Help me... I road it!!!

trixie - 2008-10-09 8:12 PM OOOHHHHH, do it. DO IT!! That's an awesome bike! Either way you'll be fine but nothing is better than riding on butta for 112 miles!!

Ooooo when you say awesome do you mean like awesome or like awesome awesome??  Personal experience or what? 

If you are going to get a new bike, shop around. Fit is king and just because the one you rode was great there might be other bikes that fit you better.

Buying a bike is a big adventure. Research, fit, talking, going to lots of bike shops, all help you determine which is the best bike for you.

Often folks lock in on one bike when reality is it might not be the best bike for you in fit and value.

How did they fit it to you?

Read this

They have many great articles about buying a new bike...poke around and read a lot. They even have reviews of many tri bikes...have fun!!

Going from a tri bike to a road bike is a big change and I found it wonderful. Much more comfortable and a more enjoyable experience. I have 1 of each and love the options depending on the ride.

Equinox is a good bike and if it fits you, the price is good then go for it. You might want to shop around like the other poster said, but its personal preference. Your LBS that you deal with is obviously going to make you a better deal and throw in extras. They should offer free tune ups for a short time, pedals, etc.

Good luck. And if you just want other people to say 'do it, its ok' then throw my vote in.

More and more bike companies are coming out with women's specific tri bikes. I ride women road bikes but my Kuota K Factor tri bike fits perfect out the box and it isn't a women's bike.

IM on comfortable bike is huge. Riding around parking lot on one bike is not best way to pick out a new bike. Tri bikes feel different but fit is really more important to how it feels as feel is effected by tire pressure and many minor issues.

Adjusting to new bike and fit (ie road to tri position) takes time and so riding in a test ride a new bike feels different than it will after riding the bike 500+ miles.

crea0029 - 2008-10-09 9:30 PM

trixie - 2008-10-09 8:12 PM OOOHHHHH, do it. DO IT!! That's an awesome bike! Either way you'll be fine but nothing is better than riding on butta for 112 miles!!

Ooooo when you say awesome do you mean like awesome or like awesome awesome??  Personal experience or what? 

I mean like pretty looking awesome. I've no experience with the bike but if it feels good....do it. That's my motto, and not just with bikes...

There was a chart in a SlowTwitch recently that showed seconds saved per dollar spent for various equipment.  They're all over and I think David Warden has one as well on TriTalk.  Anyway, I think a TT bike vs a road bike saves 49 seconds over 50K for a 250 Watt cyclist. 

From the perspective of praticality, it's not in any way a practical purchase unless you plan to podium.  

From the perspective of coolness, go for it.  You might get a psychological boost from riding it that will bring you far more than 49 seconds.

I really have my eye on a P4, but am too embarrassed to be a noob on such a thing and am certain that I'll be passed by older folks on mountain bikes.  I'll stick to my road bike until I've earned a proper tri bike.

 Sorry if I'm a buzz kill. 

I just recently upgraded from a road bike to a tri bike.  Of course my road bike was 20 years old.  I am extremely happy with the move.  I have managed to pick up about 2-3 MPH with about 2/3 of the time on the aero bars, still getting used to them.  Even if it doesn't make you that much faster I will say first hand that having a new bike makes you want to go out and train on it.  The other item to consider is the upright geometry is suppose to help in transition to the run.  I found this article very helpful when I made my purchase:

http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/bikes/difference.shtml

As somebody told me when I was shopping for a new bike, this sport takes a lot of dedication and you need a reward every now and then.  I still like going out to the garage and just looking at mine.  Sorry, that probably didn't help.  I meant, you don't need a new bike, the one you have is just fine. 

Agreed, good post.  So many things to consider. 

Don't disagree with me, it's not my number. 

David Warden's number is a little better, but still doesnt show a huge advantage: 

http://www.tri-talk.com/Top20.asp

With that data, if you're paying $24.42 per second saved, I'm not sure that can be called practical.  I agree with the other psychological factors mentioned.  I also agree that the geometry of a tri bike can spare your quads for the run.  Certainly another worthy decision point.  I would have to assume that the 5 minute advantage is probably over a marathon, however.

I also looked for the chart I was referring to on SlowTwitch.  It was posted within the past week, but I cannot find it.  It breaks down just about every piece of equipment with time saved.  Good bookmark if you can find it.

Here is one of those charts that seems to suggest there is quite a bit more of an advantage going from a road bike (Without Aerobars) to a Time Trial (Triathlon) configuration.

http://www.nytro.com/Articles.asp?ID=119

Adding this up, nearly 6 minutes over a 40k.

But as others have said, if it gets you out riding more, all of these numbers are window dressing compared to the speed benefit you will get from more training

The increased Mojo is way more important IMHO.

If you really love the bike, shop around for some comparisons and then make a decision. (Chances are, your gonna end up with the bike)

I made the mistake of test riding a Cervelo at a race last year and now there is one parked in my living room

For me, the increase in training mojo was very much worth every penny I spent on the bike. (And I was not unhappy with my road bike)

ETA: Must be great to sell a product that will really sell itself. (Just let someone take a test ride and they are hooked)

So the mojo issue leads to a question (hope I'm not hijacking the thread).  Do you all train on your tri bikes?  I have only a road bike and had thought that, when I get a tri bike, I'll continue to train on the road bike and race on the tri bike, with the exception of a bit of training leading up to a race.

By the way, those time saved numbers are all over the place.  I think if anything can be taken from this, it's that the scientific benefits of everything aero is highly subjective.  It seems like the mojo factor is where the benefit lies.  Personally, I like toys, so that would be my motivation.