I am looking to buy a new bike and have seen a couple of good deals. The first one is a 2006 Cervelo Dual 51cm with the DuraAce group. Very little usage and everything is stock. I have been previously fitted for a Dual and 51cm fits me perfect.
The second bike is a small (50.5cm) 2006 Blue T-12. It has been built off of Shimano 105 10speed, 105 rear derrailleur, Ultegra front derrailleur, Dura-Ace chain, Dura-Ace bar end shifters, FSA Gossumer crank, Aerus handle bars, Aerus seatpost, Cane Creek brakes and ALX 320 wheels. Also very little usage.
Both bikes are almost identically priced. I have done my research on the Dual and have my eye on it for a while. I don’t know as much aboutthe T-12. I will be viewing both bikes next week and would like any additional opionions (biased or otherwise) before I check them out.
have been on both, liked both a lot, and with the stems i had both fit well.
for me it would come down to which looked better or maybe which was coming with better parts.
I ride a Blue T-12 and like it a lot. The fact that it is not another Cervelo on the rack is nice so if it fits you (and it is hard not to with the mega-adjustable seatpost) then I would get it instead of the Cervelo. I like the look of it better than the Dual as well.
I ride a T-14 (the new version of the T-12) and love it. Fit is great for me and as Allan said the seatpost is mega-adjustable if you have any size/fit concerns. You also get many more looks in transition with a Blue rather than a Cervelo!
I was in this situation last year and tried both - ended up with the T-14. First off, both bikes were a good fit. T-14 was much nicer on our terrible chip seal roads - the carbon rear triangle really does work and took all the vibration out. The dual was a bit harsh there. The second was the different front fork geometry. The Dual is raked out and is very nice and stable, but I ride on the edge of the Blue Ridge, with lots of technical climbs and descents. The T-14 is a bit more like a road geometry in that way. As such, it is a bit twitchier in aero, but is great handling on the hills. Climbs like a dream.
The aerus front end they provided was a bad fit for me - so I went different, but that is just my issue - it may work well for you.
If I lived in flatter terrain with smoother roads, I proabably would have gone Dual, it was very comfortable. But for what I ride, the Blue was better. Only thing I wish for would be horizontal drop outs - the verticals leave a fair bit of space to the rear wheel (aprrox 10 mm).
One unique feature of the T-12 is you can build it with shorter reach than almost anything else out there- if you also are willing to sit pretty darn steep, which is good for most people.
