you are referring to was actually invented by Giant in the 80's to allow manufacturers to reduce the number of frame sizes and get more people over fewer frames. Unfortunately it can make it a pain to get a fit dialed in. I know quite a few people who just can't find their place in the Giant and Merida XS, S, M, L, XL scheme. <br /><br />When you get back we will surely have to ride.NONEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00312011183953017842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6203074149634807485.post-1986626273811191622010-04-21T13:05:29.400-07:002010-04-21T13:05:29.400-07:00Great advice here.
I have recently gotten back in...Great advice here.<br /><br />I have recently gotten back into biking more-or-less regularly since being back in the U.S. <br /><br />It was annoying, but after a lot of looking, I finally gave up trying to find a bike that fit me comfortably in Taiwan. I agree-- the people I talked to in even the larger Giant showrooms knew very little about bicycling. You'd think a company that big could invest a little in training, but I guess a lot of those shops are family-run franchises.<br /><br />The problem is that I could not find a frame tall enough to give me a good saddle height. I'm 6'4", so not a giant by any means. Apparently, the problem is that what is fashionable nowadays is the "rakish" MX-style cross tubes that slant down at a sharp angle from the head tube. Looks really cool, but it makes for short, stubby seat tubes which can't safely accomodate a seat tube long enough to give a comfortable saddle height for tall people. Not only did they not have taller frames, they told me they could not get them, even from the factory.<br /><br />Now I have a mountain/street bike with a normal-sized frame, but a horizontal cross tube. Works just fine. I'll make sure to bring it with me when I return to Taiwan.Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03882498887460172298noreply@blogger.com