Road bike or tri bike?

A Cervelo Dual is in that price range and seems to be the envy of a lot of people on this board... I'd take advantage of the having a tri shop that close to you. It's hard to beat the service you get from a decent local shop.

-Frank

Edited by scuba-punk 2004-09-17 2:32 PM

I just bought my new bike and while i chose a road frame, the best thing was the fitting service. I was comprehensively measured and the bike specc'd exactly to my sizes eg frame, stem, cranks, seat post height, saddle position, angle of the drops/hoods etc. It has resulted in an awesome ride and much more comfortable position. Their sizing could have been applied to either a tri or road frame but after consultation with the guys in the store, I opted for road specific geometry. Went more for comfort than out and out race'ness as being 34 and not quite as flexible as I used to be, I didn't want to punish myslef on the longer rides - I think thats a personal choice thing though, but 100% get professionally fitted.

1) $1500 is a good price point, you may want to stretch it a little to get the Dual ($1599 list) or the Felt s22 ($1699) , but there are many adequate bike under $1500.

2)What are the advantages to having a tri bike instead of a road bike? About 1-2 mph. For the differences, read this: http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/bikes/difference.shtml

3) Can you put aero bars on a road bike and still ride comfortably? Yes, maybe not as efficiently and as comfortably (in the aero position) as on a tri bike. If you put antlers on a cow it doesn't that make it a deer. That said, a road bike offers more variety of positions and can be more comfortable in that regard. You just won't be as aerodynamic (thus efficient) if you're riding on the hoods or the tops of the handlebars (or even on the drops) on a road bike.

4) Whatever you choose to do by all means get properly fitted.

Be glad to entertain specific questions as you get more into the process.



Edited by the bear 2004-09-17 2:44 PM

I just picked up my first tri bike last night (cervelo one) and I can't wait for work to end today so I can go on a ride to see how it feels. I gave myself the same price max ($1500) and I hit it right on the nose after bike, shoes and pedals. The bike shop owner did a little fudging on the prices of the shoes and pedals to make it all work out for me. I got some Shimano SH-TR02 shoes and shimano ultegra pedals (pd-r600 I think). I'll let you know how it rides sometime later this weekend or next week, but it sure looks pretty. Oh, and the store traded out the drop handlebars and aero bars for the u-shaped handlebars and aero bars with shifters on the end.

That is the kind of quote that needs to appear in the random quote section at the top of the page.
I'm off to a LBS tomorrow to take a look at both Trek and Cervelo tri bikes

ian

What a great LBS! Was that in College Station or did you go to the big city (Houston, Austin, Dallas)?

This is one of those questions which is difficult for anyone to answer. The choice between buying a road bike and a tri bike can only be made by you according to your needs. Will you be training on your bike on open roads where there is a lot of traffic? Will you be commuting with it or doing long trips with it? Then you would be best to buy a road bike and add aero bars for tri's. Or would you be using the bike for tri's only? Then, a tri bike would be recommended. Whatever you decide to buy, get fitted properly; that is the most important thing. Missionbay Multisport, offers a good range of tri-bikes if you choose to go that route. There are at least 5 good tri-bikes that you can look at there, which fit within your price range:

Cannondale Ironman 600, $1299
Cervélo One, $1299
Felt S32, 105, $1349
QR Kilo, 105/Tiagra, $1395
Trek Equinox 7, $1399

Tri, especially because you are competing in the longer distances and you seem to be getting serious about the sport. If you were competing in tris and crits then go road.

The article about the differences is helpful.

I got a good deal by getting last year's model right before the next year's model came out. If you don't need the bike by tomorrow then see if the multisports store will give you a deal when they're changing their inventory. Also, it's like buying a car; try different brands and take them for a test ride.

Bike fitting is a must!

But remember, the bikes Lance and his team ride in the Tour can be purchased by anyone. It's not as much the bike as it is the man/woman on the bike.

Good luck!

Bear,

I got the bike in Austin from Austin Tri Cyclist. Highly recommend the store. The owner walked me through everything and stayed a good 45 min after they were supposed to close to fit the bike to me and show me everything about adjusting it while I'm getting used to it. And I went with the Cervelo because I couldn't find anything bad about the bikes. They seem to be the best bang for your buck and still be awesome bikes!

Wow, that was a lot of helpful replies! After reading that link that was posted by the bear I will definiteley be getting a tri bike. It's also nice to know that for a few hundred dollars more I can get a nicer bike . Also, I feel like I need to let you all know that I know that it's not the bike but how much time is put in on the bike that counts. If I knew more about bikes I'd write an article for BT about this...it seems like this is a very common question. Thanks again.

One thing to note is the different muscles you use on a tri bike, first ride I did, my quads burned after for what seemed like hours. Being fresher for the run is a big plus. Within a month of starting training I rode 45 miles with no extra pain or soreness... I would say tri bikes must be good for century rides, but if you plan on riding with roadies, they might shun you for having aerobars

If any of the roadies I ride with shun my aero bars I'll just take them to the pool or track and put them in their place

The roadies may be nervous for good reason.  A tri bike is not as stable as a roadie for two reasons, 1) a tri bikes put you in a very forward position, you're literally over the front fork which makes the bike very twitchy and 2) the aero position gives you less outboard weight with which to stablize your balance (a very small change in your position, such as moving to hit the brakes, can result in a major change in your balance).  It takes some practice to master such a position.  A road bike has you back farther over the top tube, which makes it more stable and easier to maneuver.  On group rides, you need to manage among many riders and a twitchy rider could potentially cause problems in the pack.

Good luck with your bike purchase.  I hope you let us know what you ultimately decide.

Edited by Motivated 2004-09-19 7:03 AM

Okay so you've made up your mind to get a tri bike and to up your budget for said tri bike. You have just made a decision on two of the most difficult and crucial factors towards your quest for a new bike. So now you can look at Cervélo Dual, Cannondale 800, Felt S25, QR Tequila, and Trek Equinox 7 among others. Take your time, ask a lot of questions, test ride as many models as you can (that's the fun part!) and decide which bike YOU prefer. Remember that we all think and feel differently; what rides well for me may seem like a goat on wheels to you!

I'll definitely let everyone know what I ultimately end up buying and my reasons for buying a particular bike. As well as my reasons for not buying bikes. Thanks again for all the help!