I need to decide on a bike. I’ll skip most of the back story, but the short version is I have both a 2010 S1 and a 2009 Ordu. Had I put more thought into things I would go back and not buy both of these bikes.
The Orbea is the older version from just before the revision and has a dual position seat post. It is set up at my triathlon bike. I rode it last year and enjoyed it but never felt like I would be comfortable doing anything longer then a 40 TT on it.
The Cervelo is a road bike. Single position seat post, drop bars, and STI shifting.
Both bikes are 51 cm. I love to wrench and tinker with bikes and I have been playing around with the position this winter. As I’m looking at fit, it seems to me that I have pretty much ended up with 2 bikes that are essentially the same from a geometry standpoint. They are both basically road bikes that make an OK triathlon bike if you want.
Does that sound true? If so, maybe I should sell one off and build a true triathlon bike that has been fit to me. Or just sell one and get a power meter?
Don’t buy a tri specific bike unless you are committed to aggressive forward geometry and aerobars all the time. riding on the horns for a 60 mile ride will be painful and uncomfortable, but if you can usually be down in the drops, you’ll like it.
Ordu? Am I missing something? Could anything be more tri-specific? Unless you meant an Orca, the Ordu is 100% TT. I ride a 51cm Ordu and a 54 Cervelo R3 - so a similar overall stable, but I have to say if there is a 51cm R3 made it would be way too small for me. The 51 Ordu is pretty ‘medium sized’ to me.
Ordu? Am I missing something? Could anything be more tri-specific? Unless you meant an Orca, the Ordu is 100% slow. I ride a 51cm Ordu and a 54 Cervelo R3 - so a similar overall stable, but I have to say if there is a 51cm R3 made it would be way too small for me. The 51 Ordu is pretty ‘medium sized’ to me.
I would grab the road bike when I was going out with friends. Maybe once or twice a week.
I bought the Ordu last spring and that was my only bike. Then I found a deal on the S1 frame. I had most of the parts needed to build it so I bought it. Probably not the smartest choice in bikes. Live and learn.
Yes, it is an Ordu. It looks like the current Ora.
I was fit for the S1. At 5’9" I have relatively long legs and short arms. Every shop in the area (DC) would look at me and say I needed a 54. Once I was fit, by more then one place, it turned out I needed a 51.
Sounding more and more like I should sell the Orbea.
I love my Orbea! I was stuck between Specialized and Orbea. Spent 8 hours in the shop test riding and tweaking different bikes. The Orbea just fit and road the best of them all. The lifetime warranty sealed the deal. I thought I was going to have to use it las spring when I pulled into my garage with bikes still of the roof (exhausted after trining and brain dead!). The roof rack broke, the rack tray and bike were ripped off the roof and landed on the ground behind the car. Took bike to shop expecting the carbon frame to be toast. Needed new handlebars, and wheels trued. The frame was fine. I have since ridden and raced it for an additional 6,000 miles without problems. After an experience like that I don’t think I’ll every buy anything else.
So true, which is what started this little exercise.
2 years ago I rode the 40k part of an oly tri at 17.9 mph on a poor fitting (way too big) Fuji road bike.
A year later at the same race on the Orbea, I rode it at 20.9 mpg. A big improvement. Now I’m starting to look more at the details of fit and position.
