Triathlon - Road bike for new triathlete - recommendations?

Training for a first triathlon and looking for a road bike I can train and race on. My budget is $1000-1500. I am 5' 8" - 155lbs and was measured this weekend for a 52cm frame. I am a lifelong runner and have done marathons in the past, but would like to cross train for a triathlon now.

Any recommendations would be appreciated - I've done research on some bikes (the Cannondale Synapse 6 has been recommended to me) but would love further advices... thanks!

Cervelo S1. Relatively cheap, nice aero frame, and with a little adjusting can be cranked into almost TT/Tri geometry...

Of course that's a little steep, so I'd be looking for a used deal on a Soloist Team (the old name for the S1) or a Cervelo Dual.

I'm exactly the same size and ride a 54 cm frame, how did you get measured?

That said I have a Bikesdirect bike that I'm upgrading, but if you want to get a ready to ride bike my buddy uses a Specialized Allez for triathlons thats right in your price range and is real nice, its not as light as mine but it seems pretty quick.

With road bikes, you have a lot of choices so I would find a good local bike shop or 2 to test ride several bikes in that price range to find what works best for you. You want a good all around road bike so that if the tri thing doesn't work out, you still have a good road bike. If it does work out, then you have a good base training bike to use in addition to your tri bike.

You do not need to look just at aero frame bikes like the Cervelo (or Kestrel Talon is another option) for your road bike. Frame aerodynamics is relatively low in overall aero importance so go with the highest quality, most comfortable road bike you can find. You'll have plenty of time to obsess over how aero every part is when you buy a tri bike.

For the price range you mentioned, you should be able to get a good aluminum or steel frame with Ultegra/Force/Centaur components. The upper end of your price range will get you entry level carbon with lesser components. Unless you really crave a carbon bike, go with the better components all comfort issues being equal. Carbon is trumpeted as more comfortable, but frame design, wheel type, and tire pressure have way more to do with comfort than frame materials.

If you are wanting to be competitive right away, I would make sure you save enough money for short clip on aero bars, like the Profile Jammer or Vision Tech Mini. The aero bars are the single most important thing you'll need to be faster aerodynamically. This means you'll want your LBS to fit you on your bike or hire a professional fitter to do it. You want to be able to stay in the aero bars long periods of time or you might a well not use them. If you are new to road bike riding, you may want to wait until you are comfortable riding the bike "as is" before you put the areo bars on.

If you still have some money left, get a good entry level wet suit. If you still have money after that, get TT helmet and a wheel disk cover from Wheelbuilder.com. If you still have money after that, you've gone over your budget or didn't get a nice enough road bike.

Interesting... I went to a pretty well respected bike shop here in Los Angeles and was measured on a bike frame set-up for taking measurements on people. I had flip-flops on (rookie mistake I guess) and they did mention this may add some height... thanks for the input.

Interesting... I went to a pretty well respected bike shop here in Los Angeles and was measured on a bike frame set-up for taking measurements on people. I had flip-flops on (rookie mistake I guess) and they did mention this may add some height... thanks for the input.

They are probably righter than I am! I did my measurement using competitive cyclist online. 52 just seems a little small only because I have the 54 and the seatpost far extended up, etc, but in reality, 2 cm is potato vs potato probably.

At $1500 there are a lot of great bikes out there. Go test ride a couple from some nice shops and buy what feels good.

As for sizing - different companies have different geometries, so if you fit a 54 in one bike, you might fit a 52 or a 56 in another. I ride a 58 Specialized, but also fit on a 56 Trek.

Training for a first triathlon and looking for a road bike I can train and race on. My budget is $1000-1500. I am 5' 8" - 155lbs and was measured this weekend for a 52cm frame. I am a lifelong runner and have done marathons in the past, but would like to cross train for a triathlon now.

Any recommendations would be appreciated - I've done research on some bikes (the Cannondale Synapse 6 has been recommended to me) but would love further advices... thanks!

Hey, I am also a beginner training for a triathlon. So far I did a biathlon race. My question to you is, are you good with using clipless pedals? I have a horrible experience with it, I fell a lot. People might start making fun of me here, but my point is, maybe u want to invest in a slightly cheaper bike. I have a Felt Z90 and got it for $725 after taxes. Its a pretty cheap bike, and when i did fall, i didn't feel that bad, because its my first bike and when I do get better is when I invest in a more expensive bike.

However, if you're familiar and good at using clipless pedals, just disregard my message.

Some cheap bikes that I think that are actually good.

Specialized Allez Double and the Jamis Ventura Comp. Both goes for around 800 or less. These frames, in my opinion is also very nice. they are light and comes with carbon fiber forks.

My question to you is, are you good with using clipless pedals? I have a horrible experience with it, I fell a lot. People might start making fun of me here, but my point is, maybe u want to invest in a slightly cheaper bike.

DO NOT GET A CHEAPER BIKE FOR THIS REASON! You certainly can get a decent bike for $700, but you can get a great road bike for $1500. It you've got the money budgeted for this, I would not cheap out. Go for great, not acceptable.

As for falling down, I think you need to practice because I don't think they are that hard. I commute everyday in clipless in heavy traffic, and I can't remember the last time I fell down (which means I'll be falling over this evening!) Put your bike in a trainer or have someone hold up the bike while you practice clipping in and out about 50 times. Then ride around on a soft grassy patch and clip in and out another 50 times. It will be second nature by the time you are done.