The IA is light years ahead of the B-series.
The only compelling reason to purchase a B-series bike in your list is a hard budget ceiling.
Don’t rush into this purchase. One month may be enough to get used to a new bike, but not in my opinion.
The PR series is a lot of bang for the buck. The storage box is nice too.
But my main point: don’t underestimate the ability to switch wheels between bikes. That will be a nice touch between the road bike & tri bike.
I recently bought my first ever tri bike after racing on road bikes for several years. I decided to buy a used tri bike as I felt that there was way more bang for my buck in doing so. I decided on a lightly used Trek Speed Concept 9.9 with a nice HED wheelset and a power meter. The advantage for me was I did not need to go and drop another $1500 - $2000 on after-market parts to get the bike to the level that I wanted. I just got a professional fitting done and then I was ready to go.
I put in about 400 - 500 kms of training on the new bike before my first race, which was a 70.3 event. For me, that was enough time for my body to get acclimatized to the new position. Only my neck muscles really bothered me, and that was mostly just for my first few longer rides.
If possible, ride each. See how you feel. Make your decision based on your objective information, not someone else’s opinion. What may benefit them may not benefit you, and vice versa.
I know trying each could be impossible, but don’t fall for the marketing. The best bike is the one that fits you the best.
If you need to err on the side of caution, go with the one that offers the most adjustability.
I am in your same boat OP. Past three years I have been racing on a used Trek 1.1 with aero bar clips on about to finish up my last race of the year dreaming of finally stepping up my distance to 70.3. A nice new tri bike seems to be in the future. I’m following this post for more information about which are the best bikes since it seems we are in the same price range. I have also been looking at putting the Trek Speed Concept and Canyon Speedmax CF 8.0 into the mix as well for options. Thoughts other 'Twitchers?
Thanks! Any reason you’re not a fan of the Felt B specifically?
I have two friends own that bike and they are strong athletes but I’m always faster than them, so it’s not my favorite. On the other hand, I know one guy ride QR and he’s damn fast. Like 25-26mph fast in a local sprint tri.
It’s not the bike…
The differences in “speed” of these bikes, over a short race, will be measured in seconds…
I have a QR PR6, and love the frame. Also love that you can use the box they ship it in for shipping to events… go green.
I do not have disc brakes, but if you have the money for it, they are nice to have. They would come in handy if you raced in the rain or hilly race like Escape from Alcatraz. Nice stopping power when you need it without killing the rims.
Also heard IRONMAN Ireland folks could have used disc brakes for all the braking they did.
If you have a month before your next race, that’s not too bad. Just get in 2 to 3 rides a week for sure and get the fit dialed in. It will hit the legs different than the road bike, so some getting used to.
I’m a former runner and current cyclist and bought a 2013 P2 frame on here a couple months ago for very, very cheap. The whole build cost me less than $350. I just did my first TT race on it last week and my first duathlon two days ago. I really hate the horizontal dropouts and the white paint. But it was easy to build and I can ride it comfortably, which I suppose is good since I’d never ridden a TT bike prior to a month ago.