I have a friend who is getting into tri and doing his first ironman next year. He wants to upgrade his bike but only has enough scratch to get one bike. I was thinking that he should get a cervelo soloist with the forward seat post for the tri season and then set it up normally for whenever he wasn’t really training. I was also thinking a Kestrel Talon may be a good option since it is sort of a tweener from what I gather. I don’t know too much about this since I have a road and TT bike and thus have never really faced this issue. What other suggestions are out there? Anyone have any pics of their soloist set up in TT style? Thanks.
Just tell him to buy a tri bike and not worry about it. You don’t need both.
jaretj
You may not need both, but some people like to just ride thier bikes and not be stuck in an aero position all day long. The Soloist would be a good option with clip ons for racing.
The two bikes you mention are probably the top choices for a dual purpose bike. I have a Talon and I would say it makes an above average road bike and an average tri bike once you pop on some clip ons and move the seat forward. That’s fine with me since I spend 90% of my time in the road function (groups, mountains).
I would rather go with a road bike and aero bar than a tri bike. I did triathlons during 3/4 years on an inexpensive (about 1 grand) road bike with clip on and it did not prevent me to clock 23.3 MPH @ an HIM last year. I then got a tri bike (QR lucero) and then I was cruising @ 23.3 MPH :).
Road bikes are versatile, tri bikes are not! & you will most likely get better quality for the same price on a road bike.
Now is definitively a good time to start looking for bikes as shops are trying to clear their inventory and you still have some decent selection…
Fred,
define scratch
.
What do you feel you can do on a road bike and not on a tri bike? Why is a road bike more versatile?
jaretj
I’ll give a rec for the Kestrel Talon. As a road bike, it’s the best handling bike I’ve ever owned on technical descents. Very comfortable carbon ride, more so than the aluminium Soloist.
I did my first tri on it last weekend at a local area sprint. PB over two minutes faster on the 30 kms bike split than my Cervelo P2K. Rode steep tri bikes for five years, but am riding the 76ish “multisport” position from now on.
he has about 3 grand which I know isn’t enough for the carbon soloist, but he could probably score a deal on a nice used soloist.
"What do you feel you can do on a road bike and not on a tri bike? "
Group riding, road racing, climbing, etc. Not to mention that many of the pros do most or much of their training on a road bike.
Other than doing a non technical tri or TT,what advantages are there to a tri bike?
I’m not a big bike guy but I made this same decision last year.
I bought a 2006 Cervelo Team Soloist at 25% off. And put on aero bars and bought an extra seat and seatpost from the Slowtwitch classifieds.
The best I can tell is that, purely as a road bike, theTeam Solist has a top-notch frame and ultegra gearset at a great value. And people seem to love it as a road bike. I love mine, though I’m no great judge.
Then, from everything I’ve read, the Team Soloist was both designed to be - and is - the best road bike for use in aero position.
See http://bikesportmichigan.com/reviews/soloist.shtml
From what I could tell, the bikes that are lower in price than the Team Soloist are a worse value, with not as good of frame and cheaper gearset.
Talon and race wheels for $3000.
“He wants to upgrade his bike but only has enough scratch to get one bike.” With 3k as scratch? There’s no reason not to have both bikes with this much to work with.
Upgrade implies he has a bike to begin with- if it’s a roadie keep it and buy a tri bike. Or, say it’s an old steel 12spd (or you can always acquire one easily,) you can upgrade it for very little. Spread the frame, put on a 9spd training wheel,cassette, barend shifters and a new chain. You can have a decent ride for very little money. New bar tape makes any bike look fresh…
So you have a passable roadie for somewhere between $200-300. That still leaves $2700+ to work with for looking at tri rigs.
What do you feel you can do on a road bike and not on a tri bike? Why is a road bike more versatile?
jaretj
Ride in a group ride, race, generally get out and enjoy the scenery.
Things you can’t do from an aero tuck.
A TT bike is good for multisport and TTs, and that’s about it. For general riding around, and any road racing, group riding or significant climbing, your best bet is a road bike, and then a clip-on and maybe a forward seatpost and second saddle.
I do group riding and climb very well on my bike. I don’t road race like a lot of peole here. I don’t train like a pro.
I ride my tri bike everywhere, I don’t really know what you mean by technical but there isn’t a place I’ve found where I couldn’t ride my tri bike effectively. One bike costs less and gives a person more time on the bike they will be racing.
Of course I rode on a road bike for many years before getting into triathlon so It’s possible I’m biased since I know how to ride in a group.
jaretj
Honestly, I really enjoy riding my tri bike everywhere. I don’t look at the scenery much cuz I really like riding fast, that’s the thrill of riding for me.
Even on my MTB I don’t pay attention to the scenery. I’m just following the trail as quickly as I can.
jaretj
I believe that the Soloist is a great bike too. I just don’t like the look of a forward seatpost, hence the reason I don’t like the look of a P2 or P3. It just seems like they should produce a tri version that has the seatpost in the right position.
If I came across a good deal on one I would probably snatch it up though.
jaretj
You can’t get into a soloist for less than 3k??? I just bought a brand new soloist in April with full dura ace componentry for 2300. I love it. I used it as a dedicated road bike and recently set it up with exactly the same measurements as my P2C for IM training. I’ll switch it back after that. I love the special paint (or metallic coating as the case may be) and the aero tubing is great. The bike is super light as well. I actually downgraded my wheelset to the Easton Vistas to save some money, and they are the best training wheels I’ve ever had, including Kysrium elites. Their rolling resistance is nil. Those things spin on their own in the stand for what seems like hours.
Team soloist all the way if he only wants one bike, its versatile & good enough for team csc to put its first year riders on , more than enough bike for the rest of us non pros