Lets hear it. I will be in the market for a new road and tri bike this next year. Looking to spend under $2500.00 each. Let me know what y’all would get. New, used, buy a frame and build it up? Make, model? I don’t want to hear “find the one that fits” I plan on it. Just curious what STers would do.
tri bike:
get a fit done and buy the one that corresponds with the numbers that fitter comes up with? Or use the competitive cyclist fit calculator for tri bikes
road bike:
use the competitive cyclist fit calculator for road bikes and find a frame that works with the fit of the 3 offered that you are going to use.
Your best bang for the buck if you don’t have the parts already sitting unused is going to be to buy a complete bike - unless you want to sit on ebay and forums looking for deals on used parts.
Felt has a great component set on a solid frame in the B16 & B14.
You could probably get a good Speed Concept setup from Trek for that price.
Speculation is that Cervelo will lower their prices on the next gen P2, so that could call into your price range as well.
I went with Felt, because it fit well and the component set was better than other brands for the price, and they have a nice deep aluminum wheel that will keep me from having to buy race wheels for a long while.
How about a used p2c vs the new felt b16?
If you could find a good deal on the P2C, it would be a toss up. I’m not as up to speed on the Cervelo lineup, but I think the derailer set on the Felt is the same (Ultegra) but the crank (and saddle, if you keep it) are better on the Cervelo. The more aerodynamic stock wheels on the Felt would also play a factor if you aren’t already planning to buy race wheels.
IF the fit was IDENTICAL between the two bikes, I would definitely buy a new B16 over a new P2C. That’s a pretty big price difference between the two.
Really, you can’t go wrong with either bike if the price fits what you want to spend and the fit is right.
I should also add that you shouldn’t limit yourself to the bike brands I listed. There are many more than that.
When I was picking my new bike, I chose a few LBS that I trusted in my area and looked at the brands that they carried. I made my choice based on fit from those brands.
Check out this article as well.
What about a used softride on ebay? Wouldn’t that be the fastest for the money? And I’m certainly curious to here peoples opinions because obviously, I’m not sure.
Quintana Roo. They make a great bike for a great price.
What are your goals? Recreational road riding, with a view to racing? Winning triathlons? TTing? Crit racing?
Not throwing fit into the equation, which is should be your #1 goal, I have to throw my hat at the P1 or even used P2sl, P3, Dual. They are not going to break on you, are insanely cost effective vs. carbon and ever bit as comfortable. I can’t tell a bit of difference from the carbon road/tt bikes I have owned. And it’s a lot less than $2,500!
Well I want to go fast on my tri bike. I’m prolly not going to win any splits but I want to make sure if I had the engine the bike could get there. As far as the road bike mostly group rides and hills lost of texas hills. And maybe a crit if I can get the balls up enough.
In this market $2500 is a lot for a bike. The economy has exerted downward pressure on bike pricing (and houses, and cars, and salaries…) so tha $2500 in 2011 dollars is really about $3500 in 2007 dollars.
Secondly- and I do sound like a broken record here and always will- do yourself a favor and get a great fitting and positioning. Find a good fitter on the FIST database here and go speak to her or him.
The single largest contributing factor to bicycle performance is fit. If you get that right- you will be happy. Don’t shop bikes- shop fit.
If you do your homework you’ll find something nice. Best of luck to you Sir or Ma’am as the case may be.
blah, blah i’ll parrot what everyone else says…get the bike that fits.
that established, cervelo is popular, in part, because the way their geometry is pretty consistent and “user-friendly” if you want to get low.
in the used market you’ll be hard pressed to find a deal like the older cervelo P3-SL or P2-SL. i still see them on fleabay on a regular basis being sold by owners who are looking to “step up” to carbon. the older alu P3/P2’s are lots of bike for the buck and if you have a $2500 budget you’ll have money left over for race wheels or something else that you may need.
A question about fitting. As I become more flexible will the fit change? Or is it more of a leg length vs arm length thing? Then slam the cockpit as I can bend more comfortably?
So sacrifice carbon frame and instead go for better wheels kinda thing?
Judging by your criteria for the road bike, I would suggest any old thing that fits correctly.
Ideally 9 speed, wide cassette on the back or a compact crank. Probably an alu frame, carbon fork, high spoke count wheels… something bombproof that won’t break your heart if you smash it up in a crit, or your wallet either at purchase, or its spokes on dodgy roads. Worried about ‘harsh’ ride on an alu frame? Don’t be. Or just get 25 tyres. Worries about a ‘slow’ wheelset? Swap in the wheels from your tri bike!
Now, having got that out of the way, onto your criteria for a tri bike. Lots of great advice so far so nothing really to add. A P1 set up correctly will cheat the wind as well if not better than lots of more expensive and/or exotic machinery. Check Showpony’s alu P2 for example.
I think you will be seeing a LOT of change out of your $5k (2 x $2.5) if you go with your head on this one.
Best of luck whatever you decide to do.
I agree, i went with the cervelo p1 and i have never looked back. At 1700 new it leaves money for other parts that make a huge difference. I got the p1 for 1700, Fiziek saddle, dura-ace crankset, and mavic cosmic carbines wheels with a wheel cover, cateye, x-lab bottle cages, and look keo carbon pedals for all under 3,000.
In the future would i prefer a full carbon frame? yes, but when you are constrained by a budget you cant go wrong with the p1. If this is going to be a long term bike then i would get a p2 and upgrade it slowly.
I am not sure of the prices but blue bikes i know have some good offers and deals (a friend got one and he really likes the bike-got a good deal), i have also seen specialized transitions at my locla bike shop for under 2500.
So what would that bombproof road bike run me? I would def use leftover change on the tri bike. Would an extra grand get me loads more tri bike?
I don’t want to hear “find the one that fits” I plan on it.
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Tri bike: if it fits and if you can build your own bike, look for a used P2C frameset (older = lower price) and new or newish components and a high end race wheel set from Ebay. I bought a 2006 P2C frameset for under $700 a few weeks ago.
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Road bike: Used carbon frame complete bike from Ebay. Especially in this poor economy, a lot more of these for sale than tri bikes = better prices and selection.
Is there a difference in the frame of a 2006 vs 2008 or 10 p2 or p3 respectively?