you have committed already for two years - good job.

keep the allez - good road bike, good to have around.

and get a tri bike! both the ones you are looking at are great bikes, try them out, consider the features, and go for it.

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Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter

Those are all good choices, definitely go to the LBS and find the bike that fits YOU the best and go from there. I love my SC 7.2, but I checked out both cervelo and specialized before deciding. You may want to consider training and racing w/ power if your budget allows, especially since PM's are discounted now.

Congrats on the weight loss!

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"No matter how hard you train, Somebody will train harder. No matter how hard you run, Somebody will run harder. No matter how hard you want it, Somebody will want it more, I am Somebody"~ST Post

Thank you very much, luckily both of the bike shops I have been to have had both. I didnt realize how addictive it is, do you both think that a tri bike specific and just keep the allez or would I be better with a aero or better road bike with clip on bars? i have been looking at the Power training as well as those Vector pedals pretty cool.

why do you think a road bike would be better for TRIathlon than a TRI bike?

Unless you have some back or neck problems that force you to ride a more upright position, use a tri bike!

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Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter

Tri bike all the way. Very difficult to achieve the same effect with aero bars on a road bike.

As for brand - buy on fit, not brand.

Forget all brands. Do not get yourself set on a brand. Get fit. Have fitter what brands fit you. Buy the bike you like best.

I think you are seriously falling into the trap of brand first and this might be a waste of money.

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Thank You all, I will be trying several different bikes, I realize a tri specific bike will be better I am just trying to be as efficient with my money as well, my allez which was like 900 dollars ( I got it after I came back from afghanistan not sure if I would like biking needed something to get back in shape) upgrade to a 3K bike i would like the 3k bike to be as multi functional as possible, thats why i was looking at the S5 or the madone and just have a different better clip on set, but I think i am just going to go to the shop and ask them if I could try them.

Thank you for your posts its awsome to have other peoples opinions.

I would go with an S5 and separate seatpost and bar setups for road vs. Tri/TT. Alternatively, one could easily set up a low front end for "Tri/TT mode" by swapping out the road stem for a steeply downangled stem and plopping some clip-ons onto the road bar. A stem swap like that can easily be accomplished in 5-10 minutes.

The S5 set up like that is going to be faster than MANY (if not nearly all) dedicated Tri/TT bikes with the same bars and body position...seriously. And at the prices for the base level S5s, it's a bit of a "no brainer"...

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

If you do want a bike that you use for events or rides where you won't be allowed or able to use aerobars then a road bike would be a better choice. If you aren't doing any mass start events and just want to race non drafting events then the tri bike all the way.
I would suggest the Cervelo S series if you want a dual purpose bike. You can move the saddle to the front mount on the S5, mount up some aerobars and its on its way to a tri bike. Put the saddle in the the rear mount, remove clip ons and voila! mass start legal.
If you want to ride a little slacker and with less drop than you would get on a P series bike the S5 is probably more aero than a bunch of tri bikes on the market to boot.

Kevin

So I ride a 58p3 with a low rise headset and no spacers.

that is a stack of 535mm
I would have to get on a 51cm s5 to get that stack. that wont work.

I could ride a 56 S5, at 580mm of stack. Will a downangled stem get me down to my old position?

My knees will also be at risk of scraping the steerer tube.

But...yes the average triathlete position could probably make the s5 work.

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Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter

This is a great question, and one which I wish I had asked two years ago. I was in a very similar situation to the one you've described: riding an entry level road bike with clip-ons, but totally hooked on tris after two good seasons. So here is my $0.02:

It ultimately depends on where you see yourself going as an athlete in the coming years. But given your stated commitment to race a full IM in 2014, sounds like you've already given that some thought. If that is indeed the case, and you see yourself predominantly racing tris, then absolutely get a tri-specific bike. I ended up going the other route and bought a 2009 Felt AR4, which is a wonderful bike, don't get me wrong. Fresh off a successful bike racing career in college, and without enough money to buy both a road and a tri bike, I settled on one that I thought would perform passably in both disciplines. But fast forward two years, and all I do is race tris. Wish I had just bought a tri bike.

Besides, sounds like you may be planning on keeping the Allez. If that is the case this is a no-brainer. Get the tri bike! And if you're headed that direction, I'll echo the opinions already offered on this thread: place a priority on a proper-fit, not a particular brand.

Good luck!

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Follow me on twitter @andrewlangfield

Follow my fourth year in the pro field at http://andrewlangfield.blogspot.com/

...then don't do that.




Do the math (well, the trig...) and see. It's also going to depend on the reach you need and what bars you plan on using...




Do you REALLY pedal that knock-knee'd? ;-)



Absolutely...I used to do exactly this with my Soloist and swap between road and TT mode. The S5 only has a smidge more "stack", and I wasn't using a crazy down-angled stem for the TT mode. Like I said, it depends on the bars...

One thing about this approach is that the front center of an S5 isn't as "long" as the P-series...so the bike will end up slightly "twitchier" for a more forward position. But, I don't think that's a huge tradeoff, especially for the average Tri folk who don't ride that far forward...

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

If you can only have one bike, and triathlon is your sport - then go for the Cervelo. Granted, I'm a bit biased, riding a Cervelo P2C myself. The bike specific training you will do in that position is what you need when it comes to going long course. About the Cervelo P2C, I narrowed down my choices in 2009 to the Cervelo P2C, the Felt B2 (which was aesthetically my first choice), or the Orbea Urdu. Referring here on Slow Twitch to stack and reach height data, and test riding the 3 bikes, it was clear that the P2C was the best fit for me. It didn't hurt that it was a bit easier on the wallet, too! And that it at the time had a wind tunnel test pedigree. So I'd recommend, go tri specific on the bike.

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Dream of racing again some day...

Could you get a good fitting on a Tri bike then emulate the coordinates on the S5? Or is this not possible because of different geometries. Or maybe it would be an aero wast moving the seat and a different stem and what not.
If this question doesn't make sense it's because I have the flu and am slightly off kilter.

NVM jack answered my question

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-Don't act like your not impressed.
-What are you willing to sacrifice?

I'd strongly encourage you - if you are seriously hooked on tris and plan on training more towards them than for standard road racing/recreational bike riding - to get a tri bike. At the end of the day, despite buying a nicer aerobar setup, or moving the saddle as far forward as it will go, or monkeying with the stack/reach/stem angle/etc., tri bikes take advantage of a more aggressive frame geometry: specifically a steeper seat tube angle (in the 78 degree ballpark). I wasn't able to glean the seat tube angle of an S5 from a quick sweep of Cervelo's website, but I would bet it is significantly more slack than that.

If you're going to be racing tris, get a tri bike. Or you risk ending up like me: trying to race a bike (that is a road bike at heart) in a race it isn't suited to.

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Follow me on twitter @andrewlangfield

Follow my fourth year in the pro field at http://andrewlangfield.blogspot.com/

IF the OP wants to compete in mass start races, then your suggestion makes sense. If the road bike is just for training and his only competitive aim is tris, then a dedicated tri/tt bike makes a lot more sense. I think you significantly understate the PITA-ness of the kind of swap you propose (I know from experience, years ago I used to do this). Sure it's theoretically possible to swap a stem and install clip ons in 5 minutes if you're a very good wrench and used to the swap, but realistically most people are going to easily spend closer to 15 minutes doing this by the time you get everything adjusted right. And then you have to do it all over again to swap back to road setup... Been there, done that, no thanks. A separate seatpost/bar setup is going to add significant cost, and also a nuisance to swap. The Allez is a perfectly serviceable road bike for training purposes.

Hey...I was just saying what I would do. You, or the OP, can do the same or whatever else you want to do ;-)

It wasn't clear to me that the OP was definitely planning on keeping the Allez...but yeah, if you have the means to have 2 bikes, who am I to say don't get the second bike? After all, when my wife asks "How many bikes do you really need?", my answer is always "One more..." :-)

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

of course tom has a top secret reason for suggesting the S5 over a p2/p3, that has nothing to do with mass start races.

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Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter

My lips are sealed! ;-)

Besides, I don't think it's that secret...especially since the S5 was tested with the DZ dummy, as were the P2/P3, etc...maybe not with the same wheels or bars, but I'm sure someone can do a "guesstimate" to compensate for that difference:-)

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http://bikeblather.blogspot.com/

Great work so far, and really glad you're hooked. I know how you feel.

FWIW, my first semi-expensive bike was a tri bike (Cervelo P2) which I've raced for 3 years now and will continue to race, everything from sprints to full IM. Last year, I bought a used Allez (after reading Jordan's write up on road bikes) in order to get in on some of the local roadie group rides. This experience helped me develop some good handling skills as well as taught me to really suffer in the regions north of LT. Also, I quickly found out what a dang good time all sorts of bike racing are ... crits, circuits, road races, and tt. And while the Allez is certainly no high-end bike, it hasn't limited me from winning a bunch of straight bike races.

In short, I regularly ride both bikes year round (~200 mi/wk), probably 70/30 road bike to tri bike. There's no substitute on race day (triathlon) for a dedicated tri bike, and there's no greater training flexibility offered than on a road bike. So if you can afford to keep the Allez and also pickup a tri bike, do it. In my opinion, being able to ride whichever bike is most suitable on any given day of the week is a big advantage over having to swap seat posts / seat positions / bars.

All that being said, I do wish I had a nicer road bike, and when the $$ becomes available I will.

http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...g=labrat625;#3393611

Similar to what Tom A describes except it's an s3, with an adjustable Oval Concepts stem, handlebar, aero clip-ons. This is actually a "SCCS system" offered by Oval Concepts. Two sets of seat posts... One forward position and one rear setback. Same exact cheap Forte Tri saddle mounted on each seat post, so I dont have to fiddle with re-mounting a saddle with each road to tri changeover.

Tri setup: forward seatpost, upward adjustment of stem, DI2 shifter buttons on both aerobar sbends AND STI shifters.

Road setup: rear set back post, lower stem adjustment, remove s-bends

That is one seriously sweet ride.

My $0.02.....

Keep your road bike. You'll never get back what you paid for it anyway and its good to have a decent roadie in the shed. Means you can train with cyclists in groups and race bike races from time to time.
Get a set of fast wheels. These can then be switched between bikes as you need to. They'll make a lot of difference to any bike.
Get a TT bike which fits you - even if the spec is modest. You can upgrade components over the years (ie the wheels as above) but not the frame.

Mountain biking is my prime racing sport. Through that I was able to obtain a 2007 Spesh Roubaix I used for training. My friend asked me to do a tri with him so we trained and started doing sprint tri's. The roubaix was awesome, but my competitive spirit wanted more. After a fall out with Spesh, I purchased a 2009 Felt AR-4. This bike was so much faster than the Roubaix. I went two seasons on it and loved it. Put some nice aero bars on it, had my bike shop do a 'tri' fit too it. Great bike. Now I'm committed to two HIM races next year. So this past summer I picked up a Felt B12. My first race on my tri bike was almost 11 minutes faster than my AR-4. My training had slacked due to Ph.D studies so my fitness wasn't the same as last year (this really showed in my MTB racing. I sucked).

This is my evolution from a road, to aero to tri bike. If I didn't have mountain bike racing, I would have kept the AR-4.

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The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design.

I think the S5 would be a great choice for those who want a "short, tall" geometry tri bike. The hard part is persuading customers that it would be a better choice. I thought about an S5, but having missing link body proportions and preferring to ride steep meant I would need a 140mm -40 degree stem on the S5..........

Kevin