OK, I know this is like the age old question, but if you have to have just one bike for everything should I go with a road bike and set it up for two positions or go with a tri bike and look for something that can climb and descend. I currently have a great Kelly steel road bike, just sold my Elite Magnus b/c it was soooo stiff and will be racing an ironman race next year. I am looking at the QR Lucero but I am only going to have one bike and I have had BAD LUCK with climbing and descending on tri bikes. So I send out a question to the masses anybody got ant ideas?? Also I live in an area that is all rolling hills and some large climbs… Thanks J
handsdown the best frame for your requirements and for the money is…
http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=&subcategory=&brand=0001&sku=13771
Ves Mandaric’s DL geometry it pretty nice - I would highly recommend it as an all-around bike for a triathlete - it is comfortable in the aero position, climbs well, descends well, and it is such a comfortable ride, you can stay on it all day long. Mine is mated to a Reynolds Ouzo Pro fork.
A little detail here: http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/product2005/tribikes/tribikeyaqui.html
There is no one bike that is equally good for both road and tri. Gonna be a compromise either way. Probably the Cervelo (Dual or One, can’t recall). I love having both bikes and would have a hard time picking just one. Why can’t you keep your existing road bike?
The Cervelo Solist, you can use it as a tri or road bike just by flippping the seat post.
Your kidding right??? Nashbar frames…???
Is that what you ride? I just want to know, b/c I am all legs have a pretty short torso for my size (6ft 2in) and fit well on a 57/57cm kelly road bike. I felt good on the elite but the frame just beat me up, and did not descend to well. So do you have experience on these frames? Thanks for the help and I look forward to hearing from you . Jamie
I have ridden the cervelo P2K and actually the seatpost was the problem. On rough roads the damn thing would come loose and move, and if I remeber correctly a certain sponsored pro woman lost ironman canada bc/ her seatpost did the same thing and she had do allen key to repair it during the race. I am really trying to steer clear of the cervelos, unless they have fixed this problem. Do you seatpost ever have the problem? Also I see about half of every tri rack area is full of either P3s or P2ks and I would kinda like to ride something different! Thanks for the help. Jamie
Do you ride a soloist? If so have you ever had problems with the seatpost? I rode a P2k and the seatpost would come loose on rough roads and then move. If they have fixed the problem, then I may look at them. Though I would rather not worry about such a problem, esp. in a race. Thanks jamie
The reason I am not keeping my road bike is b/c I want to ride only one position all the time. That way i get used to it and can ride it on a mixture of terrain. Whether the course is hilly, flat, rolling, etc. I will be used to riding the same bike on all. ALso, I want to get used to the forward position for the run and just in general, and I don’t think )personally) that riding a “race” bike only on race day is really a good idea. Also, switch back and forth is not biomechanically smart, the body will never really fully adapt to either position. So I just want one bike and be set with a good position and be ready to roll whatever the race situation. Thanks for all the replys and I look forward to anymore help along the way. JAmie
Went through this not long ago. Looking for an all-arounder and wondered what to go with. I agree with the other posts that state there is no such thing. So what do you do? I suggest that you ride as many different bikes as you can and go with what suits you the best. I also suggest talking to a fitter that can make recommendations for your body type. I had the same climbing issues with my previous bike (Hilo with steep angle geometry) and this time around, wanted to find something more suitable in a decent price range. I went with a Specialized (Allez Elite). I’ve been out of training and racing for a few years now, and just started riding about a month ago. So far so good. Climbs and decends like a charm. The bike suits me. Now can I run after a ride? Who knows, but I’m having a good time on the bike! Good luck.
I ride a soloist due to long legs/short torso ratio. I have not had a problem with the seat and have not heard of anyone else having that problem either.
http://hea-www.cfa.harvard.edu/~kwelch/soloist.jpg
If you have a similar body geometry, you should check it out. I am very happy with it. Guru can also make custom frames at a reasonable price.
I rode a solist before I got my new bike, never had a problem with the seatpost.
check out the felt. even though i’m a hard core bianchi’ist, i really drool over the felt line. superdave is a rep and he can tell you more. alot of bang for the buck with those bikes I’ll tell you.
I would tend to lean towards a compact road frame. Check the geometry and go for it. It might be my imagination, but compact frames tend to lend themselves to a more aggressive geometry than a standard road frame. For example, Giants are pretty easy to adapt to a multisport position with an appropriate set of clip-ons.
I have an aluminum Airborne Thunderbolt with VisionTech shorty clip ons. Perfect all around bike.
RP