tell me it's the engine

FWIW, I say dance with who brought you.

The bike you have will do just fine.
Charging that new bike (unless you are talk a REALLY low rate is NOT the thing to do. By the time it was paid off it would be used up.

It is the engine. Much more fun to be the person on the less expensive bike doing the passing! My last sprint I was eating Cervelos for breakfast!!!!

Enjoy the bike that you are riding now, ride the heck out of it. Upgrade when you feel it is right.

Edited by Parr8hed 2009-05-29 9:25 PM

Pish. Two years out of law school and you haven't learned presentation yet?

You START with something like the Look 596, which is ~ $5500 for the frame alone, THEN you say "Well, this one might do".

But yes, it is all about the engine. :D

John

It is the engine, not the bike.  I ride a 2005 Marin Venezia that weighs in at about 24 pounds.  It's got a basic setup... Shimano Sora components (thumb shifters) throughout.  Some of the guys I ride with have SWEET and LIGHT carbon rides (including Javelin, Leopard and Scattante) and I hold with them pretty well.  In fact, in sprinting and climbing situations, I often come out ahead.

I keep telling myself that if I can ride well on a heavier bike like mine, I'm going to kick butt when I upgrade to a lightweight carbon bike.

Instead of spending the money on an expensive bike, spend some time improving your engine.  When you do upgrade to a better bike, your engine will be ready to go and you can blow everyone out of the water with your awesome riding skills. 

-Joel

Do you want to be paying for that bike you put on your CC 20 years from now? cause that's what you'll be doing if you put it on the CC.
Burn your CC's and save your cash for your toys.

At my HIM a few weeks ago I played a little game -- count how many Cervelos I can pass in 56 miles on my beloved, but, cheap (from ebay), and very much used, Orbea with the tank wheels.  I lost count.  (OK, so I s-ck at swimming, and I overcooked the bike and blew up on the run.  Still, it was fun...)  If you buy the P2, you can't play this game.

I just averaged 20.06 MPH at IM FL 70.3 on a bikesdirect.com road bike with aerobars.  Considering Cozumel is even flatter than Orlando, you'll be just fine with what you have.  Coz will be my first IM in about 2 years....I need a lot more base with running.  Hopefully the Cozumel swim course will all be north to south...swimming north there would REALLY suck.

Ha!  you'll love this!  Here is a section of a letter that I wrote to Shad Ireland a month ago when he sponsored me with a new Cervelo P2C.  Titled "It IS about the bike"   If you want to be bored, then read the rest of my letter here:  http://whatinspiresyou.us/fromtheroad/?p=224

"I looked down at the payment to see my shadow, the first thing that I noticed was that the way the sun was shining on my helmet, made it look like a time trial teardrop helmet, only to realize that I was wearing my sons helmet!  The endorphins inside me had must been at their highest level, when I reached a hill that I never was able to even walk up without taking several breaks.  I quickly dropped to the lowest gears with ease; the DuraAce components knew exactly where to go into place, just like a fine tune Corvette.  I glanced down at my yellow Lance Armstrong bracelet and hammered that dreaded hill that I was never able to take.  I got to the top, a little short winded, but I conquered it like a pro!  Looking down at the Cervelo, a grin came across my face, knowing that with this bike I will be able to do an Ironman someday.  Thoughts of reading the book “It’s not about the bike” by Lance Armstrong came across my mind and I muttered, yes, it’s all about the bike!"

AWESOME IDEA!  I'm going to adopt that for all my upcoming races.  Even if I only pass one, it'll be worth it. 

-Joel

It's absolutely the engine but serious riders spend a lot of time on bikes, time that you'll never get back. For me, I want to maximize my enjoyment of all that time and for me, that means very high end bikes.

I usually set work related goals and when I achieve them I buy something I really want like a new bike. But I never pay retail for anything and high end bikes hold their value very well. So considering what I pay for bikes and what they'd sell for on ebay if I ever sold them (which I don't), my high end bikes are costing me the same or less per mile than a low end bike.

A huge chunk of the equation is the engine, that's for sure. Hold out till it makes more sense to get a P2. One of the best triathletes around here has won plenty of races on his trek road bike with aero bars clipped on.

Not to sound critical or anything, because I don't know your life schedule, but, for one thing, when I glanced at your logs, you have ridden almost the entire month on the trainer, right? How many times did you ride outside before your last race? If you buy a better bike, it won't matter at all on the trainer- and most likely, you would still be riding the trek on the trainer, because you don't want to skewer your new baby Also, if you're only riding on the trainer, without a focused session with a goal in mind, it is very easy to sit back and just spin. If you're not doing it now, you should be using something to gauge your intensity, to make sure you're really working your muscles, rather than just spinning.

Second of all, although the engine is the most important part, a better bike will still make you faster I had a specialized allez for my first 6mos, and as soon as I had to train for a longer race, I upgraded to a P2C and instantly gained 1-2mph on every ride. Granted, the bike fit a bit better, but it made a HUGE difference- weight difference was 6lbs, more aerodynamic, I was waaaaay more comfortable on full carbon- lots of things factored in. Then, it continued to make a difference, because I wanted to ride all the time, since riding was finally fun for me!

So, I am all about upgrading, but I also had a lot of justification, personally. For one, I didn't pay any interest, and, bf and I only have 1 car, and I rode to work every day for 3 years.

One way you could potentially do no interest, and it totally depends on how financially responsible you are and how many CCs you have- you could open up a credit card that has a 0% balance transfer deal for a year, buy it on another card, transfer the balance to the 0%, then pay it off in a year (payments of about $200-$250/month). Obviously, credit card haters will flame away on that, but if you aren't paying interest, what's the big deal? I just look at the payment as something like a student loan- you have no choice BUT to pay it.

Anyways, bottom line- the bike DOES matter, but only if you're riding outside

I've had this debate myself. If you really want it, does your bike shop do lay away? That's how I bought my first bike. I was broke and in college, so the LBS said that I could make a down payment, and they'd keep it up in their loft. I could make payments of $20 or more a month until it was paid off, as long as I paid it every month. No interest. I'm hoping to do this with my next bike...whenever that is. But then again, my LBS rules.

Thanks, jazz, and to everyone else for your advice.

I have a lot of trouble getting in rides outside.  I live in Baltimore City and it's just not conducive to riding... too many stoplights, too many crazy drivers --- so I have to DRIVE somewhere to get in a ride.  That pretty much means that I cannot ride outside during the week.

For the weekend, yes, I need to start getting in some longer rides outside.  I need to find places that I can ride, and I don't like the idea of riding alone in areas in which I am not familiar... but I guess I need to HTFU

I think I am going to stick with this bike and save up for/ upgrade when I'm ready.

thanks again, fine folks of BT

Trish,

I have a Trek 1500 with profile jammer gt aero bars and is a great bike.  Would a tri specific bike make either of us faster, probably so but how much?  Now if you are super serious about this sport and are losing races by just a few minutes and can attribute the losses to the bike segment of the race, then it starts to make sence. 

However, when it comes to money, I am conservative when it envolves charging thingss on my credit card for entertainment purposes.  Practicing this conseative lifestyle has allowed me to remain debt free for six years now.  The feeling and security is indescribable.

So my suggestions is, it is indeed the engine and the mind.  Your engine to get you around the course very quickly and your mind to make sencible fanancial decisions.

Good Luck, let us know what you decide to do.

Mark

It's the engine.  If you are FOP and close to the podium then  upgrading would be worth it, but if you are doing Cozumel for fun and personal fulfillment then stick with the Trek. 

Edited by brown_dog_us 2009-05-30 3:07 PM

Yes it's the engine completely. Here's my P2 that I couldn't afford since I'm a college student and I love it. Personally for me this is the first time in my life I've ever considered myself an athlete and look at it as an investment into a healthy lifestyle.





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Screw that!

Its a toy, you want it and you will earn it even more when you do your IM.  Buy it, put it on the CC.

You're a frickin' lawyer, if you can't pay off the bike with a bonus check at the end of the year or even stretch it out a little more, then there is something wrong.

F' it and buy it ........... now!!

This user's post has been ignored.

Personally, I feel I'm so bad on the bike that if I bought a fancy tri bike I'd feel like a loser when people passed me in races.

If your one of the fast people who pass the slow people like me then buy it!

you will be fine.