tri-bike questions from a tall guy (6'5")

Hi everyone,

While I will save my introduction for the de-lurking page, I should describe myself as someone looking to get into tri's and is in need of a bike. I have an ok MTB (Schwinn Moad 3), but loathe the idea of racing that with slicks. I also anticipate racing to keep in shape, so I would prefer to skip a road bike and get a tri-bike. Naturally I want to keep costs low, so a used or (possibly) a clearance bike is my best choice. My wife plans on joining me on the quest, too.

Based on the research I have done (which I enjoy), I can tell I need a large frame (61-63cm as far as I can guess) for the tri-bike. I know those numbers mean different things for different manufacturers, too. So, I guess my question is: Should I try to just buy a used bike complete or can you actually save money and buy a used frame and then components? It seems that the latter would be more of a hassle and not save much money. Is that correct? Also, are those frame sizes correct? I hope so since I haven't seen anything higher than 63cm!! Finally, what's the best way to hunt down used frames/tri-bikes?


Thanks,

Eph (rhymes with Chief)