Let me begin by stating that I am fully aware of opening Pandora’s Box with what I am about to post, but here goes…
I am soon to be in the market for my first bike. I need to buy or build a road bike that will be suitable for triathlon for under $800 complete. For purposes of this discussion, we will assume that I have to buy new as I will need to be fit on this bike. I’ll worry about finding the dealer later. We’ll also have to assume that anything you recommend will fit me. As a point of information, I’m 6’ 2" and 180 lbs. I’m looking for recommendations for bike/aerobar/pedal combinations, or anything else you think I should consider.
I recognize this may be a tall order given my price cap, but given my current level of fitness, a totally tricked tri bike would be wasted on me. Thanks in advance for all your help.
Well if you’re going to open the box I might as well toss my two cents in. Some are going to say Giant and for the price bracket it’s going to be hard to argue…but here is something else worth looking at
I don’t know much about the manufacturer but read into some of the details:7005 series aluminum, carbon fork and stays, FSA triple crank with everything else being 105…for under $700. Leaving you with lots of room in your cap for pedals and aero clip ons. And it wouldn’t take a whole lot of modifications to get it well under 17lbs. Now this wouldn’t be your size but I think they probably have a few other bikes that would fit you. If nothing else…it’s worth looking into.
First off, I don’t know a whole lot about bikes. So there’s the disclaimer.
Here’s the point of my post: I can’t disagree with the Trek 1000 recommendation. 10 years ago I bought a Trek 1420 aluminum road bike, clipless pedels and an aerobar. I always viewed it as a general bike that I could used for pleasure rides, road racing, touring or triathlons - I really had no idea what I wanted to do. Last summer I finally started tri’s. My fourth tri at the end of the season was a 1/2 Ironman. While I recognize that my 1420 won’t take me much further (and I’m now looking buying a dedicated tri bike as I move towards IMFL), it was good enough to get me hooked on tri’s and post some reasonable times.
For what it’s worth, I’m 6’1" and 180 lbs.
You might also look for advice on the www.trinewbies.com forum. Good luck.
I’m not a fan of the Trek 1000, and I used to own one. The Trek is a Sora-equipped bike, and you’ll pay around $650 for one. You could get a Giant OCR-3 with Sora for about $500, with clipless pedals to boot (the Trek has toe straps). I’d take the Giant over the Trek any day.
Another option is to go to chucksbikes.com and take a look at what he has. You can get a Shimano 105 equipped road bike for under $800 brand new. Take a look at the frames he has, and email him for more information. Several people on this forum have bought from Chuck, and all rave about his service. You may have never heard of the brands he sells, but there’s nothing wrong with those frames.
And for the record, I’m not affiliated with Chuck in any way. He is a good alternative to overpriced bikes.
My first tri bike purchase was only last season. I spent $799+ Tax and I’m very happy with it. I swapped out the seat and added aero bars for another $180. Combination of Tiagra and 105 components (27 speed), carbon forks, a great starter bike.
I second the idea of Chuck’s. I’ve bought 3 frames from him so far. One was a fully built tri bike with full 105 9 speed (DA bar end shifters) for $695. He stands behind his warranty and does provide outstanding customer service. But if you’re really that new to cycling, I would suggest having a fitting done by a professional fitter. You can take those measurements and find the bike you want/need. And the shop you get the fit done with may have something perfect for you right there.
We have 5 or 6 people racing on Trek 1000’s and love them. They seem to last foeever and they don’t have any problems with shifting. New $855.
You could buy used . Just make sure no matter what you buy you get someone who knows how, to make sure it fits.
Look at the 2004 Felt F80, under $800 and a mix of 105 and Tiagra. A great shop may even switch out the triple chainset and derailleurs for a double set if you’d prefer.
Where are you located?
Ritchey makes a great clip on aero bar that has an adjustable reach. They can be as short as Profile Jammers, or as long as the Large Syntace Streamliners, a good pick if you position is going to evolve as your fitness improves.
$855 is way too much for a Trek 1000, or any Sora equipped bike. You can get a Tiagra Giant for less than that, and a Tiagra/105 mix in other brands for around that same price. You can also get a full 105 bike for around $900-1000. Whoever doled out $855 for a Trek 1000 paid way, way too much. There are lots of alternatives that offer much more bike for that kind of money.
I have a Scott Waimea tri frame that is sitting in my basement collecting dust. If you are not overly concerned about the stigma of a used bike I would be perfectly happy to sell it to you will all the equipment that I have sitting around. It is 58cm, 650c wheels and about a 78 degree seat tube. Frankly, after I bought my Cervelo I didn’t really see any improvement over the Scott, but now all my gear is on the other bike and it would be a hassle to switch.
If you are interested I could include the following: Dura Ace BB, Headset installed with stem, Shimano 600 rear derailleur, Dia-Compe Brake levers and calipers, Shift levers and mount to use with aerobars, Seatpost, Rear cassette, and some Old style Look pedals, and a Dura Ace 175mm crank. All for $300.
If you want and old-style Dura Ace 180mm crank with 55-44 or 52-38 I can throw that in for another $75.
That would leave you about $500 to buy aerobars, a good set of wheels and some odds and ends.