Well I got the OK from my lady, and I’m getting ready to make an upgrade from my steel roadie to a carbon tt bike. My spending limit is $5,000.
Here’s a little info about me - I’m a smaller guy at 5’8" 145lbs and I have pretty average body proportions (ie: I don’t have a long torso or long legs, they are proportional). I climb well, but don’t have a lot of power on the flats, and I want a bike to help me better my 5:33 bike split at IMLP in 2011. I would prefer to buy a complete bike with good components rather than buy the frame and build around it.
Of course I’ll check out my LBS, but I’d like to hear from the masses, what would you buy with $5,000?? And why?
Prepare to be told to go get a bike fit and then make your choice. Lots of good bikes that will fall within that budget. Shivs, Speed Concepts, P2 or P3, and the Felts to name a few. If it were me I would buy a $3000-$3500 bike and use the balance for race wheels.
You need a power meter because you do not have one! One of the best training and pacing tools out there. Watts is an immediate measure of your effort as oppsed to pre and heart rate.
b/c a powermeter is awesome. maybe the best thing i’ve put on my bike.
I’m not convinced. I log my workouts, but I’m not a numbers guy. I make my own training plan and base my workouts around relative effort levels and duration. I’m not at a point where I am going to pay for a training program or coach, and I feel that I’ve been able to regulate myself pretty well without a PM. I’ve seen some pretty good success without a PM, and without a coach I don’t know who will really interpret the data bc I can’t see myself doing it.
Is there really that much ($1,000-1,500 worth) gain in working out at a specific wattage as opposed to RPE??
(ex: In 3 HIMs I’ve gone 2:37-2:48 and I’ve always been able to run off the bike, run splits 1:30-1:35. And in my one IM I did 5:33/3:21). I would say I don’t need it for pacing…
b/c a powermeter is awesome. maybe the best thing i’ve put on my bike.
I’m not convinced. I log my workouts, but I’m not a numbers guy. I make my own training plan and base my workouts around relative effort levels and duration. I’m not at a point where I am going to pay for a training program or coach, and I feel that I’ve been able to regulate myself pretty well without a PM. I’ve seen some pretty good success without a PM, and without a coach I don’t know who will really interpret the data bc I can’t see myself doing it.
Is there really that much ($1,000-1,500 worth) gain in working out at a specific wattage as opposed to RPE??
b/c a powermeter is awesome. maybe the best thing i’ve put on my bike.
I’m not convinced. I log my workouts, but I’m not a numbers guy. I make my own training plan and base my workouts around relative effort levels and duration. I’m not at a point where I am going to pay for a training program or coach, and I feel that I’ve been able to regulate myself pretty well without a PM. I’ve seen some pretty good success without a PM, and without a coach I don’t know who will really interpret the data bc I can’t see myself doing it.
Is there really that much ($1,000-1,500 worth) gain in working out at a specific wattage as opposed to RPE??
(ex: In 3 HIMs I’ve gone 2:37-2:48 and I’ve always been able to run off the bike, run splits 1:30-1:35. And in my one IM I did 5:33/3:21). I would say I don’t need it for pacing…
Learning to use a PM and interpret the data isn’t too difficult. I’m not a big numbers guy, either, but my PT is an essential part of my training. Am I intepreting the data to the nth degree? Nope…but I am using the data to develop my workouts where required. But if you truly feel that you won’t spend the time to look at the data, then yeah, it would be a waste. Slapping a PM on a bike does not make you faster by itself. Using the data, and adjusting your workouts based on that data, will make you faster.
A PM is a tool, but if you don’t know how to use it, it is of no benefit.
Cervelo P3 ultegra was lowered to $3350. Buy that (pending it fits). Take the extra money, purchase a powertap ($800-1000), used front wheel ($500) and an aero helmet.
$5k on the nose (the DA4 is also an option). If I was spending $5k, I would want as many “modern” features as I could get for that price. Wind tunnel developed, integrated fork/stem/aerobar, hidden rear brake, BB30, etc.
yeah. Felts are very price competitive. the DA4 is $4K. Gives you DuraAce shifters, a pretty good aero crankset. Probably pretty close to all the new bikes aero-wise.
You could conceivably race on the stock TTR3 wheels, but throw a cover on the rear and get a FLO60 or used H3 up front and you’ve got change left over for a matching aero helmet, saddle and a fit.
$5k is for the bike + pedals, ISM saddle, and bike fit.
I could spend a little of that on a power meter… although I’ll let someone convince me why I should.
I already have an aero helmet and race wheels.
Here is my N=1. I spent $300 bucks on a wired PM this season. I have only had it for a couple months and have done a little bit of testing with it and tried to figure out my FTP.
I was in better bike shape last year than this year at this time due to injury.
I race Heatwave Classic every year (basically OLY distance with short swim). This year, I decide to pace on power and I managed to go about 1 minute slower on the bike . . . sucks right, but then I ran 7 minutes faster on the run. . . That is 7 minutes over 6.2 miles with the same or less fitness than last year. To be totally fair, the race was cooler this year than last, but a net positive of 6 minutes it was not.
My performance was better because I paced the constantly rolling hills perfect; going up the hill, going down the hill, into the wind, with the wind . . . just hit your watts and all will be fine.
I have IMFL coming up at end of year, I plan to ride it at 70% of my threshold power. All I have to do to go faster, is raise the FTP number.
None of this is possible without the PM and if you are willing to buy used and hide the one wire, you can have it for $300 - $400.
x2 on what the other guys said about getting a Felt DA for $5k. It’s one of their Superbikes. Since you already have wheels, you can sell the TTR wheels for enough money to cover a fit.
The other option is perhaps get a cheaper version of Felt like a B12, but add di2 to it.
No recommendations for Kestral, Giant, QRoo, Fuji, Trek, Cannondale??? I’m a little surprised… But nevertheless, once I pull the trigger, I’ll upload a pic.