Triathlon - Advice on Tri Bikes

I am in the process of buying a new bike for triathlons. I am willing to spend around $5000.00. Since I am going to be spending so much, of course I want to do some research on bikes.
Please give me your advice/experience on different models and which you think I should be looking at and which I should be staying away from.


Thanks!

Erin

I've got the most personal seat time on Felt and Cervelo, and love them both. Felt has a whole new lineup for 2007, which looks pretty good. Granted, I've never used something from that price level.

What do dealers in your area carry? I'd be wary of getting something that high end without working with a good dealer. If you don't have anyone nearby you trust, I'd probably even go as far as flying/driving to one of the super high volume triathlon shops for a really good fit session.

Try a Griffen, great tri bike and awesome customer support. Good luck.

Try a Griffen, great tri bike and awesome customer support. Good luck.

I have a Griffen Vulcan, and I like it. (bought the frame for $695 slightly used) But with what you can do with Carbon Fiber, there is no way I'd pay $3500 for a Griffen Vulcan frame. I'd much rather have a Cervelo P3.

Save up a little more and have a TT01 built for you. On a serious note Orbea Ordu is a sweet ride. and i think they have a slightly less expensive version with lower stiffness Carbon Fibre weave. check em out, i used to work at a LBS and we sold three 07 Ordues, everyone seemed happy.

At least look at a Cannondale Six13 Slice.

I have been seriously looking into the Cervelo P3C.

My local Bike shop does carry Cervelo (Although Im sure this would have to be ordered in). I am very comfortable with them and have bought all my previous bikes and gear from there.

Any Cervelo Riders out there?

Erin

Me!

Though just a lowly P2K. Honestly, I think they've nailed a LOT of the little details on their bikes, though other builders seem to have caught up. If that's what your dealer has, I'd go for it without hesitation assuming they can get your fit dialed in. With the super-wide range of saddle positions it's pretty likely they'll be able to get you comfy on one.

What are you on right now, how well does it fit, and how do you like it?

I currently own a Trek 1000 that i've had for 2 years, but I have been renting a Giant TCR 2 for racing (which I do like). My trek is just a starter bike, I like it for training and biking around town.


Erin

Giant is releasing tri bikes this year that will be worth a look.

Any bike in that range will be fine. The key is finding what fits you.

Me personally? I'd take $100 and go get a triathlon specific fit. Then I'd spend $500 on a Renn Disc, $400 on a front trispoke or deep front, $150 on an aero helmet. Now with the 3500 you have left over and the numbers you have from the fit, pick a bike from there.

Bikes to look at are Elite Razor(custom made for you and my personal pick)
Cervelo P2K, P2C or P3
Fuji Aloha CF2 or Aloha 1.0
Felt B2
Guru Trilite
Quintana Roo Caliente

This is definitly the most useful thing I have done over the internet. Thanks everyone for the advise.

I find it so hard to decide. I like Giant Bikes, if they come out with a tri specific, I would definitly be interested. I have all winter to research and plan my new bike.

Has anyone had any experience in having a bike fitted for them? Should I trust my local bike shop, or is there a "special place" to go to get bikes fitted?

THANKS!

Have a great weekend

Erin

Personally, I wouldn't trust a local place unless you've got a relationship with them and they've done lots of tri fits before. It's a pretty different position than a regular road bike with a lot of subtleties. There are a handful of shops in the country that do TONS of TT/tri fits - for the money you're putting down, I think it would make perfect sense to take a drive or get a plane ticket vs. risking it locally unless you've got a shop you like that does a good amount of tri/TT business. (Two places that come to mind are bikesportmichigan.com and all3sports.com)

Without dissing the Giant, I'd personally put a lot of stock in the fact that companies like Felt, Cervelo, Quintana Roo, etc. have essentially been specializing in TT/Tri bikes for years, if not longer. (Maybe Felt to a lesser extent.) For them, it's a dedication, a reason to exist. For Giant, it's just another market segment on the corporate resume. In the past, a few of the big bike makers have tried to enter this market by creating close copies of bikes made by the specialist companies, but they've often gotten most of the details totally wrong and ended up with inferior products. (Again, not dissing Giant, just making a point. . . )

Where are you located? I can give you some good places in somewhat of an area around you.

Anywhere near Ohio or Michigan, visit Wheelie Fun Sports in Ohio or Bikesport Michigan in MI.

I'm in Halifax Nova Scotia, Where we prefer to put our tax dollars towards sick smokers as opposed to Bike paths.

We only have one reputable bike store, called Cyclesmith. They really treat you well there, and so far have been able to answer any questions I have. I just don't know how much they really know about triathlons.

Erin

If you want the ultimate in comfort and aerodynamics look for Softride.



If you want a more traditional frame that has all the good properties of steel, titanium, aluminum, CF and none of their weakness look at Griffen Vulcan:



If you want the lightest and money is no object and you can wait:





http://www.theforumlounge.com/v/BATMAN/?g2_page=10

Was this just an excuse to show off those..........unique.........bikes of yours?

Without dissing the Giant, I'd personally put a lot of stock in the fact that companies like Felt, Cervelo, Quintana Roo, etc. have essentially been specializing in TT/Tri bikes for years, if not longer. (Maybe Felt to a lesser extent.) For them, it's a dedication, a reason to exist. For Giant, it's just another market segment on the corporate resume. In the past, a few of the big bike makers have tried to enter this market by creating close copies of bikes made by the specialist companies, but they've often gotten most of the details totally wrong and ended up with inferior products. (Again, not dissing Giant, just making a point. . . )

In general, I think you have a point. However Giant has done a pretty good job making TT bikes for a guy named Uhlrich, and they've built a gazillion bikes. And they have the reputation for being the best builder of CF frames from a quality point of view. My LBS has sold Giants for years, and has never had a warranty claim on a Giant CF frame, much less a mass recall such as Cervelo.

How many of those TT bikes were Giants though?

While this thread has seemed to develop some good momentum...it's odd to me that no real details re: what you will be doing with the bike have been discussed. What length tris are you planning to do? Are you trying to win your age group, qualify for Kona, beat your best friend, just complete an IM? How tall are you? Why $5K?

I could come up with several options for you for that money but they might all be wrong.

cslone, recent years Ulrich has been riding Giant, I think there were only one or two years he was on Walser.

I somewhat agree about Giant making their tribikes, but then again, I would say QRoo and Felt both went the way of poor tri geometry from 2003-2004 in their 700c bikes.

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/030.000.000/030.000.006.asp?model=11464

Steep seat angles, slack head tubes, look all right to me. I linked to the A1, because the A0s spec doesn't seem to justify another $1000

cslone, recent years Ulrich has been riding Giant, I think there were only one or two years he was on Walser.

I somewhat agree about Giant making their tribikes, but then again, I would say QRoo and Felt both went the way of poor tri geometry from 2003-2004 in their 700c bikes.

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/030.000.000/030.000.006.asp?model=11464

Steep seat angles, slack head tubes, look all right to me. I linked to the A1, because the A0s spec doesn't seem to justify another $1000

Yeah, now that I think about it, I beleive the Walsers were when he was on Bianchis??

for that dough, you could look custom.
I have a custom independent fabrication tri bike.
Fits like a glove.
Elite is also a very popular custom tri frame.
http://www.elitebicycles.com/
http://www.ifbikes.com/

In general, I think you have a point. However Giant has done a pretty good job making TT bikes for a guy named Uhlrich, ....

In "Lance Armstrong's War" the author says that Jan's 2002 TT bike was made by Andy Walser, a Swiss custom frame builder.

I was in your situation a couple of months ago. Tried quite a few different onces, but kept going back to the Quintana Roo line... Ended up with a QR Lucero with full Dura-Ace and Real Design SuperSonic 60 wheels. When you are about to spend that much money, you really owe it to yourself go be picky and to test ride everything, and don´t be afraid to also test bikes in a slightly lower price range... There´s always opportunities to upgrade something..... :)

I would seriously look at the Guru Chrono or the Guru Trilite. Both can be custom made according to your body measurments and likes/dislikes. You can also pick the paint job adn put any personaizling on it you need. Check out Gurubikes.com and then look for a dealer in your area. Very good craftsmanship.