I’m in the market for a new tri bike and wanted some feedback from the ST community. I’ve been doing tris (Sprints to HIMs, IM in 2012) for 4 years and currently ride a 60cm Trek 2.1 road bike (factory issued components). Moving away from a road bike to a tri bike isnt concerning (familiar w/ differences), but I’d like to become an educated buyer. Based on my size, 6ft 1.8inches, 218lbs, Male, and my research I’m looking at the following tri bikes:
Any feedback you can provide on the above would be extremely helpful! Lastly, are there any issues with buying a 2010 vs 2011 vs 2012 model? A few LBS are selling 2010 & '11 models at a discount.
My suggestion is before you pull the trigger and buy anything you spend some money and get a professional bike fit done. Spending $100-$300 for a good bike fit in my book is worth it before I drop $4,500 on a new bike.
My guess(note guess) is that at your size you are probably going to want a bike with a little bit taller head tube unless you are really flexible in your hips.
This tells me you should probably cross the Cervelo P3’s off your list and put the P2 on your list, it has the taller head tube.
Cannondale Slice I think has a pretty tall head Tube.
Another bike you might want to put on your radar is the Parlee TT (Not the full custom) with the taller head tube(they come in 2 head tube heights).
But like I said up top, spend some money and get a good bike fit done first, the fitter should then be able to tell you some brands and models of bikes that will be good fit for you.
My suggestion is before you pull the trigger and buy anything you spend some money and get a professional bike fit done. Spending $100-$300 for a good bike fit in my book is worth it before I drop $4,500 on a new bike.
Agreed. You can negotiate with most bike shops to take take the price of a fitting off of your purchase price if you buy with them. $100 for a good fit and being comfortable on a bike is a small price to pay IMO.
But for voting purposes, I’m 6 ft 4.2 inches and 190.3 lbs. I have a Felt B14 which I am very happy with.
Whatever you decide to buy, I hope you enjoy it and have fun!
Def figure out the fit… i’m 6’ 1.5" and ride a 56 TT bike. a 60 road bike would be HUGE. Consider used as well. I just bought a 2010 P3 well under $3k
Hi all,
I’m in the market for a new tri bike and wanted some feedback from the ST community. I’ve been doing tris (Sprints to HIMs, IM in 2012) for 4 years and currently ride a 60cm Trek 2.1 road bike (factory issued components). Moving away from a road bike to a tri bike isnt concerning (familiar w/ differences), but I’d like to become an educated buyer. Based on my size, 6ft 1.8inches, 218lbs, Male, and my research I’m looking at the following tri bikes:
Any feedback you can provide on the above would be extremely helpful! Lastly, are there any issues with buying a 2010 vs 2011 vs 2012 model? A few LBS are selling 2010 & '11 models at a discount.
I´m about your size and built myself a 60cm Leader 720TT, it fits perfectly.
But you may not be interested as your budget is +/- 10 times what I put mine together for.
The stack and reach of the Leader in 60cm is very, very near to the Cervelo P2 in 58cm. That´s where I would be looking with your budget (and with a lot to spare).
For the most part buying a bike from 2010 vs 2011 or 2012 is not much different except for the paint. If you google whatever model bike you’re looking at (along with year) you can usually find a record of the older models geometry and components. In my experience though, nothing really changes.
I’m 6’2" and my roadie is a Trek in size 56. That suggests to me that your ratio of torso to inseam is higher than mine, which means you need a bike that has a longer top tube. I’m completely guessing here, of course.
you’ll see long/low is Cervelo and Felt, and Narrow/Tall is Blue, Scott. I sorta think you might be leaning towards Long/Low, but again that’s only from a blog post describing what may be a relative comparison to me. FWIW, I ride Narrow/Tall (Blue Triad). The data in the chart pre-dates the SC
Fit first. Go somewhere that you know has bike brands that represent the ranges on the chart above. Don’t get stuck at a LBS that only has Felt and Cervelo, for example (all in the same direction on the chart).
I’m 6’1.2539458" and weigh between 97.5223 kg and 235.46 lbs depending on the day.
I ride a:
59cm Lemond Reynolds 853 road bike
58cm BMC road bike
58 cm Motobecane Nemesis Tri-bike (trainer only)
57 cm Kestrel Talon Tri
56 cm Redline XC bike
Not trying to get into the Backdoor Brag thread, just proving a point that it VARIES by bike type, brand, etc. Do what a previous poster said and get fitted. Also, I’ve never purchased an in-season bike, each of the above was new, but at least a year old (the Redline was a 10 y/o NOS I got in exchange for doing some carpentry work for the LBS owner).
I’d like to take a moment to THANK all of you for taking the time to post feedback. It was extremely helpful! I’m taking everyone’s advice, will spend $100-300, and get a good bike fit first. I’ll try to visit a bike shop that has inventory.
Quick q- I believe yes, but can I get a bike fit and buy the bike from a different bike shop? Based on the measurements done… Do they normally provide a one-sheet overview with the measurements? Can most LBSs easily replicate the measurements?
Sure you can get a bike fit and purchase your bike from someone else.
I would suggest you do some research from other people you know locally and find out who is a good fitter in your area. I would also make sure they know how to fit triathletes and do a good job at it. I tend to think there is a difference between a guy who just fits cyclists and someone who fits triathletes. Biggest difference being that someone who fits triathletes recognizes that you need to be able to get off the bike and run vs. just riding the bike.
If they are a good fitter they should be able to tell you different brands that will be a good fit for you. I would probably be a little skeptical if they do not recommend some brands that they don’t sell. If that ends up being the case I might consider finding another fitter and getting a second fit done.