Last night I got a message from a friend who was wanting to get a new bike. He has been riding a commuter bike for a while but feels he has outgrown it and was looking for a entry/decent road bike that he could do a triathlon on if he wanted to. More to complete vs. compete. He listed a few bikes he had looked at and one of them was the Kestral Talon Road bike.
I was pretty unfamiliar with this bike but from what I’m reading it looks like it might be one of the better options for him. Decent component group, carbon frame, what looks like an ability to switch up the seat angles from a TT position to road position so he wouldn’t outgrow it right away and feel in love with triathlon and wanted to upgrade. I think the only downside is that he would be getting it at performance bike which is great for getting gear a good price and know what you are doing, but not so much the shop you want to do all your shopping as a new triathlete.
Anyone have any experience with this bike? Like or dislikes? Would love to hear an opinion.
Our Shop is a kestrel Dealer here in San Diego,
We like the bike for exactly as your describing. The bike is a great beginner tri or road bike and we have sold many in both formats tri and road. I like it because I hesitate to sell customers on a tri bike for a firt time triathlon and they are unsure they will stay in the sport.
I always feel bad when they may do one triathlon, fall in love with cycling but not care to much about doing another triathlon. This bike allows you to be in a road and triathlon geometry with the opportunity to buy both style bars and shifters inexpensively.
We also provide free fittings for life as well as service on the bikes!
Let me know if you have any more questions about the bike.
The Kestel Talon has been around for a lot of years.
It used to be a very sexy and cutting edge bike once upon a time.
If the bike fits your friend and they have the budget I cannot think of a good reason not to make the purchase.
As another poster stated it is pretty good either as a TT / Tribike or a road bike.
I have been riding a Kestrel Talon for 6 years. It is a great bike for the price. I ride with many people on bikes that cost more than 3x what the Talon costs. While I have been considering a new tri bike for a while, it is because I want a new sexier looking bike. The reason I haven’t pulled the trigger yet is because I know it is not going to make me much faster.
It’s hard to go wrong with this bike. I bought one for my friend who was looking for a cheap TT bike and it fit the bill well enough. The build quality of the bike is great and I like the finish quality of the matte paint.
The ‘versatility’ of this bike (either road or TT) is both a virtue and sin. As the saying goes, it’s a “jack of all trades, expert of none”: The TT set up is great for a high(er) front end set up, but becomes a bit of a challenge to work with with if you want to get ‘low’. As a road bike, the top tube is a little longer than typical road bikes, so you have to make sure that you adjust stem length accordingly.
Also, while called an ‘aero’ bike, it really doesn’t seem to have the kind of tube shapes that current aero road / tt bikes are using.
Don’t get me wrong though, it’s a decent bike. You just have to know what you are getting into!
I am new to triathlon and cycling in general, I completed my first sprint and Olympic distance races last year on a borrowed (too big for me) old aluminum Klein road bike. After deciding I can see myself pursuing this hobby in the future I purchased a 2015 kestrel talon (tri set-up) I have really enjoyed riding and training on the bike, and my abilities are certainly less than the bikes competence at this point . Currently training for the Devilman Half in May and have been learning more and more that hard work in training is what makes your fast and efficient. I’ll forego the 5000$ frame, carbon wheels and electronic shifting for the day my legs can’t make me any faster until then I’ll happily keep my “low end” bike and keep working hard
I’m going into my 3rd season of training on my Talon ('14 Sprint model, so road bars with aero clip-on)… couldn’t be happier with the way its held up. I’m shopping for a new bike now because I feel like I’m at the point where I need a dedicated tri setup, but my Talon will continue to be the workhorse for training rides.
Although the Talon has been around for a very long time, the frame was completely re-done about 5 years ago. I rode a Talon for a lot of years and had some really good races on it. On the original frame, cabling was tough but I think that has been taken care of.
I’d say it one of the best buys out there right now.