Talk me out of buying a speed concept 2.5

Triathlon Forum
1

Thinking about selling my argon e112 Ultegra and buying a sc 2.5 (aluminum) with the snack box and the poop box. Would upgrade to at least rival f/r derailleurs and crank. Give me your thoughts.

Mark

2

Try to find a used 7 series or p2c instead. Also, switching apex/rival won’t make you faster. A better upgrade would he a better aero bar than those unaerobullhorns which kill any wind tunnel advantage the sc may have.

3

This is what Trek says the 9 series upgrades from the 7:

Integrated front brake and integrated storage, integrated handlebar
And this is what they say the 7 upgrades from the 2:

TCT Carbon frame is lighter and more comfortableDuoTrap compatible frameIntegrated rear brakeSo when I see these items, here is what I would think.

  1. The integrated front brake would be a hassle and a fairly small speed advantage.
  2. The integrated bar might also be a hassle, but it has shown to be inferior to other bars.
  3. Storage? I have no idea how useful that might be.
  4. Lighter and more comfortable frame= not really any faster. Tire have more to do with comfort than the frame.
  5. Don’t know what duotrap is.
  6. The brake is hidden on the 2 series so I’m not sure what they mean.

Basically I only see one small speed advantage over the really expensive frames. If you are not into integrated stuff, the aluminum offering looks pretty darn fast.
I’ve never heard anyone call the Argon frames fast, so I would be surprised if you did not pick up a bit of speed. If I had a choice between an aluminum frame and a carbon frame of equal speed, I would take the aluminum in a heartbeat.

Chad

4

rickn: Thanks for the advice about the bullhorns, I’ll have to keep that in mind to change when/if buying. I know the group change won’t make me faster; I’m more concerned with durability and reliable shifting. Used P2C’s are a dime a dozen and are great bikes but I have vowed to stay away from the french e company as their management practices remind me of a special needs class at a disney world restroom and I have personal issues with their Toronto boss…long story that has been censored on this forum before.

5

Thanks Chad, the reasons you have listed are pretty much what I have worked out in my mind as well. The argon is a great fast bike and fits me really well but the sc is lighter and more aero and I think I would take advantage of the storage options. Thanks for the advise, so far the sc is winning.

6

The bullhorns on the 2 series are round bontrager bars. You can pick up some time right off the bat with a pair of Vision aluminum base bars. Other than that, ride a lot. :slight_smile:
I’ve never noticed any reliability issues with one shifter/component over another. Frankly, buying anything over 105 right now strikes me as a waste of money.
Chad

7

I own a 9.9 Speed Concept and I actually took a 2.5 for a spin the other day while I was at Trek. I have to say, it was a nice ride for the price tag. However, if you CAN afford a 7.0, I highly reccomend it. You’re only talking about 500.00 more for an all carbon bike thats even lighter. You can build a really nice ride out of that bike watching the classifieds here. Go to page 122 AND123 of the “Official Speed Concept Owners thread”. There are two 7.2’s and one 7.0 that are smokin hot.