Originally Posted by Tennessee

I have been doing road races (cycling) for a little while now and plan on jumping to Cat 4 next season. I enjoy doing TT's very much but currently am doing them on my regular road bike. This Fall / Winter I plan on buying a TT bike and need some advice. If the geometry on my road bike is 53cm seat tube, 54cm top tube, and 73.5' seat tube angle. I would consider myself to be pretty flexible (I have no problem standing flat footed and bending down and putting my hands palm down on the ground). I mention this because I wouldn't mind getting a bike with an aggressive riding position.

My questions are:
1. Will I need a TT bike with a similar seat tube / top tube length as my road bike? If not, how do I determine that? It seems top tube would be the important measurement but I don't know. (My lbs is excellent at doing fittings. They just don't have much of a selection of TT bikes and I probably will have to go elsewhere to buy a TT bike. I hate to go there and get fit for a TT bike just to go elsewhere to make the purchase. The other shops around are questionable at doing fittings and I just don't trust them to get me fitted to a TT bike.)
2. How much should I spend to get a good TT bike? I don't mind spending some money on a bike that will allow me to use it for a while. I don't want to get a bike and then end up wanting to upgrade after one season. I would rather spend a few extra bucks and get one that will be with me for a while.
3. Any recommendations?

Thanks for any help you can send my way. I realize it is hard to evaluate my fit from reading this post. Mostly I am looking for some basic info. so I know what to look for when beginning my search for a TT bike. I can't wait to get started.