I’ve been researching my first tri bike purchase for a couple of months now. (Currently riding/racing a roadie with Jammers.) After reading the review of the 2006 Dual on BikeSport, it sounds like just what I’m looking for (if it fits, of course).
So, I’d like to get some reviews from those that ride/race the bike on a regular basis. (It doesn’t need to be an '06, all Dual reivew are welcome.) Anything you’d change if you had to purchase again? Any quirks that may not be immediately obvious? Just looking for overall impressions as well as detailed accounts of your ownership experience.
And, if you have pics of your race setup, that would be great, too. Interested in setup, bottle placement, wheels, seatbags (or other means of carrying spares/CO2, etc.).
I have a 56 Dual, a 2004 i think, Black and Red, my camera broke but it’s almost stock, except swapped the FSA gossamer crank for an ultegra, since the stock was a 172.5mm and i needed 175mm. I’m thinking of some zipps or some reynolds though. I’ll look for a pic…
My wife just picked up an '05 Dual Tuesday. It hasn’t seen the road yet. The fit was excellent for her, which is the only reason we picked this bike.
Impressions? I think it odd (and wrong) that the entry level tri-bike now come with DuraAce rear derailleurs. (Dual, Kilo, etc.) For her the Kilo also would have been a good fit, but there aren’t any QR dealers nearby.
Can’t say much more. The wife is happy. She is further forward and lower in the front with the same comfort. Her old bike had almost 10,000 miles on it, so she was due for change.
There it is, an older pic, i now have the post forward, and the bars lower. This picture might be a little warped. while posting and re-sizing it the porportion got messed up. It might be compressed in one axis or another. It’s stock except for the saddle which is a older Specialized body geometry with a big notch in it.
Caveat, picture taken in a hotel room while watching Discovery cycling special. The stereo is not mine, nor is any decorating my choices! HA…
I’ve got a 2005 Dual 56cm. I’ve had it for a couple of months and found it to be a perfect fit - bought it after having a FIST bike fitting. The only thing I changed was the cranks. I went to the FSA Carbon Pro Elite compact cranks with 50/34 chainrings. They do not sacrifice anything in terms of hardest gears or easiest gears and provide a much smoother transition between gears (as the bike comes with an 11-23 cogset). If only Cervelo would stock the compact cranks on their bikes.
The 2006 actually comes with a full Dura-Ace drivetrain - shifters & both derailleurs. One of the things that has me REALLY hoping that this bike fits me.
The components on the bike are excellent. The only thing I may end up switching is the cranks, and then only if I can’t get the right length, since I’m pretty tall at 6’3.
I’ve got a 2005 Dual 10 (blue) and I love it. I used it for the entire season last year (my first) from sprint distances to Ironman in November. It is the first tri bike I’ve owned, and I believe it was the perfect choice. I made very few changes (sorry no pics) including replacing the saddle with the Profile Design TriStryke (dyed all black) and installed the VisionTech Aero brake levers. Also ran new black cable housing. For long course racing and training, I use a minuroa bottle holder setup behind the saddle, where the saddle pack fits nicely underneath. PD aerobottle on the bars as well.
Some things I may have changed prior to the purchase would be to swap out the 11-23 cassette with something more suited for triathlon use. I’m currently riding it with a 48/39 in the front, 12-23 in the rear. Perfect setup for my riding style here in the flatlands. I doubt any triathlete who rides a cadence of 90 or better has any use for the 53/11-23 setup that came stock the bike.
I just bought a 2006 Dual a few weeks ago. I haven’t even cracked 100 miles on it outside yet - mostly 30-45 minute rides so far to adjust to the fit. I absolutely love it! It’s very adjustable, it’s priced unbelievably, and it’s fast. No buyers remorse here!
2004 58 Dual… bought some Dave Thomas Custom wheels & ChAero wheel cover, Flite Titanium saddle, compact cranks. No problems love the bike… 2000+ miles.
I love mine. Have had it for about a year now. I think it was a really great value for what I paid for it compared to a number of other bikes that I looked at. If it got run over by a truck tomorrow, I would buy another. It feels fast, sexy and fun to ride
Minor downsides:
Paint - look at this bike the wrong way and it gets scratched. I think that the '06 models are supposed to be a bit different this way but I’m not sure. In any case, it’s just cosmetic.
Bottom bracket - I went through 3 Isis bottom brackets last summer before giving up and swapping out for an Ultegra BB before IMC last year. Maybe I was just unlucky there.
Bottle cage mounts - only one on the seat tube. I read so many conflicting stuff about aero this and aero that that I’m thoroughly confused about what is actually better but from a practical POV, I sometimes wish that I had a downtube bottle mount as well.
This is all pretty minor, though. Like I said - overall, a great bike.
Good point. I just ran the nubmer through the cadence/gearing/speed clculator on Sheldon Brown, and it looks like a swap to a compact crantset (like 50/34) would be a smart move, if keeping the stock rear cassette.
Don’t you notice alot of overlap with a 48/39 front and 12/23 rear?
I just added a set of Gossamer MegaXo compact cranks to my 05 Dual, and I am very happy with swap. I ride in Western Missouri and Eastern Kansas, and the long hills can get tough with the 11-23 and 53/39. With the 50/34, I can motor up about any hill in the saddle, and I only lose a little top speed going down some of the long hills. I think that I hit 39.9 mph the other day pedaling down a hill and then coasting after my cadence was maxed at 110ish. I think that will work fine for tris.
Also, I like the way the gearing is set up with 16-tooth difference. I stay in the 50 on everything until I hit less than 15mph-ish. Then I will drop down to the 34t until I get back up to speed.
We put a Gossamer compact 50/34 with the 11-23 10-speed on my wife’s bike. It just makes more sense. 50/11 is taller than 53/12 and 34/23 is a little smaller than 39/25, plus there is less overlap between the 50 gears and 34 gears. Add the fact that for monster hills she can throw on a 12-25 and the compact is a great choice.
The only other thing we changed was to put the Arione Tri saddle from her old bike on. The stock saddle is worthless.
Here is my Dual with carbones and vision tech race bend bars. I’ll be adding an FSA SRM as soon as it comes in. I really like this bike. I’m always tempted to “upgrade” when I see new bikes come out but I really do like this one so much that I don’t think I could part with it. And having dura ace on my road bike I can say for certain that I wouldn’t pay more for that upgrade because only the weight is changed, the ultegra functions just as well.
Wow, rearward seat post and no spacers! That is some impressive flexibility. My wife ride a 51cm Dual. She is pretty flexible, the 51cm has only a 90mm headtube, so she ends up needing spacers even though she is 3cm lower than her previous bike that had no spacers.
There it is, an older pic, i now have the post forward, and the bars lower. This picture might be a little warped. while posting and re-sizing it the porportion got messed up. It might be compressed in one axis or another. It’s stock except for the saddle which is a older Specialized body geometry with a big notch in it.
