For your $3000...?

After an exhaustive search for my first tribike, and a six hour drive to a respected NW shop, I’ve narrowed my search. But I have two ?'s: for $3000 would you buy a P2K or Guru Crono-Alu with a set of nice race wheels or spring for the P3 or Guru Trilite and just wait on the wheels? When I walked in I thought the Cervelo (if it fit) for sure: superior aerodynamics, great engineering, nice spec…but I rode the Guru and loved the ride! Both were set up the same (78 deg, 52.5 TT, same bar height and reach).The Guru’s advantage: Scandium tubeset,carbon rear, gorgeous paint job, super light and similar DA groupo. See Triathlete Mag 12/02 for Empfield’s review. I am 50, 5’8" and race primarily sprint and oly distance, some are flat with wind and other have climbs and fast descents. Do I get the fast grey (or blue) Mercedes or get the red Ferrari and pull up a few moments later?

You can get all the bike you need for $2000-$2500. Get a $2K bike, and spend the rest on your significant other. That will will pay off a lot more than putting that other grand in a bike.

RP

Both good bikes: I vote for Cervelo and race wheels. Be sure it fits and your position is dialed!

Go ahead and spend the money. Get the P3. I am betting you will get the hot wheels within a year.

If you had little kids and were trying to buy your first home, it would be another matter. We don’t have that many years of reasonable fitness left. We are slow, so we might as well look good when standing still.

Over the hill in Florida,

The P2K does fit well and that was part of the problem: my practical side said get the proven winner with the slick wheels (probably tubular 404’s or equivalent) but my heart said get the exotic steed with the carbon rear end (like the Yaqui you are getting). Thanks for all the great posts and I hope some FIST info trickles down before I buy a bike and get fitted.

       For $3000 you should be riding something more than just another aluminum bike.  You sound a little confused.  Which one is the proven winner.  The Guru was ridden to an Olympic gold meddle.  The only thing that has been proven by a Cervelo is that advertising pays!

As the proud owner of a Cannondale (which has been excellent) I would lean towards the Guru. I get so tired of seeing tons of my bike at every race. So all things being equal I would lean towards the less mainstream bike.

I can’t resist…

Guru is the “proven winner”? Say what? It is patently obvious that Simon wins his races on the run, not on the bike. No disrespect to Guru, but to state that Guru has proven something that Cervelo has not, is quite silly.

I would think JaJa’s 2nd place finish in a Tour de France TT on a P3 would be a whole lot more impressive than win in a drafting race that finishes up with a run.

If you don’t like Cervelo’s or aluminum bikes dats fine and dandy, but to argue that they are not proven winners is like spitting into the wind.

  • I don’t own a Cervelo, I own a Specialized, a Trek, a Cannondale, and a Schwinn.

You are soooo correct. What ever the winner rides is the best to buy!!!It will make you much better becouse it worked for the WINNER! Do you know what kind of socks he wears? I need to improve on my run!!!
GT jump in here you will have something profound to say--------------------not

If your price tag is $3000, start there and work backwards. Perhaps you can afford a P3 frame with HED wheels, if that is $2300, you may be able to finish off the bike if they built it with 105, and FSA cranks. The premium frame and wheels are going to make the greatest gains in your time, riding on a Dura Ace brakeset or front derailleur just makes you pretty. The components are going to wear out part by part and you can make the switch to Dura Ace then, a small outlay of cash at each occurance. A good pro shop would be willing to not just switch components to make the bike fit, but make the bike fit your budget. Gurus are pretty, Cervelos are fast.

SuperDave

If you want a fast bike that also looks good, I think a P2k with Cane Creek Crono wheels would look pretty damn sweet. The Cane Creek decals make a better match with the P2k than the same rims with ZIPP logos! Add some stainless Speedplay zeros and a set of Vision Tech or Profile Carbon X bars with appropriate black or blue tape, as well as a blue SLR saddle (although I’d prefer the Aspide Azoto saddle), and you’d have one bad ass looking bike with proven performance. With some effort you can put all this together for right at $3000, probably with Ultegra components.