Hmmm. . . .  I've got a race. . . .  I'm gonna use my:

VW Bug? ? ? ?    or my     Ferrari F50? ? ? ?

Duh! ! ! ! !

Ah, Gearboy, always looking out for others, that's why I like you. On the other hand, Keyone's post (below) I think is the best arguement as to why this is a bad idea. I think I'll print this out and tape it on the bike as a reminder come race day that no matter how tempting I really should ride the road bike.

In fact, I'll print out two copies and put the second one in my running shoe in T2 come race day. That way I'll have something to remind myself on the run that many fine, intelligent people had my best intrest at heart. And I can read and reread Keyone's post as I'm hobbling along at an incredibely slothlike pace because I ignored all of you and rode the tri bike anyway.

In all seriousness, my head tells me to ride the roadie, the heart, not so much. I'll bump this thread in a few weeks and let you know what I did and how it turns out.

Thanks all,

Relax.

Just go ride your race with your proven setup. A couple things make suggest this..1) it's not the bike, it's the engine, 2) even if it's the bike, it's not huge...it's a couple of minutes, and 3) you're not trained on it.

Everyone is convinced that equipment is the issue; the mfg'ers don't do much to disssuade that notion. I'll go to the grave telling you it's not so....it's all about you. I still ride an aluminum frame with external cable routing (both no-no's) faster than most folks.

Save your money and kick .  

I bought my then brand new Orbea Ora two weeks before my first iron distance bike last year.   I took the straight and narrow and went with the old road bike setup.  

This was a tougher decision than the age old VHS vs. Betamax showdown.

To this day I wonder how much faster I may have been, but am still convinced I did the right thing.  This because, come to know, I had several problems that required the attention of the LBS to rectify in the first 300 miles or so with the new bike.  I think this is fairly commonplace.

Hey, whichever way you decide to go, all will be well.  Good luck in your race.

Although, I can counter your friend with my friend.  On the "Go For It" side, Q picked up his new P2C with just enough time to spin it through the gears and check it in before IMCDA.  On race day, he went out and TORCHED the bike course.

I would ride it but remember that unless you are used to the aero position then a HIM will make your back/neck sore and could impiar your run...just know that going into the race.

I understand the need to ride new toy!

Uh, 3:38ish: http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=120946

And the P2C is not the magic bike for everyone that the HOT sales lady made it sound like.  The bike shop should be doing your fitting first, and then recommending bikes that have a geometry and setup that is compatible with you.  Starting with the bike and then trying to fit it to you is the wrong order.

You haven't worked in a shop have you ........

For everyone saying that they should be giving you a deal???  Why???  Because it is late in the season??  That bike is an in stock and ready to go item.  Yes, at the end of the year (read ..... November/December) manufacturers discount the pricing of their current old inventory to clear out their warehouses.  HOWEVER ...... because this is an in stock item, it means that the shop paid their full dealer level price on it.  This means that the bike's margin is not that great if they start dropping the price a lot.

Bikes are NOT cars, there is not/should not really be any haggling involved.  We flat out refused to do it.  If you can get a better deal than what we had ...... and it was in stock and available ...... then we would match it usually.

As for "fit" and percentage off accessories?  A basic fit should be included in each purchase.  But a full on "fit" session done professionally can take an hour or two and is a paid service.  If the shop is giving that away they are throwing away money.  For the person saying 50% off accessories?  You are asking the shop to lose money to sell an in stock hot product.  I would not laugh you out of the store, but I would raise my eyebrows and suggest that perhaps the shop could do that, but when you came back for any service in a year or two it would not be around because it would have gone out of business ..........

My suggestion?  Shop around and find a reasonable sale price on the bike.  Tell the shop if they will match whatever price you found that you will take it.  Perhaps negotiate a little on the fit price.  Don't sweat the accessories.  And most importantly, find out if (or how much) service they offer for the bike.  We usually did 2 years.

But still don't ride the bike in the race ......

Just some FYI from a guy who purchased a P2C 6 weeks ago...

-First of all....I love it.

-Second,  Check www.bikesportmichigan.com and get a price.  I bought mine with a computer, double hydro-cell and bracket (which you don't need because it won't fit) and the hydro-tail (that is made specifically for the cervelo), shipped to my house for $2260.

-I paid an additional $150 for assembly and a fit for a total of $2410. Not sure if they are still running the sale but it is worth a phone call.

 -Also, there is a great article about the best bike for the $2500 range that includes the Cervelo, Felt B12, Quin Roo, and one other (can't remember) and a good article specifically on the Cervelo P2C called Best bang for the buck on their web site.

-Last....get it...ride it ...race it....he who dies with the most toys wins!!!!!

A few points, #1: I never said I was getting a deal. I realize this is full price on the bike. I'm willing to pay full price for the bike, but I do/have/will haggle on the accessories.

#2: A bike is not a car, but it never hurts to haggle. IMO it's part of the process of buying a higher end bike. If the LBS refuses to do it, fine. But don't be suprised if business goes elsewhere. Again, I'm chooseing not to haggle over the price of the bike, but the price of accessories and a fitting.

#3: This is a great LBS. I bought my roadie from them 2 years ago, all be it at another location. Lifetime adjustments are free. When I had to have my wheel strightened out after a minor mishap in a race two months ago they spent 25 minutes on it, gave me the wheel back, oiled my chain, checked my breaks, tightened my cables and said with a smile let us know if you need anything else. No charge. I love this shop.

My comments were not specifically directed at you and it sounds like you have a great relationship with the the shop, which is a nice thing to have.  But others were bringing out the "work the deal" angle.

People bought bikes from the shops I worked in not for just the pricing, but for the customer service and attention to detail.  We had no problem letting the ultra-bargain hunters go elsewhere as they probably would not come back to us for parts/service in the first place and would be out combing the internet for bargains and then asking us to install them for free.  There are certain types of buyers that more respected shops usually prefer not to deal with.  We certainly wouldn;t refuse to help them, but when you spend an hour trying to find the things they are looking for and working with them to get what they want only to have them come back a week later with a box of stuff from Nashbar or somewhere else and want us to put them on for next to nothing, you figure out fast that it can be a waste of time/money working with some people.

It depends on the shop.  As I mentioned, we made a point of never wheeling and dealing.  The margins on bikes are not that big, especially as you get into the high end.  And while $2,500 is certainly a hefty price to pay for most people for a bike (including myself), it is not at all "high end" when it comes to product.  We would be more likely to work out some sort of favorable alternates for the really high end buyer ($5k+), but we still took care of all of our customers in the service and attention aspect.  The lower to mid range buyer will eventually turn into the high end buyer if they stick around the sport long enough!

You are right, I haven't worked in a shop.  Shopping a bike stores gave me a pretty good education on what a deal looks like.  Are you suggesting one has to work in a particular industry to know what a deal is or isn't for their product?  lol. 

Two local LBS that I frequent offers a full fittings with a purchase of a bike.  One of which is a certified FIST fitter.(bike authority, cleveland).  I know other stores, in other locations,(bikesports michigan) offer free FIST fittings with purchases as well. 

As far as when the end of season price reductions start, sorry, but its starting now.  Not november/december.  See bikesports michigan and bike authority as well for proof. 

You are right, bikes aren't cars, but that doesn't mean prices/incentives can't be negotiatied.

Everyone knows what a "deal" looks like ....... it is the one that saves them the most money.  That is obvious.  But what people don't seem to get and often insist on is that the shop should lose money to accommodate the buyers "deal."  If you can understand what happens behind the scene then you understand the angle I'm coming from.  It is not bike shop specific at all.

Yes, some retailers are starting to close out things, but the inventory they have in the shop was NOT purchased at the end of season pricing that manufacturers offer when their warehouse stock is high and they are trying to clear it.

So what you are saying is that the shop should lose money by discounting a bike they have already ordered and is in their inventory and that they have already been billed and paid "X" for just because the manufacturer is offering the same bike now at "Y" price if they were to order it?  Now, if they offered a lower price on ordering one at a close out deal, then it would make sense.  But asking them to close out their inventory BEFORE THE '09 MODELS are even on the floor is poor business practices and the shop will not stay in business long.

Cervelo deals are a dime a dozen online.  You will always be able to find a better price on them.  It's great that your local dealer offers a free FIST fitting.  A lot of people like that sort of fitting, others don't.  But most shops in my area do not - in fact there are very few local shops who even bother to get FIST certifications because they are not usually worth the effort for those that know how to fit someone to the customers bike purchase, and none of the ones I worked at (all have been in business between 15 - 50 years so they must be doing something right) did.

There is certainly nothing wrong with trying to get the best deal one can afford, but there is this underlying theme with the average cyclist and triathlete that everything in a LBS should be given away basically because in the world of the internet you can always find a better price somewhere else.  Most high end shops are fine with letting those people go other places, they would rather build strong customer relationships with the others and take care of those customers than lose money to the bargain hunters.  Call it being a bike shop snob if you want, but it comes from years of dealing with all sorts of customers and seeing how working with someone buying a $300 bike and helping them to understand their purchase turn into 4 or 5 sales over the years and building up to $5k purchases because of that relationship.

Sorry for the hijack and rant ........

Where did I say a bike store should lose money?  

What I said is that:

1. Stores are starting to offer end of season deals.  (at least in this area)
2. Stores typically offer full, professional fittings with the purchase of bikes(at least in this area)
3. Stores typically offer 10~15% off assc with the purchase of a bike(at least in this area)
4. The offer that the OP was given, since 1, 2, and 3 are true, isn't a very good "deal"

bikesports michigan and bike authority have been in business a long time so I'm thinking that these aren't rookie moves that will force them out of business anytime soon.  While they have an online presence(who doesn't these days)  they are brick and morter stores. 

You and/or the majoring of the people in your area not liking FIST fittings isn't the point.  The point was that the free fittings offered by these two stores are not the "Basic" fittings that you mentioned in your previous post.  These are the 2 to 3 hour fittings that you mentioned that the consumer pays for.