OK guys/gals, please go easy on me. I searched first but couldn’t find any recent posts regarding this subject.
I have reached a point where I need a new TT bike. I’m new to triathlon (2014 was my first sprint triathlon) but have successfully completed 3 full Ironmans the past 3 years. (I did race bikes for a few years in the 1990s so I’m not new to cycling). My current TT bike is not working out after 2 professional fits. My husband thinks a Cervelo P3 with the Ultegra DI2 might be a good option (saw a 2018 for $4700 online). What else is out there that you recommend within this price range? If I should spend more I need to justify it.
I am signed up for my 4th Ironman in 2019 and already have an IM picked out for 2020 when I turn 50. So it will be a bike I race and train on for a long time.
A Di2 P3 for $4,700 USD is a pretty incredible value. If that is a real price, that would be my first choice. Other great value Di2 bikes around that price are the Canyon CF, Felt IA10, and Premier Tactical.
Buy a closeout P2 for ~$2500. Buy a 165mm crankarm 110 BCD quarq for $600. Buy some used super aerobars (enve ses, tririg, profile aeria, etc) for <$700. Buy some HED Jet 60/90 wheels.
Come it at less than budget for a bike that’s just as fast as pretty much anything out there.
Or, stretch your budget a little and get a Premier Tactical that comes with everything anyway.
This^^. Of course OP needs a fit and a bike that fits and should do that. That aside, you should be able to get yourself a fast frame like P2, upgrade the components, get a top aerobar, add powermeter and aero wheels for $5k. I have done it.
Buy a closeout P2 for ~$2500. Buy a 165mm crankarm 110 BCD quarq for $600. Buy some used super aerobars (enve ses, tririg, profile aeria, etc) for <$700. Buy some HED Jet 60/90 wheels.
Come it at less than budget for a bike that’s just as fast as pretty much anything out there.
Or, stretch your budget a little and get a Premier Tactical that comes with everything anyway.
This is the way to get a great bike for this price. I bought a closeout P2 for $1975, added a Power 2 Max power meter, Hed 6/ 9 wheels and fast tires, and an upgraded base bar. You can go further and upgrade to a faster cockpit or DI2, but for under just $4k you can have something that is very good for 98.5% of all triathletes.
This advice goes for everyone, but perhaps more so for you as you are already having fit problems… Use the first few hundred dollars of your budget to get fit on a fit bike PRIOR to buying a bike. Come away from the fit knowing your coordinates and which bikes will fit. You will want to be sure the bike you end up buying will fit you well and that is easily worth the cost of a fit.
Your post is a little confusing…you’ve been doing triathlons for 4 years including 3 ironman races but you consider yourself new to triathlon…you’ve had 2 professional fits which didn’t work out for unspecified reasons, but you are looking for advice from random posters on the internet who have zero info regarding your fit parameters. For all we know, they could be suggesting one of the bikes that already didn’t work out for you.
Yes, I consider myself new to triathlon when my main competitors have been doing this 10-15 years, some longer. It’s all relative. 3 Ironmans isn’t that much. My competitors have done up to dozens of full IMs. A friend has done over 30 IMs. Yes I still feel like a newbie sometimes. (I also learned to swim from complete scratch at age 42. I’m learning every day.)
Just looking for a few suggestions on different bike brands other than Cervelo around $5K (w/o race wheels) that any of you have had good experiences with for racing/training. Of course I’m doing plenty of research. And of course I’ll have another bike fit. I just began looking into new bikes and was wondering what slowtwitchers might have for ideas. I live in a remote area where there is only one bike shop that sells high end tri-bikes (which I can’t visit this weekend due to a huge snowstorm where everything’s closed)
My current bike is a BMC Time Machine 01 (bought it used from my first tri coach). It’s a great bike but due to it’s design I can’t get the headset any higher. I need it to be a little higher after the second bike fit. My neck still screams after 2-3 hours of riding. I can’t stay aero in a full Ironman during the second half. Been to PT and done lots of upper body mobility work. And still working on my upper body flexibility as it effects my swim too.
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Thanks to the couple posters with some helpful suggestions. I’ll look into them and ask our local bike shop if they sell those brands when the snow stops
Would love any female input on this too. Maybe I’ll also post this on the women’s area too.
Good bike fits are gender neutral. Every person will have an optimal saddle they prefer and optimal fit coordinates. Humans gonna be human.
Where are you located?
Your current bike sounds too small, and you probably need to size up, unless you’re not using the postural cues and techniques that a good fitter will coach you during fit sessions. Neck pain is usually a symptom of improper looking, not fit.
That said, and this goes for anybody really, your best bet is a closeout P2 with a primo aero bar like TriRig and some usedrace wheels or else a Tactical.
We are in Vermont and have a good bike fitter up here. And I’ll be visiting him again. People from MA come up to get fit by him (so the rumor goes). And they are dealers in Cervelo, Parlee and Felt.
I already have race wheels
Like I said, just looking for other suggestions on bike brands/models that have brought other Ironman athletes success and comfort.
For 4-5k you can get almost any bike you want as long as you are willing to buy used. Lots of 9k+ new bikes for sale in that price range everyday on ebay, craigslist, and facebook marketplace
