So this was my first season running triathlons. I picked up a used Cannondale at the beginning of the season figuring it would tide me over for at least two - three years but as I have been doing my homework I have come to realize that it might be the weakest link in my gear chain.
Its a good bike don’t get me wrong, but between the enormous down tube, exposed brake and shifter cables and and a fairly round looking fork I have started to realize its as aerodynamic and inefficient as my old lifted jeep. I sold the Rev-x’s it came with and picked up a set of Zipp 404’s so I’d rather not stray away from the 650c wheel size just yet but I would like some opinions on how to make my bike leg faster and more efficient. And yes- better, smarter training is already underway.
At first I figured I would just upgrade the fork (Easton EC90 or Oval) and do some drive train upgrades but I began to realize that by doing the fork alone I would end up spending more than if I just looked around and found an older 650c P3 or light speed blade or something similar.
What do you guys think? I don’t have a ton of money to drop this winter- say maybe a grand, and I don’t really want to sell everything and be riding a nice 700c frame with crap wheels and 105 parts next season- I just want some advise.
I have heard both sides of the 650 / 700c debate- what’s your $.02?
More importantly would I even notice the benifits of a good fork with my frame or is it just polishing a turd?
How can I be more efficient and go fast on my bike next season?
I’ve checked our classifieds but just want to throw this out there: does anyone know where I can get a 54 cm 650c P3 frame and fork?
Sounds like things are going good for you! You will probably hear acouple things when it comes to frames. For under 1000 you can easily get a decent frame/fork combo. Im looking at leader for 400 bucks. My second year of tris I dropped 4k on a trek ttx, which I now sold since it was a over kill to me. A good frame with a 78ish degree seat post is a good investment. You can get a used p3(if a p3 fits your riding style) p2 sl(p1) will be a really safe bet. The planet x stealth gets great reviews on ST. I would say forget the 500 dollar fork. Look for the best frame fork combo you get for the amount of money you have. Easton forks are 200 on ebay. Leader forks are 200 new. Most of the carbon is made at the same factory anyways. Kestrel talons are a inbetween tri and road bike for 700 on ebay. Alot of it is marketing hype. You might want to get fitted to see what kind of bikes are best for you before throwing money down on anything. If you go to your local bike store they should be having some really nice deals on 09 bikes with the new year coming around. For bike parts dura ace derailers are nice but the rest is iceing on the cake. Throwing 100 on a disc cover and another 100 on a aero helmet is a great advice.
The best advice I got about my bike was to practice transitions. It was free advice. From my 1st year to my 2nd year I lost 5 min off my oly time…priceless.
Thanks Pete- this years has been good. Thanks for the advise and the warning. The urge to buy a new bike has been hard to deny but I’d rather build up a frame. If i was gong to built a NEW 700c frame I would have gotten an LD-735TT also- hard to beat at its price point.
Everyone talks about wheel covers- gotta get on that.