As Tom Demerly would say ride the one that fits best.
Of the ones on the list it seems as if the Felt is the only tri-bike. I would be inclined to put that as the leading cantidate. Felt always gives a lot of bang for the buck too.
Are all of these at the same shop? Or have you looked at other local shops too?
Would you be willing to go second hand? There are some very good deals on ebay. For $1500 you can purchase a bike that was priced double that two or three years ago. Going second hand you can get a lot more bike for the money.
Do you want a road or a tri bike?
If it’s your only bike, you’d probably be better off with a road bike due to their greater versatility. The exception might be if you only train solo, only want it for triathlons and live in a flat area.
How good are the components on your current bike? You could just get a frame and move the components over.
As Cerveloguy mentioned you can get some good deals on E-bay, and not everything on E-bay is used. A great E-bay deal is Leader frames. You can get them dirt cheap on the “buy it now” option, so no bidding wars.
I saw a Leader TT bike last month and it is a solid value. Extremely aero and well made. Something that might be worth considering.
Here’s another suggestion - LeMond Versaille’s Women’s.
I’m not sure what the retail price is but the frame is carbon/steel. I’m riding the almost same frame and will testify that it rides far nicer than any aluminium bike I’ve ever rode. If it’s within your budget then it’s worth a look.
Irondeb, buy a $3000 bike second hand. There are lost of dudes who buy $3000 bikes, put 500K on them and leave them in the basement for 3 years and decide to sell them. Some dude with a 1 year old kid who is “retired” is your prime candidate…
I’m completely ebay illiterate. 2nd hand - I dunno - is there any concern w/ not knowing what a 2nd hand bike has been thru and if there are any damages that aren’t imm’y visible?
I’m definitely looking for a roadie. I’m a 1 bike family, for now. So, yeah, road is the best for me.
LeMond? Hm. I’ll look into that one, too, I guess…
These are all from the same shop. I’ve dealt w/ a couple shops around here, (that’s another story altogether). I’m less than thrilled w/ most of them. This shop has huge selection, and I kinda established a rapport w/ their fitter this year. So, they’re the shop I’d prefer to deal with.
I have Ultegra now - but have been running it for 4 seasons. And a Sram cassette that I got in late '04.
I know, I could just get a frame - but I think I’d like to keep my current ride intact, and start fresh. I don’t know if that’s the best approach - but it feels rite.
Your main concern if going second hand is buying something that is the correct frame size other wise you won’t get the proper fit. You won’t have the benefit of the fitter from the LBS doing this for you.
To understand a bit about fit and how frame size is generally determined have a read of this site.
I have a great fitter that helped me w/ my current bike. He’s not affiliated w/ a shop - but will fit me, (for a fee!!!)
I think I have a pretty good idea what frame size I need - but I know that same sizes from different manufacturers could be very different fits. Had to get a shortie stem & aero bars for my current ride, (that was too big from the get go, but it was a hand-me-down)
I personally had a really good experience with buying my bike from Ebay. I’m not far out of school, needing to go back and helping pay my wife’s way through school so my budget was $500. Try finding a decent bike for that price. I kept an eye on Ebay for a while and bought a 2001 Cannondale Multisport 600 in near perfect condition for $455. That bike was $1300 when it came out. I know it has nothing on the really expensive bikes on the forum, but it sure beats the crap out of a 1 step up from Walmart bike. I have to say regardless of budget, I would probably buy my next bike on there as well. Ebay’s not as intimidating as it seems. If you have any specific questions, let me know. It’s well worth learning a bit about Ebay. As far as condition, I would only bid on bikes or frames that have lots of pictures. You can get a pretty good idea of the condition of the bike from good pictures and descriptions. I would also make sure you pay using Paypal as it gives you more protection as a buyer.
<< I have Ultegra now - but have been running it for 4 seasons. And a Sram cassette that I got in late '04. >>
From the “not for nothing department”, but, this sounds like a rationalization to justify getting a new ride… NOT that there’s anything wrong with that.
IF you were going from a road bike to a tri bike, well then, that might be a different story - and it was excuse enuff for me, I just picked up a '05 Felt on year-end closeout, to go along w/ my “ancient” '99 Klein w/ Ultegra that I have been running for - gasp! - 7 seasons.
IMHO, I don’t think a new Ultegra bike is gonna perform noticeably better than your “old” Ultegra bike. (Unless your old frame is a real boat anchor) But don’t let that stop you.
Yeah? I’m not really all that schooled on Bianchi’s reputation. So, good quality ride? Thanks!
Deb–between my husband and I we have 3 bianchis. I almost bought him a Veloce, but wan’t convinced he’d ride it enough. it is a very good bike, with a responsive ride, comfortable…yet you can race it! If you can, go ride it, you’ll see what I mean.
www.bianchiusa.com will tell you about the history of Bianchi. i’ve never met anyone that doesn’t LOVE thier bianchi.
