NewbieTri100 wrote:
RangerGress wrote:
NewbieTri100 wrote:
Jim@EROsports wrote:
How sure are you of your fit coordinates? Do you require a lot of flexibility because you're unsure of your position?
Jim,
I've been professional fit for a tri bike. My stack is 54 and my reach is 38.5.
I've been riding a Shiv for the past 4 years. I'm happy with it but I'm looking for an excuse to go a different direction. I was hit by a car last week and my bike was totaled.
I ride a Shiv. It has the short top tube and tall head tube that I need. If your Shiv fits well and you're all hot to get something different, be wary of getting a conventional "long and low" geometry bike because that's very different from your Shiv.
Ranger,
I agree with you. "Long and low" does not fit my body type. I was under the impression that the geometry of the P5 deviated from their "long and low" tradition. Am I mistaken? I reviewed some of the bike geometries and the Felt seems to have a similar geometry as the Shiv.
The obvious question is if I've been happy with the Shiv, why change? If it's not broken, don't fix it right :)
The short answer is that I feel the Shiv is a little long in the tooth. There hasn't been any advances/changes in 5 years. It's my perception that the other bike manufacturers have caught up and even passed Specialized. Honesty, I was hoping that Specialized would release a new tri bike at Kona this year but i've been told that's not the case.
Regards,
Michael
Your justification for buying a new bike seems kinda weak. This isn't criticism, it's a road well traveled. Heck, I live on that road.
My suggestion would be to play around with ideas short of replacing a frame that fits you. Get a new set of bars or put etap on your bike. Fool around with power by getting a new crank or pedals.
I bought 4 sets of used bars off of ebay in the last 4 months before I finally decided I didn't like any of them as much as I liked the same HED bars I've had for >10yrs. But it took me all those other bars to really appreciate what I already had.
Etap. Power crank or pedals. Oval chain rings. All these are interesting ideas to try that will satiate your desire for something new, w/o changing the one thing that really fits you.
But if you really want a new bike and are looking at QR, check out their "Fit" series. My perception is that their geometry resembles the Shiv more closely than the other QR bikes. I don't see them as a step up tho. IMO, the Shiv is a superbike with a conventional front. Personally, I like the conventional front. It allows you to install any kind of cockpit and it's easy to remove/reinstall for packing.
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