Triathlon - <$2500 TRI bike recommendations

I will be in the market for a new tri bike soon, and the budget is about $2500. I have done some research and am mainly considering:

Felt B14 http://www.feltbicycles.com/USA/2010-Product-Catalog/TT-TRI/TT-TRI-Series/B14.aspx
Cervelo P2C http://www.cervelo.com/bikes.aspx?bike=P22009
Orbea Ora TLE http://www.orbea-usa.com/fly.aspx?layout=bikes&taxid=66&pid=431
Quintana Roo Seduza http://quintanarootri.com/G&C/seduza/seduza_spec.html

I plan on riding each of these in the near future, but I appreciate any input.

All lovely bikes.
Felt B16 at 2k strikes me as better value. With a wheel cover and a used Hed3 on the front it would be as good as anything.
Fit (and your bike fitter) is the key here I feel.

Best of luck.

I think the Orbea fits quite a bit differently than the other three in almost all of the sizes.

The Cervelo and Felt from what I know of bike are more aerodynamic than the Quintana Roo.

Here's my take:
The Cervelo. Components are proven, no nonsense, good quality componentry. Shimano Ultegra all the way through except FSA brakes and cranks, Shimano wheels, also some nice touches like Vision brake levers and a Fizik Arione tri seat.

The Felt. It's probably more aerodynamic out of the box with the 40mm deep wheels. Yet Felt is sneaking in a lot of their name branded components to keep costs down while giving you "more bike", like the Felt wheels, Felt saddle, Felt aerobar, and Microshift shifters, etc.

The Quintana Roo is a different bike altogether. It's a little bit down specced compared to the Cervelo and Felt. Proven frameset thats been around forever in different iterations.

I own a Felt B2 and a lot of times wish I had gone with the P2.

All lovely bikes.
Felt B16 at 2k strikes me as better value. With a wheel cover and a used Hed3 on the front it would be as good as anything.

Fit (and your bike fitter) is the key here I feel.

Best of luck.

Ya, I was originally looking at the B16, but I think I would be swaying more towards the B14 because it has the bayonet front end and ultegra components.

I also agree about the fit being the most important thing. I have been told to buy a bike with the best/highest quality frame and upgrade components later if necessary.

Have you been on any of these bikes or heard anything about them (good or bad experiences?)

this should help:
http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/reviews/2500wars.shtml

All good bikes. I doubt you can go wrong with any of them. I'd say just buy the one that is the prettiest...

All good bikes. I doubt you can go wrong with any of them. I'd say just buy the one that fits the best...

fixed

I am in the exact situation right now. I rode my trusty Trek road bike in the Tri's last year, but figured if I am going to do them all again this year I am upgrading the bike. I am leaning heavily towards the Cervelo and the Felt. It does seem that a lot of folks bag on the Cervelo as being the Fred version of a tri bike..... but they do have a pretty good price point vs. standard equipment. I currently have the Tiagra set up on the Trek, so figure that 105 would be a step up like moving from Kia to a Buick and Ultegra would be like moving up to a Caddy.

Honestly, I was in your same position and went with a used P3 aluminum. I love it!

For example you can get good deals like this one that comes with carbon race wheels. (http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?icep_ff3=2&pub=5574735911&toolid=10001&campid=5336500248&customid=&icep_item=260543655838&ipn=psmain&icep_vectorid=229466&kwid=902099&mtid=824&kw=lg)

Other deals come up if you keep your eyes out. I got a 58cm P3 alu with Ultegra for $1100 shipped.

If you dont want used, I'd stick with Cervelo they are top notch in many regards.

Have you been on any of these bikes or heard anything about them (good or bad experiences?)

Alas no. My current tri bike I built up myself for around €200. There´s no need to spend $2500 unless you want to, which is fine. It´s a free country and most importantly of all it´s your money. All have a good rep though. I repeat - go on how the bike fits.

Looks like another excuse to post a picture of my cheapo Canyon build up from last summer:

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj158/simon_milan/bikes011.jpg

And here is a sneak picture of my winter build, which is going to be a dual purpose long distance TT/ race machine. The frame was €53 on eBay, most of the other stuff is coming out of the parts bin, just got to find a fork and a headset (the fork pictured is a bit too short up top). Lots of fun putting this together:

http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj158/simon_milan/IMG_3263.jpg

In the background you can just about see Mrs Barchetta´s KTM/Trek road bike, again put together very cheaply from Ebay bits on which she absolutely rips, and my cheapy Jan Ullrich road thrashabout bike, another eBay special.

Ya, I was originally looking at the B16, but I think I would be swaying more towards the B14 because it has the bayonet front end and ultegra components.

I also agree about the fit being the most important thing. I have been told to buy a bike with the best/highest quality frame and upgrade components later if necessary.

Have you been on any of these bikes or heard anything about them (good or bad experiences?)


The bayonet front end starts at the B2.

I have a B12 08' and love it! Test ride the Felts and the others. When going for a new Tri ridge I narrowed it down to 3 bikes. The Cervelo P2/P3, Cannondale Slice and the Felt B2/B12. I test rode the P2, Slice and B12 before I made my discussion with the Felt B12 based on what fit me the best, price points, stiffness and comfort. The Felt is a great aero frame for the money.

They didn’t have the B14 and B16 models when I bought. All three B12, B14 and B16 are essential the same frame and same aero. So any money saved can go to a better set of race wheels.

The bayonet front end starts at the B2.

I have a B12 08' and love it! Test ride the Felts and the others. When going for a new Tri ridge I narrowed it down to 3 bikes. The Cervelo P2/P3, Cannondale Slice and the Felt B2/B12. I test rode the P2, Slice and B12 before I made my discussion with the Felt B12 based on what fit me the best, price points, stiffness and comfort. The Felt is a great aero frame for the money.

They didn’t have the B14 and B16 models when I bought. All three B12, B14 and B16 are essential the same frame and same aero. So any money saved can go to a better set of race wheels.
just to add to what he said: the B12, B14 and B16 all have the exact same High Modulus modular carbon fiber frame, same exact geometries and specs EXCEPT that the B16 does not have the "3KP finish". from what i've researched that seems to be a difference of less than 0.1% stiffness, and adds like 15-20grams to the overall frame weight. (aka it's an incredibly miniscule difference)

Forks:
- none of the B12/B14/B16s have the bayonet front end that the DA & B2 have.
- the B12's forks are "Felt 3.2 Airfoil carbon fiber bladed with 1" steerer"
- the B14 & B16 forks are "Felt 3.3 Airfoil carbon fiber bladed with aluminum 1" steerer"


along w/ the "lesser" components, the B16 also comes with "lesser" base bars than the B12/B14. which are very sub-par compared to the B12/B14 bars ("Felt Bayonet 6061 T6 base bar"). BUT, if your LBS is good and willing to work with you, you should easily be able to swap the bars for the B12/B14 bars fairly easily. my LBS said they'd upgrade the bars for free (given that i purchase the bike at the $1,999 MSRP).

i realllllly liked the B16 vs the P2C in my test rides.

the B12-16 series bikes are just so well put together and incorporate a ton of trickle-down influences from the DA: the overall frame geometry, the hidden rear brake, the internal routing, same seat post, same shape base bar(just not carbon fiber), lower fork is the same basic shape (just no bayonet top end), front wheel 'cut-out' is the same, etc.

i mean if you took a naked(non-painted) DA frame only(no fork) and sat it next to a naked B16 frame, you would most likely never be able to tell the difference (unless you're an expert in carbon fiber weaves)

put the P2, or heck even the P3 frame up next to the P4 frame and there's a TON of differences. i like how Felt uses it's top-of-the-line, $10,000 model's frame geometry all the way down to it's entry-level $2,000 model frame.


i plan on doing a few more test rides of longer length when my LBS gets some more bikes in stock in my size, but for me the B16 with the upgraded T6 base bar is winning the race to be my next tri bike. and it's hard to beat the $1,999 price tag!

Keep in mind at that price range you'll get a junky crank and a really junky set of wheels. Both will need upgrading and that will be more money.

YES! Get a bike that fits best. If it comes down to several choices that fit you well, my preference would be on Cervelo. You'll have to lose the FSA crank though. They are awful.

What is wrong with the FSA crank....I have one on my Cervelo, is there something I should watch out for?

I bought the P2C and have never regretted it. The fit was right for me and it performs. That said, I don't think you have a bad one on the list. I would probably be looking at either the Felt or the Cervelo - those were the two I narrowed it down to. Not sure how much wind tunnel testing QR has done, maybe someone else can chime in. As far as the FSA cranks go. I've heard some folks complain about them, but I've had a basic Gossamer on my roadie for 4 years or so and never had a single issue with it. Same for my P2C - sprints and an Iron distance - never a hiccup. Heavier that an Ultegra SL or 6700? Sure, but I've got more work to do on the engine before I drop my crankset for something lighter.

The FSA cranks are, as I said in another thread, heavy but function fairly well. I think mine came loose once, it was very apparent before anything happened and it's something you can fix on the road. Loosen non driveside crank arm pinch bolts, tighten bearing load cap tighten pinch bolts.

Well I have ridden all three brands just different models. I own a QR Lucero Lite, which is the same geo as the seduza. It was a close call between the cervelo and QR. The felt didn't fit me well at all. I went with the QR as my LBS had them and strongly recommends them since I am just doing tris. I'd say ride them and go from there

Keep in mind at that price range you'll get a junky crank and a really junky set of wheels. Both will need upgrading and that will be more money.
obviously. but that's why i train on crappy wheels and race on great aero wheels.

What is wrong with the FSA crank....I have one on my Cervelo, is there something I should watch out for?

They are HEAVY. Gossamer Mega Exo compact (standard on lots of Cervelos) with BB weights almost exactly 2 lbs. And I've heard from lots of riders that they start to tick after about 1000 miles. Mine isn't ticking yet, but it has blown the BB gasket. I can't ride in the rain until I fix it.