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Keep road and tri bike, or get super bike?
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After my 70.3 on Saturday, I won't be able to do anything longer than a sprint/olympic distance race for the next few years due to work and family. I have a Cervelo P2 with ultegra tri bike and a Fuji Altimara road bike. I use my tri bike mainly on the trainer and for racing, and rarely ride it outside of those two situations. I ride the road bike for everything else. So my question is do I keep both, or sell both and get a better road bike to use considering its my primary bike (and just hook tri bars on it during races)?
Last edited by: Lanceuppercutt: Jun 6, 18 6:10
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Re: Keep road and tri bike, or get super bike? [Lanceuppercutt] [ In reply to ]
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what's wrong with the Fuji?

I say keep what you got.

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Re: Keep road and tri bike, or get super bike? [Lanceuppercutt] [ In reply to ]
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I agree, keep what you have. The Tri bike will be faster than a aero road bike, it puts you in a more aero position and there's still a lot to be gained on sprint/Olympic distances.
Last edited by: robbieracer: Jun 5, 18 11:06
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Re: Keep road and tri bike, or get super bike? [Lanceuppercutt] [ In reply to ]
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Keep what you have unless you're paying more for upkeep on two bikes that could afford you 1 new bike.
Tune ups and new parts can add up over time.

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Re: Keep road and tri bike, or get super bike? [Lanceuppercutt] [ In reply to ]
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I'll go against the grain and say get a new killer road bike. Some of the guys from Bora and Quikstep are riding a new Venge with disc brakes fwiw. If time is short, you're going to have more fun riding the road bike and you're not going to lose that much time in the tri's with clip-ons. Of course, I'm a roadie so take my advice with a grain of salt.
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Re: Keep road and tri bike, or get super bike? [Lanceuppercutt] [ In reply to ]
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Personally I'd probably sell both then get a sweet ass road bike that I'd been lusting after.

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Re: Keep road and tri bike, or get super bike? [Lanceuppercutt] [ In reply to ]
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Sell them and get a super tri bike. That’s what sport you race.
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Re: Keep road and tri bike, or get super bike? [Lanceuppercutt] [ In reply to ]
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Always n + 1. Never n - 1. ;)
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Re: Keep road and tri bike, or get super bike? [Lanceuppercutt] [ In reply to ]
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I just did almost the exact opposite. Had a Cervelo R3 and a Felt B12. Sold them both (still waiting to have the B12 picked up by the buyer) and upgraded the tri bike and trainer situation. New bikes are always fun, haha. Got last years IA16 at a good price and am upgrading everything to Di2, new cranks, wheels, cockpit, etc..

I had pretty opposite reasoning though. I'm done with regular outdoor riding. It's just not as good of a workout and although I'm lucky to not have any car incidents while on the bike, I was just in my 7th car accident that wasn't my fault. And it was on a road people regularly ride around here. Watched the guy looking down as he rear ended me and totaled my 1.5 year old Lexus.
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Re: Keep road and tri bike, or get super bike? [Lanceuppercutt] [ In reply to ]
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This is a good question!

I've got a Cervelo Soloist and a Cervelo alu P3. I've thought about trading both in for an S5, and getting clip on bars (but keeping my race wheels). I'm interested in read people's opinions although I agree it's always N+1 and not N-1!
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Re: Keep road and tri bike, or get super bike? [Lanceuppercutt] [ In reply to ]
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Venge vias has a pretty sweet aerobar setup that can attach to it's road bar. Seems like a pretty good compromise. However, if you're racing tri, not road, why don't you get a tri superbike, and just ride it for your outdoor stuff too?
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Re: Keep road and tri bike, or get super bike? [Lanceuppercutt] [ In reply to ]
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Sell them both before they depreciate further and get one versatile road bike. Then when you are ready to come back to long course you can take advantage of any developments that have been introduced in the interim.
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Re: Keep road and tri bike, or get super bike? [B.McMaster] [ In reply to ]
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B.McMaster wrote:
Sell them and get a super tri bike. That’s what sport you race.

Time spent training > Time spend racing.

The Cervelo P2 he has isn't a bad bike at all, and it would be doubtful that there'd be any significant time gains from upgrading to say a P5 or something. While it's fun to have a new toy, let's be a little realistic here. The OP says he rides outdoors mostly with his road bike. Whether that's due to terrain, group rides, or just overall comfort, it's what he prefers. A lot of the guys I've met at least here in CO ride mostly road bikes outdoors, unless specific workouts or races. Otherwise, their tri bike says on the trainer until race day.

I'd echo everyone else here to keep both. It looks like the Fuji is a decent bike in itself and I'm not sure how much you'd actually get from it -- maybe $1000 for each bike, leaving you with $2k -- not much better of a road bike than you currently have. If you don't find the Fuji comfortable, spend the $200 to get a bike fit and see if that helps before selling and dropping cash on a new setup.
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Re: Keep road and tri bike, or get super bike? [Durhamskier] [ In reply to ]
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I have an s5 with the 3T road/aero bars whatever that one was called with the bridge.

Anyways it’s not bad in aero, it’s long enough that it’s not twitchy. Normally I don’t suggest roadbikes with aerobars cause the handling is all weird but this one it’s actually not bad.
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Re: Keep road and tri bike, or get super bike? [Lanceuppercutt] [ In reply to ]
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Keep what you got!
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Re: Keep road and tri bike, or get super bike? [Durhamskier] [ In reply to ]
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Sell the P3 to me if you decide to go through with that plan ;)
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Re: Keep road and tri bike, or get super bike? [quadomatic] [ In reply to ]
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quadomatic wrote:
Sell the P3 to me if you decide to go through with that plan ;)

I hope you're tall! It's a 61cm bike. :p
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Re: Keep road and tri bike, or get super bike? [Lanceuppercutt] [ In reply to ]
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Keep both. Tri bike is faster than a road bike with tri bars for racing. Your road bike is fine for everything you're likely to do with it and spending more on a road bike really doesn't get you much. I have 2 road bikes - a 14 year old aluminium Lemond with Shimano 105, and a state of the art Canyon Aeroad with Di2, integrated stem and handlebars and nice wheels. I still like riding both equally, my ass can't really tell the difference, and on a climb or sitting in a pack there is little to no difference performance wise. The Canyon is a bit quicker if I'm riding fast with my nose in the wind, but a good chunk even of that advantage is simply down to the wheels.
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Re: Keep road and tri bike, or get super bike? [Lanceuppercutt] [ In reply to ]
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I have no idea myself, but has anyone ever considered using a BMC Timemachine Frame for that? That seems to be really versatile... a clean clip-on with electronic shifting would make changes from Road to Tri quite quick. And for the future you still have the option to convert it to a true Tri-Bike.
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Re: Keep road and tri bike, or get super bike? [Lanceuppercutt] [ In reply to ]
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I went with a super tri bike and upgraded my road frame over time. It was a process over 2-3 years which I started saving up for, but I think it was worth it. Basically in 2013, I knew I wasn't doing anything longer than Olympic for a few years and focusing on a fast marathon (just had my 2nd kid), so I used my "old" road bike (Cervelo soloist slc sl) and put aerobars on it for a few years. I had sold my converted tri S5 with dura ace mechanical shifting and saved up about $4k over those years.

I felt like the technology jumped the most (along with the prices) between '12-'16, electrical shifting, etc...I ended up with a 2nd hand Trek SC Gen 2, dura Ace di2, zipp wheels, and eventually put on a Quarq. Additionally, I upgraded an old Sworks Tarmac SL3 to eTap and added a Quarq power meter. I likely spent about $6k total on everything, but am happy with the choice. I ride my Tri bike indoors almost all year around except for races and use the Road bike the outdoors.

If you still plan to do tri's, I would just keep or get a 2nd hand "nice" frame, like a P4 if it fits, and upgrade around that platform. Save up for an awesome road bike since you'll probably ride it a lot more. You'll be more excited, the process will be fun, and you won't have to mess around with positions, aerobars, parts, etc...
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Re: Keep road and tri bike, or get super bike? [tri@thlete] [ In reply to ]
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I'm going to throw a third wrench in the mix. You won't get enough money from selling both your tri bike AND road bike to get a modern superbike. Even at $1500 each. A modern "superbike" is around $5k or more.

I'm going to say get ride of the tri/TT bike. Take that money and invest into improving the road bike. New bar tape, new cables, upgrade some stuff, etc...

Then take the money saved, and buy a bike you can ride gravel or places you can't take the road bike. The added opportunities can be super refreshing and still great workouts.

I thought about buying a TT bike even though I have an aero road bike. Instead got a cross bike and don't regret it. Amazing little swiss army knife kind of machine.
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Re: Keep road and tri bike, or get super bike? [tri@thlete] [ In reply to ]
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I don't want to have the tri bike sit and collect dust, while I only use the road bike, and further depreciate in value before using it again or selling it. On the otherhand, maybe having it sit in the basement and collect dust is the best way for me to guilt myself into racing more. Maybe its worth it to sell the tri bike, get a good frame and build a super bike, or even upgrade the trainer set up in the basement. Either way, thanks everyone for the replies.
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Re: Keep road and tri bike, or get super bike? [Lanceuppercutt] [ In reply to ]
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Lanceuppercutt wrote:
After my 70.3 on Saturday, I won't be able to do anything longer than a sprint/olympic distance race for the next few years due to work and family. I have a Cervelo P2 with ultegra tri bike and a Fuji Altimara road bike. I use my tri bike mainly on the trainer and for racing, and rarely ride it outside of those two situations. I ride the road bike for everything else. So my question is do I keep both, or sell both and get a better road bike to use considering its my primary bike (and just hook tri bars on it during races)?

1. Buy whatever you're lusting after. New bikes are fun and motivating, even if the equipment itself won't make you much faster.

2. That said, in a similar situation, I've found that I actually enjoy having the tri bike more than when I had more free time to train, as I race more short local races rather than lots of time in the saddle at more moderate paces.

3. A third option would be to keep the tri bike for racing and then make an incremental upgrade to the road bike like sexy new wheels.
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Re: Keep road and tri bike, or get super bike? [burnthesheep] [ In reply to ]
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You won't get enough money from selling both your tri bike AND road bike to get a modern superbike. Even at $1500 each. A modern "superbike" is around $5k or more.

Yeah, but you can get close. I sold my R3 and B12 for a total of $3,100. I bought a Felt IA16. Last years model for $2350. Currently have shifters, brake lever/shifters, and front derailleur for Di2 upgrade for a total of $380. Think I can get the rest of the system for about $500 more. Upgrading crankset, cockpit, and Omega X brake will be another $1650. So all in, the amount it's going to cost me to get very close to a "superbike" is going to be around $1,780 out of pocket. And that doesn't include selling off the take offs from the IA16, so about $1500 out of pocket. I think that's a pretty good deal to end up with a bike that's damned close to what you would pay $6,000 to $8000 otherwise.

This type of project is fun for me. Bike is on the trainer until the fall anyway, so I can slowly buy these parts as I come across deals.
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Re: Keep road and tri bike, or get super bike? [burnthesheep] [ In reply to ]
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burnthesheep wrote:
I'm going to say get ride of the tri/TT bike. Take that money and invest into improving the road bike. New bar tape, new cables, upgrade some stuff, etc...

Then take the money saved, and buy a bike you can ride gravel or places you can't take the road bike. The added opportunities can be super refreshing and still great workouts.

I thought about buying a TT bike even though I have an aero road bike. Instead got a cross bike and don't regret it. Amazing little swiss army knife kind of machine.


That is exactly what I did... involuntarily as another bike was stolen, but the insurance refund gave me the opportunity to get a "hybrid" Cross/Road-Bike that I use with two different wheelsets for both purposes.

On the Aero-Roadbike I just added a proper Tri-Cockpit and am now as close as I can get to a Tri-Setup. So far so good and even if I would want to have a "real" Tri-Bike in the future I would only need to change the frame
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