Cervelo P4

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Eric Reid AeroFit | Instagram Portfolio
Aerodynamic Retul Bike Fitting

“You are experiencing the criminal coverup of a foreign backed fascist hostile takeover of a mafia shakedown of an authoritarian religious slow motion coup. Persuade people to vote for Democracy.”

That’s 6000usd:(

a used P4? $2k

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Eric Reid AeroFit | Instagram Portfolio
Aerodynamic Retul Bike Fitting

“You are experiencing the criminal coverup of a foreign backed fascist hostile takeover of a mafia shakedown of an authoritarian religious slow motion coup. Persuade people to vote for Democracy.”

I'm partial to the Felt B series at that price point.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

Felt B14

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Trent Nix
Owned and operated Tri Shop
F.I.S.T. Advanced Certified Fitter | Retul Master Certified Fitter (back when those were things)

New or used? If new, it is tough to beat the Felt B14 or Giant Trinity Advanced. I like the build of the B14. Some folks have found old stock IA16s for $2K, which is a stellar deal. If used, then the sky is the limit-- you could find an amazing bike, or nothing, depending on your local market and willingness to risk a used bike purchase.

Looking for a new one.is the merida warp 3000 good? Or the cannondale slice 105?

I have never heard of Merida bikes, so I do not know. The Slice is a great price point, but I think it may lag the Giant Trinity and Felt in aero performance and build.

New? I don’t know if it’s the best, but I would but the entry level Shiv on your list. I see them at bike shops for $1850. They come with the Sitero seat, which you can sell if it doesn’t work for you.

But honestly, at $2K, I would buy used. I think you need to up your budget to around $3K for a nice, new tri bike.

2nd that, full carbon frame/fork and ultegra derailleurs
http://www.feltbicycles.com/...series/B14-2018.aspx.

x3, that's what I bought in 2015, still running strong and still under $2K.

I would suggest something used. You can get a really used tri bike for $2000. At that price point, you will have to think about what are your trade-offs. I would suggest ranking the following in whatever order you feel is most important and then focusing on the top 2 or 3:

1. brand of the frame
2. quality of the components
3. electronic shifting
4. includes aero wheels or no
5. age of the frame/components


If I were you, I would buy a used tri bike for between $1000 and $1500 and then put an Alpha X bar/stem on it and some used or Chinese aero wheels. It will be as fast as a new $5K bike for about $2K to $2.5K. I

FYI, there are 54 used tri bikes on eBay for between $1200 and $2400 and there are plenty in the ST classifieds including one I am selling, which is an older Cannondale with 10 speed SRAM red for $1199 OBO, which gives you a lot of room to do upgrades and personalize where your bike.

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2018 Races: IM Santa Rosa, Vineman Monte Rio, Lake Tahoe 70.3

Felt B16, Cannondale Slice 105, QR Kilo

can't go wrong with either

Merida are huge, especially in Asia but they sell plenty bikes in the West too. I think they are one of the biggest bike manufacturers in the world.

They're road bikes are good. I'm less familiar with the Warp.
They've been ridden by professional riders at the top level for years - They sponsor the Bahrain Merida Pro Cycling Team and before that the Lampre Merida Pro Team. I think Vincenzo Nibali rode a Merida Scultura in most events for 2017 and presumably the Warp in TTs.

Anyone have thoughts on the Specialized Shiv?

They are a little (or a lot) above the $2K target, depending on how you compare and what is available. Specialized's Shiv Sport, built with 10-speed Tiagra, is $2,200 MSRP. I would not get that when cheaper 105 and Ultegra options are out there on other bikes. The Shiv Elite with 105 is priced at $3K MSRP.

Edit: Never mind... The Shiv at near $2K is an incredible value for a bike with its integration and aerodynamics. Find one on sale, and then upgrade the Tiagra when you wear it out (or you get bored with it).

MSRP is $2,220 but I see them for $1,850 at my LBS. But, as you point out, that's the 10 speed Tiagra model.

I have the Trinity Advanced 0. Hard to beat the value considering the integrated storage. It's also one of the fastest frames I've ridden.

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Human Person

What size do you need?

Or in local parlance, what Pad X/Y do you need?

I ride a large. 6’3”.

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Human Person

This is easy:

Giant Trinity Advanced: I own this one and got the Advanced Pro 2 for $2200. Fantastic bike.

Cannondale Slice Ultegra: You can get it new for $1800

Specilized Shiv: Great bike frame and still under budget


Do not worry about electric shifting or carbon wheels at this point. Get your bike and ride the heck out of it...then worry about the free speed once marginal gains matter and your have plateaued on your wattage.

But the Shiv is probably the most aero frame in the $2k price range. I personally think that's worth the trade-off of having 1 fewer cogs out back. Easier to upgrade the drivetrain later than to upgrade frames. If I were buying a new budget tri bike today, the Shiv Sport would be 1st on my shopping list. You can build it into a complete "super-bike lite" (wheel, front brake, & cockpit upgrades) for well less than the cost of a bare Shiv S-Works Module.

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"They're made of latex, not nitroglycerin"

Good points, I agree. I redact my above Shiv comments... I would find a Shiv Sport on sale, race that until the parts wear out (or fall out of favor), and then upgrade the parts.