IMFL & IMUSA bike advice

Triathlon Forum
1

I am signed up for IM Lake Placid and IM Florida for 2007, but I do not have the income to buy a specific bike for each course.

I am looking into a 2006 Felt B2 or a Kuota K factor. Both bikes fit very well, but I need and can afford only one bike to pull me through both very different courses.

Current ride is a Giant TCR - I have thought about some TT clip ons and riding it at Lake Placid, with a new (B2 or K factor) tri specific bike at Florida.

Thanks for your comments and suggestions

2

A tri bike is totally appropriate for Lake Placid.

3

you know…it’s IMLP…there are some hills, but it’s not IM Boulder or IM Alpes…
You can have one bike, one bar set up, one pair of aero wheels that will do the job on ANY IMNA course…usually, as aero as possible, aerobars, bar-end shifters, aero front and disc.

4

thank you for the quick reply and advice.

So, which frame would you suggest…2006 Felt B2 or Kuota K factor for IMFL & IMUSA

5

the one that fits best
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6

OK - that’s my question

Both fit great at the shop and both feel great during and after a 65 mile test ride.

Is there any reason to choose one over the other? frame material? frame weight?

thanks

7

If both feel great then you can base the decision on looks :slight_smile:

Or which offers the best componentry for the money or is more aero (probably the felt). Frame material is unimportant if you did not perceive a difference in comfort when testing.

Felt looks much meaner - do you want to psych yourself up and the opposition out??

8

I would just flip a coin & get started with your run training!
:wink:

9

Yep the B2 is angry looking. Gotta love it. You won’t see any flowers on a B2!

10

What everbody else said - a tri bike is a tri bike, and you are talking about 2 IM triathlons, not a hillclimb TT or a stage race or something.

I’m partial to the B2 (as I own an '05 myself), not that there’s anything wrong with a Kuota.

If possible, get yer new steed before it gets warm outside next Spring, then ride the snot out of it so yer dialed in for LP. While I know a certain small % of the field rode road bikes w/ clipons for LP, I really think it’s not ideal, and being able to shift in the aero postion (where you will be for 90%+ of the ride) outweighs any perceived benefit the road bike might (or might not) bring for the other <10% of the course.

11

given that my roadbike looks like this: http://tinypic.com/2ngargl.jpg I have to say that flowers aren’t such a bad thing
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