srga

Hey guys, I'm new to this whole forum thing, but thought I'd give it a go. I'm a triathlete in Australia, Melbourne in fact, and would love to hear some advice from others on what sort of bike I should pruchase when I head to NYC in July.

I'm looking for a new tri bike, and am torn between the Kestrel Talon, the Cervelo P2 SL and maybe the Giant Trinity Alliance 0 or 1 (depending on which one is the Ultegra package). What are your thoughts? Do I need the full carbon frame offered by Kestrel? Is cervelo just the acest and I should stick with them or should I go for the composite from offered by Giant, with its softness and firmness needed where necessary? I'm looking at spending <2,500 (US) for the complete package.

Many thanks guys, I'd appreciate any help or other suggestions.

srga.

Triguy

It depends on your needs and how you want your bike to fit.

The Kestrel is definately more of a road/tri bike, and Kestrel admist it.

The Cervelo P2 is a pure tri bike, meant to be ridden low and in the aero bars. It's probably the fastest, gram of drag for gram of drag of the three choices.

The Giant is also a pure tri bike, however the geometry is a little more relaxed than the Cervelo. It may be a better option if the Cervelo would have a stack of spacers to fit you.

One other option in your price range is the Felt S22, I would say it's aerodynamically almost the equal to the P2sl and offers a lot for $2000.

cjbruin

I ride a 2006 P2 SL and I like it a lot. Where I live, aluminum is a good material since our roads are very good...so the ride is not as harsh. I would buy this bike again today if I had to do it all over.

tajsss

Here's what I did when I just bought my first tri bike. Picked the bikes I liked and were in my price range. Then test rode all of them a lot and bought the one that fit best. Most tri bikes in the same price range will have similar components and stuff. So for me the fit and ride was the deciding factor.

Good luck in your search.

Dalai

I guess it depends on a few things...

What distance events? Just the local Gatorade Supersprint series or longer?

What's your flexibility/riding style?

Do you also have a roadie or will you just be using the one bike?

What

I picked up a Talon (aero) knowing in advance it was more of a road bike. I wanted a fairly conservative position for my first tri season, so my plan is to ride it through the season and dedicate it as my roadie when I'm ready for something truly steep.

Very, very happy with the Kestrel, but honestly can't wait to convert it already.

To add to what has already been mentioned, I would check out the new QRoo Tequilo and don't forget the Cervelo Dual Dura Ace. That's a sweet bike for the money (~$1800) if you can find one in your size.

But it really all comes down to what fits you the best.

srga

thanks for the reply, I intend on using the bike predominantly for the Shepparton half IM, but also for the Gatorade series yes. I have a road frame that I would use for training yes. Good to see another Aussie in here!