Getting your hands on several different bows before buying would be theoptimal thing todo.Though sometimes, it's not an easy thing to do.Once folks start shooting traditional, most gravitate to one particular style of bow more than others. If you don't want a lot of mass weight in a bow,most of the one piece R/D longbows fit that bill. There are alsosome good one piece recurves thatalso don't have a bulky riser. Shop around until something catches your eye. Then ask around and do some research on it.Good luck