Triathlon - Going to start looking for new bike.. need some suggestions and plenty of questions..

I know most folks hate these kind of threads.. but I am going from a 29er mountain bike and want a road or tri bike for Tri's... I have been training and reading magazines and forums, and trying to learn all I can... so now I am ready to grab a new bike...

I probably want to keep this around $1500.. so I am looking for the best setup for that price.... I am not in an area that has many dealers near me.. Trek, Felt, Cannondale are near me.. but I am willing to travel to ATL and JAX to look.. so what I am asking is give me some models that I need to check out in person... I feel like several brands out there that are popular are quite overpriced for the component package you get (Trek for instance in there entry level seem to fit this).. but there are a lot of brands out there that I am simply not familar with either.. Which ones are "overpriced" in the $1500 range? The Felts? Treks? Cannondales? (I need advice)

(I understand the whole fit, feel, ride, and sizing thing...) just need some help choosing which "dealers to visit" since I will have to travel several hours.

Should I get a entry-roadie..(which would be less than the $1500) and put the aero clip on and ride for a year of so and then upgrade?

Should I go ahead and get the Tri even though it push my limit or may go over..

I saw some "what looked like" great deals on Quintaroo and Kuota in there entry level Tri's in the sub $2000 range.. should I splurg to get those even though I am a beginner? Or am I as a novice not going to notice any difference in a those and $1000 Cannondale/Trek/Felt roadie with aero bars?

I am not wanting this thread to be a "bash" on certain brands (so if you have a differing opinion than someone else in the thread, please direct your opinion to me.. and not to an argument with the other poster.. as I am wanting ALL the opinions I can get) even if they are different.. which will help educate me a good bit..

Thanks in advance..

btw: I am 5' 10 195lbs (and losing still) in case anyone has a sweet deal to offer (just in case)!

I'd go road bike. There is nothing wrong with racing tris on a road bike with aero bars, and a road bike is going to be way more versatile. Plus, if you decide you don't want to continue triathlon, you still have a good road bike. Once you've raced a season or two and decide you want to go to the next level, look at tri bikes. Then you still have a back up race bike and early season/group ride training bike in your road bike.

For road bikes, there are going to be an awful lot of quality bikes for that price range, so I'd focus on finding a good bike shop that you trust and will take the time to fit you properly (not just a quick look at top tube clearance.)

Thank you... You make some excellent points in respect to selecting a road bike over a tri as as first bike and to be honest a part of me is actually leaning that way.. but can you offer some examples of good quality/price road bikes that I need to find a dealer for and check out since for me the biggest issue is traveling to dealers.. (my biggest issue is not having anything but Trek dealers near me and while I own a Gary Fisher 29er (which is Trek owned).. I think the price/component package on Trek road bikes are very poor... so just finding a dealer is the hardest part..) I really need some "model" choice so I can look up and find the nearest dealer and visit in person..

There are too many bikes in this range to feel good recommending a particular one. Trek makes a decent bike, and I think you need to think about the economy of the cost of traveling to buy a different bike. Now, you may want to travel so you can try different brands and setups, but cost should probably not be the sole reason. If you do travel, I'd recommend looking at bikes in your budget from Specialized, Giant, Bianchi, Felt, and Jamis. These are good brands with some different options depending on your riding style in the price range you suggested with the last 2 generally having a better value of components for the price.

Specialized, Giant, Bianchi, Felt, and Jamis are all brands that I really haven't given much thought too.. so I am glad you noted them.. I will look up some dealers that carry them.. Thanks..

Check out the sticky on this topic (at the top of the triathlon forum). It will answer many of your questions.

There are several ways to approach this. It depends on how sophisticated you are. I went to craigslist 18 months ago and found a 2006 Fuji Aloha w/dura ace rear and 105 front for $750. It had 200 miles on the bike, all on the trainer. The mountain biker who bought it on a whim threw in the ultegra pedals, shimano shoes (right size!) and a cycleops trainer. New bike basically. I just guessed that a 58 would fit a 6 foot guy. It did and the guy had the $2100 in receipts from the bike store (ouch).

After a year I sold that for $700 (less pedals, shoes, and trainer) and bought a practically new 56cm Cervelo P2C (dura ace) with xlab extension and aero bottle. After reading slowtwitch.com's message board I figured out what size Cervelo and it fits like a glove. Paid $2k and found it on slowtwitch's classified board. Not a scratch on it and the tires still had the nubby things on them. Original owner paid 3K and did exactly one race on the bike. Next year I'm looking for wheels.

I'm glad rich guys buy stuff like this on whim and then decide to get rid of it. Do a little research and you can save a bundle. Bike fit is not rocket science. Get the triathletes training bible, read about FIST fitting and take a few pics of yourself on the bike. Most of this board would have you believe that having a pro fit you is the only way to go. I don't actually believe that. I'm in a tri club and I dog most of the guys on the bike who were pro fitted. But YOU have to educate yourself.

Edit: For example, great deal higher price range:

http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=2014842;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unr ead

Good information, thanks guys...