I got my DREAM Bike ! ! ! (Page 2)

Because everyone knows only fast people deserve sexy, expensive bikes. Kidding!!!!!

You'll just have to remember not to wave to other cyclists on training rides.

Hold the phone! No aero seatpost???  Oh well, I WAS impressed...

LOL.

Always 1 in the crowd...

Well, if that was the case, someone would have handed me a fast, expensive bike by now.

Looks like it's a SLOW, CHEAP bike for me!!

Oh, *blush*, but my bike isn't expensive... just fast.

That's an AWESOME bike Steve!!

Can I ask what made you go with this QR??  I know the Cervelo P3 is very popular around here, so I'm just interested what features etc. over other models in this price range swang you toward the QR??  I'm assuming that you were so happy with your previuos QR that you just had to have another one!!

Envy is flowing thru all my body.

I need a Extreme Makeover: Bike edition

Because you don't want a guy in an $500 bike with sora groupo passing you like a thunder.  That MUST suck.

Oh no, let's not go here again!!  Quick Charlie, delete this post before Steve sees it...TRUST ME!!

Steve,

Congrats on the new killer ride.  QR's are great bikes.  What li'l extra's have you added?

Hmmmmm....

I feel kind today.....I'll spare everyone my reply. 

Before I tell you why I decided on this tri bike.  I seriously considered keeping my Tequilo since I've only raced it for a season, and buying a road bike frame of my dreams.

After bantering back and forth with myself (kinda like Me, Myself, & Irene) I decided that since I love triathlons so much I should get a triathlon bike and if I decided to not do triathlons anymore I could always sell it and buy a road bike later.

So, I guess I'm partial to QR because they fit me so well.  The P3 is definately a popular bike and because no bike was out of reach for me I definately considered ALL bikes before choosing.  Here is my train of thought on each:

Bike Material Choice:

• Aluminum:  I know how this feels riding for 100 miles and I don't like it.  I've ridden other aluminum bikes that people say are "softer" aluminum....whatever....it's still damn harsh over 5-6 hours in the saddle.
• Aluminum w/ carbon seat stays:  Since I was able to afford basically any bike on the market (except the pinarello TT bike) why would I go with just a carbon seat stay instead of full carbon?
• Full Carbon:  This is what I was seriously considering.  Carbon is smooth like silk and stronger than aluminum.  What more could you ask for?  Well, durability for one.  Carbon does not stretch like aluminum, steel, or titanium, so if you wreck (and I do wreck....at least 2-3 times a season) and there is any structural compromise as a result...gotta get a new frame.  Also, with carbon I would NOT want to put in on a roof rack and have a rock hit my bike frame going 75mph on the expressway, only to find out the rock compromised the frame and the frame subsequently cracks while I'm riding it....forget that noise than you very much.  The trouble with Carbon is you can't always see the structural compromises in a frame until it's too late...i.e. you crash from a frame failure.  This material is for the pros who can afford to get a new frame everytime they bang the frame or a rock hits it, or they wreck.  I can't and don't want to x-ray my frame everytime it falls over, or I wreck it, or whatever.
• Titanium:  Now you're talking.  Titanium.  This is the dream bike material.  As strong as steel but has excellent shock absorbing properties....albeit not as much as carbon...but a hell of a lot more than aluminum.  Since I love 1/2 IM distance and am doing the full IM distance this year I wanted something very comfy but ultra durable.  This was the material I wanted my "DREAM" bike to be made out of.

So with that in mind, what full titanium triathlon bikes are out there.  Well javelin's got one, QR has one, and Litespeed has one....oh yeah Airborne has one too but I wouldn't touch that bike with a 10 foot poll (for another thread).

So now I need to decide between 3 bikes.  Javelin was out because I never rode a javelin, haven't been sized on a javelin and didn't know ANYONE who had ridden the titanium javelin.  QR and Litespeed are made from the same company so I decided to compare my 2001 QR Tequilo's geometry with the 2004 QR Tiphoon and see if there was a sizing "match."

So it lookes like we have a winner.  With the top tube, head tube angle and length, seat tube angle I will be able to dial in my cockpit with no problems.  Replicating the handlebar drop, the seat height, and reach on the Tiphoon would be a snap.

And there you have it.  More than you'd ever want to know about how I decided on the Tiphoon.

Edited by Steve- 2005-02-03 10:39 AM

Nice analysis on materials, pretty much the same thought process I went through when deciding on my Litespeed Tuscany (road bike). Two additional comments:

•  You didn't address steel, but offhand I don't know of any steel tri-bike manufacturers. There  are plenty of steel afficionados out there, despite conventional wisdom steel frames can be made nearly as light and strong as aluminum, and do have better shock absorption qualities. Reason I ruled it out is because of the marginal risk of rust and the marginal amount of upkeep needed to prevent said rust. Titanium is rust proof, bulletproof, and repairable.

• I also looked hard at carbon fiber, in addition to the risk of breakage/compromise, I felt that CF had a more "wooden" ride than the metal frames. Probably just a personal preference... 

Yeah, I didn't mention steel because I didn't know of any tri bikes with steel frames.  But honestly, I had a steel bike (actually still have it) and it's rusty at the underside of the bottom bracket...probabaly from rocks or whatever from chipping the paint and then subsequent winter rides with road salt.

Wooden ride is an EXCELLENT description of CF.  What a good way to describe it.  I totally didn't like the feel too, but more so the fact that I would spend $2,200+ on a frame only to wreck it (with my freggin' luck) on my first ride out.  Now that would really p!ss me off.  Plus after reading the Aegis technology vs Kestrel/mainstream CF technology, I just plain got steered away from CF alltogether...for good.

Plus, the sound of reason (aka Joanna) said to me "Why would you buy a bike that could break right away?" (she knows how often I wreck)  Sometimes I wonder how someone could be so damn logical about an emotional purchase like a dream tri bike? 

Besides, if I didn't purchase a titanium bike I'd have way too much money left over and not know what to do with it....(just joking).

I was going to contribute to the new bike fund Bear but I ended up now buying CF.  Now if I didn't buy the Titantium QR I'd send you all the rest of the money right away....

Oh well, maybe next time.