Hi,
Let me introduce myself - I’m Kris, from Gdynia, Poland, been triathlete for three seasons. I’ve done some sprints, olympic distance triathlons and last year I’ve finished my first IM 70.3 in Gdynia within 6 hours. Since the beginning I’ve been riding 2009 Pinarello Dogma road bike with aerobars attached and fitted for aero config. Although I’ve planned to stick with this gear one season or two, things changed. I registered for Emilia Romagna full IM race in September and I decided it’s time to go for proper tri bike.
Now, it’s not so easy to choose one for me, as I’m rather tall - 194 cm or 6"4’, and the second thing is that I want a bike with rim brakes, as I bought brand new Xentis Mark 3 wheels and would not want to get rid of them. Taking into account value for money, my fav is Canyon Speedmax for now. Also, it seems to be designed for tall people in mind as well - according to their specification, L size is OK for me, while they have XL as well. For now Speedmax CF 8.0 Di2 seems to be optimal, but I’m also considering its bigger brother - SLX. While weight, components, wheels are the same, what differs are integrated cockpit, brake callipers hidden within frame and integrated hydration system. Worth €2300… and the question - is it worth it? I don’t know how much drag would I spare and at what speed? I personally think, that on my level, that difference would be totally unnoticeable, and on the other hand, external callipers are easier to handle and braking power is greater. Integrated cockpit - looks cleaner, but again - drag gain is really marginal in that case and normal stems brings more fitting possibilities.
What about integrated hydration? Is it worth to spend additional €2300?
Thanks in advance for any comments
Kris