A new Tri Bike or not? Help please

I think you have to look at your overall goals for your races this year. A tri bike will give you a slightly faster bike split (and maybe help your legs on the run), but it might not be enough to matter to your overall time.

So it's really a cost versus time saved issue. My advice is to race another season with your road bike and look at your splits. If you feel like you really could bring down your time by a couple of minutes, then you can get a tri rig.

Of course one of the best things about a new bike is that it motivates you to ride. I'd buy a new bike every year if I could afford it

If you plan on racing tris (i.e. more than a one a season) I'd recommend gettting a new (or used)  tri bike. You can pick up a used Cervelo P1 or P2 or similar other brand for well under $2000.
New wheels are something you get once you have a good tri bike, aerohelmet and an extra $1k to spend.

Thanks guys. I'm gonna look around and see if I can findsomething in the budget. And go from there

FWIW my tribike is a Leader 730TT and while my plan is to upgrade the frame, I'm still (after two season of watching) waiting for the right deal.  Eventually I want to replace the frame with a P3SL and I will just move the parts over from the Leader but for now it serves me well.  I am running Hed Alps (55mm) for race wheels with a disc cover and use an aero helmet.  Although I know that I can make gains with a more aero frame, I am able to get into a solid aero position and am not in a hurry to upgrade the frame.

Looking at your picture, I would guess that you can improve your position and make much larger gains than you would see with a new frame (even if you were to go to one of the superbikes).  That is not to say that your position is bad but there are things that can be improved and allow you to ride significantly faster.  The Leader, while not having the most aero tubing, does have solid geometry and will allow you to get into a very good aero position; now is the time to tweak the position and get as aero as you can for the race distance you are doing.

I would say that your greatest improvements will come from:

1)  Riding lots
2)  Improved position
3)  Good tires/tubes (not sure what you are running now)
4)  Clean up anything on your bike (such as bottles on the frame)
5)  Deep front wheel
6)  Disc cover
7)  New frame

ETA - Here are a couple of in race shots:

http://zoomphoto.ca/viewphoto/12699-103-12246261/2/

http://zoomphoto.ca/viewphoto/12699-103-12248716/1/

Shane

Edited by gsmacleod 2010-12-30 6:15 PM

If money isnt much of an object and you have some spending room go witha new bike

Thanx for the info Shane. Yeah I'm sure I could prob benifit from getting my position better.However I have the opportunity to pick up a Argon18 E-80 for less than 2k with SRAM force. Just an opptionI haven't made my decision. I could also get the same bikewith SRAM apex for $500 less. What you guys think??

As I recall, the Argon18 E series bikes did not perform well from an aerodynamic standpoint - something on the order of 800g of drag when a P3C would have ~700g and the P4 is ~600g. 

As a rough guideline you can use 50g = .5s/km to see the time gained or lost with different frames. 

IIWY I would work on your position and keep your eyes open for a good deal on a really aero frameset.

Shane

Asking that question on this forum basically amounts to:
"Dear crackheads: Should I, or should I not buy more crack?"

Ahh...starting the year off right.  LOL.  Great reply jmk! 

btw, you doing Quassy again this year?

Lmao!! I guess I need more crack! I hear ya Shane! I guess I would just perferto work on position and other aspects of aerodynamicson a bike that I will be keeping for a while. On my currentbike. If I keep it I will need to replace the derailleurs and shiftersbefore this season as they are pretty shabby. What are your thoughtson the Kuota K-factor w/ultegra? Again more crack please!!

Yes, I think I am. My son insisted on my doing the "Race at the Amusement Park" again, and that was that.

I'd wait for the right deal on a good used TT bike.  You can easily pick up a used Cervelo P2 for $2k or less.

Edited by m2tx 2011-01-05 9:47 PM