Entry Level Tri Bike Recommendations...please!!

I don't think you can wrong with one of these:

http://www.cervelo.com/bikes.aspx?bike=P12009

I have a P2 SL which is essentially the same bike, and it is a great bike for the money.

The Cervelo P1, Felt S32 and QR Tequilo come to mind... since you'll be spending cash on clothes and other gear, best not to go all the way to the high end of your budget.

Edited by DrPete 2009-08-12 8:34 PM

There are some great bike shops in the Naperville/St.Charles area.  I had my Quintana Roo fitted at Endure It! in Naperville and they have a few choices, including Cervelo, that would be in that price range.  You may want to check them out and get a bike that's properly fitted to you.

If you put aero bars on your road bike, make sure you get it properly fit.  Just so you know, it's hard to get the same geometry on a road bike as you would on a tri bike (you can try to get it close with a fast forward seat post, which coincidently I have one for sale plus a Profile Design tri saddle, I tried to setup my road bike with them but in the end decided for both bikes, PM me if you're interested).

Honestly, your best bet is to go test ride some bikes at your LBS.  I went and test rode a few bikes a couple weeks ago and went with the The Kuota K Factor SL (full carbon frame, Ultegra / 105 group set, T2 aero bars).  It's on sale right now for $2k (regular retail is $2250).

http://www.trisports.com/2009-kuota-k-factor-sl-triathlon-bike.html

I test rode the QR Seduza, the Cervelo P2 and the K-Factor, and for me the best fit was the K-Factor.  It has a slightly larger head tube which makes fitting it to most average joe triathletes easier.  I'm not very flexible so it worked out well for me.  They were all very similar in price (within a few hundred of each other).

The S32 was brought up earlier...if you wait a little longer, you should be able to find the Felt B16 on sale for in that range.  Full carbon with the same mold as the top of the line Felt Dura Ace.  JMO

If you've got 2k to spend, why not wait a bit and get a bike that's not 'entry level'?

go all out....screw it





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I just bought a Cervelo P1 and I absolutely love it!!!  I really think its the best bang for the buck!! but I may be a little biased

bikes direct has a carbon kestrel talon for 1500 dollar range with ultrega/dura ace....might be a good place to look

If you already have a road bike, just toss some aero bars on it and save for a good tri bike rather than entry level.

Personally, I don't think bike upgrades are worth it until you are averaging over 22 MPH and in grasp of the podium or on it and want to stay there. To put it into perspective, a CAT 3 guy on our road team showed up at his first tri with a standard road bike and a borrowed aero helmet. He averaged 24.1 MPH for the sprint distance and won his age group even with having to pin his race number on as he had no belt.

Now if you are at the level where it will make a difference or you just like having neat stuff go for it, buy the nice new bike. However I can assure you that if your road bike is in good shape and you ride it a ton you'll end up passing people on fancy tri bikes and feel pretty satisfied doing it.

I think that you have to give this some thught.  My first "tri bike" was a road bike with wero bars on them.  Then I bouth a low end TRI bike (QR), then a higher end QR and now I ride a P3.  I am not saying go all out and buy a top of the line bike with disc back and 1080 front but maybe spend a little more now and you may not go through the expense of upgrading later. 

I say the Cervelo P2 is a great bike for the money. 

No one has said it but is your budget planned on selling your road bike? Does your road bike have decent components on it?

You can get a better frameset for 1500 bucks than you could complete bike and swap over what you have now while getting a few other tri specific parts budgeted to top out at your 2K budget.

As you upgrade your parts you can slowly put your road bike together.

If you have the ability to do this yourself then you can save even more.

This is what I did with my bmx bikes in my early teens, my mtb in my late teens and what i am considering doing next year if i like this sport and want a tri bike. Plus I can't leave anything stock whether it be cars or my body so constantly upgrading fills that need for me.

This comes up often and I fail to understand the relevance. What matters isn't how much faster you are than other "people on fancy tri bikes," but rather how much faster you will be on a tri bike. If the CAT3 guy in your example had a nice tri bike with all the aero bling (and a race belt), maybe he's competing for overall rather than winning his AG.

Personally, I'm 1 to 1-1/2mph faster on my tri bike than my road bike at similar efforts, even those at which I'm averaging under 22 mph.

Kuota K-Factor - Geometry for the rest of us....
2008's on Bonktown for $1400.
2009's with better bottom bracket, more aero seat tube, and internal cable routing (which is not always a great thing, if your shifting performance suffers from more friciton) for $2000 and this is the dealer price which includes special upgrade to Easton Circuit traning wheels untill Aug 31.

But fit is worth more than saving three benjies online, so make sure you know what you are doing.

I've seen the Cervelo P2's on sale recently for $1200-$1500.  I think if you get a P1, you'll just lust for the P2.  If you get the P2, you're set.

But, let me just put in another word for GET A PROPER FIT for your tri bike.  Fitting a tri bike is quite a bit more precise than a road bike.  You'll have a lot more fun, and be a lot faster, if the bike is fit correctly to you.

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P2SLs (aluminum) are a good bet in that price range. However, forget about it for the all-carbon stuff - a used 2008 P2C still sells for near full list around here ($2400+)

I think people hype the bike itself wayyy too much. Go out there and kill it on your regular bike. As long as you're on a road bike, there's a 99% probability that it's you that's the limiting factor, and not the bike. A Cervelo P3 won't make you significantly faster than a properly fitted <$1000 road bike with aerobars.

Get a $2k+ bike if you like the looks and the bling factor. If you want strictly performance, do the roadbike + aerobars thing for $1000ish, get fast race wheels and an aero helmet, and you'll be even better off than the pricey bike for hundreds less. 

Edited by agarose2000 2009-08-13 7:45 PM

Thanks for all the great info!

I think Im going to get some aero bars on my road bike...maybe some wheels and aero hlmt.
I'll save up some more money, and pull the trigger sometime next year...that way like many of you said I can step up to the $2500 range.
Also I guess the with the aeros on my road bike I can get used to the steering, etc...

Let me know if you guys have any other info?

Thanks Again!!

> Also I guess the with the aeros on my road bike I can get used to the steering, etc...

Not really.  The seat post angle makes a BIG difference in terms of balance on the bike and handling on aerobars.  A tri bike is going to feel much better and handle much better, than a road bike with added aerobars.

I'd say that you should probably keep your road bike as it was designed and not try to hack it into a tri-bike.  

The best compromise is probably getting a very short aerobar, like the Profile Jammer. You can add that to your bike without changing the geometry.

Then, when you're averaging 18-20mph on your road bike upgrade to a true tri bike.  

> Let me know if you guys have any other info?

Start reading here about hip angles:
http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/techctr/bikefit.html#Anchor-BASICS-49575

Just came in here to say this... it was on Bonktown today as a matter of fact. Actually it was for around $1100... maybe it was a different model but it was definitely a Kuota tri bike.

Bonktown.com is a "one deal at a time" web site where they list one deal and leave it up there until it either sells out, or the time expires. Then a new one is listed. So you kinda have to be ready to pull the trigger when you see it. Great deals though.

 

One final question...
When adding Aero's to a roadbike how much are you actually going to pick up in terms of mph? Any issues with pain? Since the geometry will be different is it even worth it?
Or like the pervious poster said do I just roll with the road bike as is for the rest of the year and buy a tri specific bike next year?


As always great information here...I love the site..

Read this:

http://www.socalttseries.com/Training/Articles/AerodynamicsforTimeTrial/tabid/217/Default.aspx


Aerobars are probably the best thing you can buy to pick up speed.  No issues with pain, but be prepared for the extra demands on your quads (great workout).  It is waaay worth it (IMO).  Buy some cheap Profile aluminum bars off of ebay and try them out.  It'll set you back ~$60 and if you don't like them you can list them here and offload them for a small loss.

Oh, read this as well: 

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=174636&posts=31&start=1


Amazing what your exposure to air resistance can do for speed.



Edited by sand101 2009-08-15 12:38 AM