Others with more experience might provide some additional options but I bought my 2015 Cervelo P2 new 4 years ago but its considered a pretty solid bike and used it looks like you can get it under $2000. Others may be able to speak to older cervelo’s pre-redesign in 2014

The one that fits.

Cervelo P2/P3, Shiv, Felt IA, Slice, etc. are all really solid bikes. The one with the stack/reach that lets you get a good position will be better than any of the above that don't. Avoid the trap of buying a bike a size too big or small because you can get a slightly better deal.

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ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
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Go big or go home: trek speed concept, shiv disc, speedmax, P5d.

You will not regret the money you spend and will be happier riding.....

Make sure you get fit first with a really good fitter..... its worth driving or flying if needed

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2024: Bevoman, Galveston, Alcatraz, Marble Falls, Santa Cruz

Used Cervelo P2 is a great “starter” bike. Frame is plenty fast, just upgrade the rest of the bike as time goes on ;)

If you are shopping used and under $2K, then I would aim for a 2014 or newer P2 or P3. Those were the fastest for the money until around 2016 when other bike makers started offering faster bikes at similar or lower prices.

+1 to this. Also, a used Cervelo will hold its value really well, so you won't lose much if you decide to sell it in a year or two.

If you have 2K... spend 1.5K on the bike and $500 on the fit... the rest is irrelevant (as long as the bike is red)

Fit is first (as others have said). Don’t sweat the wheels, they are the last piece of the puzzle.

Do not spend $500 US on a fit when you are just starting off....jesus.... ****

Take a bunch of measurements off your current bike, even if road bike, your body dimensions, and post all that up here, and there are guys on this forum that can likely tell you what size to get in most brands. Once you have the bike, you can post vids on here of you riding and get free advice from the same really good fitters on here about how to adjust your position.

With a 2k budget, you'll be pretty tight if that budget includes the 'race' wheels you mentioned.



**** I've had 3 'fittings' done over the past several years, probably costing me over $400 total, and yet the best fit advice I ever got was free, from user Trentnix on this forum...

Thanks, I appreciate the advice. Bike fits sure ain't cheap. Yeah the 2k doesn't include the race wheels as I know that would be a bit of a squeeze.

Thanks for all the suggestions guys.

With regard to bike fit metrics prior to buying a bike, what are the most important measures that I need to determine the bike is the correct size? I have had a pro bike fit done on my road bike and shelled out quite a bit of cash to be sized up for that. I realize a Tri bike has totally different geometry but is there any measurements from the road bike fit that I can use to at least nail down the correct frame size for a used Tri bike?

Thanks!

Ball park, Tri-bikes are generally going to run about 2cm shorter than your road bike size. Since they are adjustable you can change the stem length (within reason) and move the seat forwards or backwards to fine tune it.

Used Cervélo P2s, P3s, and even P5s can be found online as well as excellent tri-bikes from other manufacturers. People who bought a new bike, rode it once or twice, quit and put the bike in storage for the last year or 3 are a great place to get a good bike. I'd say spend $1000-$1500 on a used bike at first, and if you decide to stick with triathlons after a few short races, fork out more for a faster bike and sell the old one.

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to throw in some more brands, what about the Giant trinity from 2016/17?
It is in Budget (in Germany), it has integrated storage and bottle and the frame shape is still the same than newer ones.

one drawback are the strange colors, but i like some of them.

And there is a big community where you can figure out what size could fit to you.

Thanks for the input! That totally makes sense, however I have already done a few raises which included a 70.3 and I actually think I wanna focus on half IM distances races and potentially do an full IM over the next 2 years. So I guess I am looking for a decent bike that would see me through these types of races. Seems like a P2 or P3 with a good set of race wheels would fit the bill. I just don’t really wanna buy a bike that I need to upgrade in a year or so.

Thanks, I have seen them and I actually really like them! Will keep an eye out.

Think of a bike as a collection of parts that are all individually upgradeable, including the frame. The P2/P3 frameset is a pretty good forever frame that is capable of becoming a very fast bike overall. Assuming you don't break it, there would be no pressing need to upgrade for your described use. But...

Depending on age and condition, you may want to replace or upgrade some of the wear components in the drivetrain. If you get 10 speed bits, you may want to take that to 11 speed. If you choose to upgrade drivetrain parts, it would bring the bike closer to a contemporary new bike. And that is relatively easy.

The cockpit of the P2 sucks. A lot. So, a worthy upgrade would be a better cockpit, no matter what you do.