I'm going to look at my first tri bike this weekend. I've narrowed it down to the Cervelo Dual, the Felt S32, and the Cannondale ironman. I'm looking to get last years model for the bike. Which one would you get and why? I want a quality entry level bike that will perform well, last a while, and not blow the bank.

Thanks

All three of those will fit the bill. The thing you really need to do is ride them all back to back and see which one is more comfortable. If one sticks out, pick that one. The key to being comfortable though is being fit properly.

I just bought one of the factory blemished (bb size white spot on the top tube black Cervelo decal) 9sp Ultegra Duals from inside out sports dot com for $999. The wheels and bars are throw away but I would have changed those out on any of the lower end bikes anyway. I think they have size 56 and 58 left on this deal.

I've had a Felt S25 which shared the frame and fork with the S32s up until the 07 model.

The dual is a lot more stable and I'm able to get a lot steeper on it then the older S series Felts and I'm really happy with it so far. That said, the 07 S32s are steeper and have a reversable seatpost so they may have caught up in that respect.

Either way, I was happy with both but lean toward the Dual, and if you take a 58 or 56, the deal on the Dual can't be beat for entry level tri-bikes in my opinion.

I have an 07 S32 and like it very much. I did reverse my seatpost and found it made a big difference. I can't speak for the Cervelo or the Cannondale because I've not ridden either, but I can say the Felt is a great bike. Good luck!