900aero

Thanks man.
The bike is stiff, despite the carbon forks & post but I'm used to a pretty stiff steel frame so it feels ok. I'm still working on shorter, sprint triathlons and so a tight bike is ok so far and frankly, its a better bike than I am rider at this point.

By the way, do you know the difference between the regular P3 and the SL? What does SL mean? Super Light?

Triguy

P3 was the name for the older version which had paint. P3sl was the name of the newer models which were anodized. It did mean super light, the change from paint to anodizing lost something like 75-125 grams off the frame.

900aero

thnx for the info. I'll try to remember those grams next time I'm cursing up a hill. Its a great bike either way.

triathntraining

I am just beginning to get into bike riding as I currently swim and run. I am a beginner and looking to start getting into bike training. I want to start with a road bike as I think this would be best for me at this time. Given that, I saw an add for a 2008 Specialized Allez Road Bike with a 56 cm frame for 800$ with triathlon add-ons (other than the pedals and water bottle holder) include aerobars. The components are tiagra and shimano. The bike has hardly been used.

I was also told that I can easily adjust the seat if 56 cm is too small or too large, but being the novice I am I would probably not know the difference.

Is this a good bike for a beginnger? Is this a good price for the bike and the accessories?

General thoughts? Please help!

10 Wheels

How tall are you?

triathntraining

I am 5'9

triathntraining

5'9

triathntraining

bueller?... anyone?

sirious94

bike is good, but TRY IT OUT. No person on the internet can tell exactly if a bike is right for you even if they knew all of your measurements, but I think you are in the right ballpark with a 56. Price is alright, but not a steal.

gazelle5333

need to disagree with you again sirious...while it may be able to be made into a decent fitting bike, at 5'9 you should really be looking at a 54cm. FWIW, I am 5'9.5" and was professionally fit by my LBS for my brand new Tarmac(my allez elite got totaled in an encounter with a car) and I landed smack dab in the middle of the 54. Unless you have odd proportions, you should really look to a 54 IMO

Triguy

At 5'9" a 52cm may even be appropriate for some people.

Just because I recently went through tri bike shopping(not that I wanted to, someone stole my old bike) I thought I might add some thoughts up here.

Trek - Trek overhauled their line up for 2011. They now have three "lines" the 2 series of aluminum, the 7 series of carbon but with a standard front end and a 9 series with an integrated fork and front brake. I ended up buying a Speed Concept 9.5 so I thought I'd throw some thoughts out here. The bike looks ridiculously aerodynamic, the tubes measure 28X80mm in most places, the headtube is under 30mm thick at the narrowest point, the integrated handlebars are also very thin and the fork looks clean.

Trek's biggest selling point to me was the good fit, integrated accessories and flexibility of the bike for longer course racing. There is 2 bottle mounts in the frame, and even one possible one on the top tube that would probably accept an aero bottle and not interfere with a person's knees. There are Bontrager aero bottles, a more integrated "bento box" and a "draft box" which functions as a more aerodynamic seatpack for carrying a spare tube.

The bike fits very "midde ground". It's not as long and low as Cervelo's P3/4 and it's not as tall as Blue's Triad. It's middle of the ground. The 9 series comes stock with a 60/45 stem. You can also get a shorter 50/10 stem or a longer 100/45 stem or a long and low 100/10. There is more stem sizes but honestly, you should probably buy a different bike if you are looking for that much height. The stock stem allows me on a size small to get 12.5cm of drop with a 71.5cm saddle height. I normally ride with 14cm of drop but am hesitant to go with the 50/10 stem.

The frameset felt lighter than my old Felt B2 setup but I didn't get a weight on it.

So far the bike is fairly amazing to me. I've setup the brakes myself. The front brake is actually fairly impressive in setup and function, I really like it. The rear is more of the difficulty you would expect from a something thats completely hidden from sight. The function on the bike is good on both, I haven't thought about them yet which is a good thing.

Because I was helped out by a shop, I got a pre order model but I would stongly recommend Project One if you are interested in the speed concept. It costs like $10 extra and a few extra weeks but you could actually get a $5150 rival equipped Speed Concept and get the color of your choice.

Nitpicks would be that the basebar grip on the bike has an upturned part that to me is unnecessary. They should have left that off and the length and basebar would have been perfect to me. Oh well. Second would be that there is no micro adjust on the rear brake, so if your cable stretches after install, then you need to open the rear cover and re-tighten the brake manually which is a pretty big pain from my perspective. I'm looking to get a brake lever which would offer a small amount of adjustment.

holten53

Hey all, this is my first time posting and I could really use some help deciding on a bike to buy for my upcoming triathlon. This will be my second triathlon coming up in april. In my first triathlon I used a mountain bike and I now know how important it is to use a road bike this time.

So here is my question: I am trying to decide between a few different bikes in the $700 to $800 dollar range I know my choices are very limited in this range, but I can't put any more money into a bike. I have looked at the Felt F95, Z100, and the Trek 1.1. I have only ridden the Trek as of now and wasnt completely impressed. I am leaning toward the F95 because it has upgrades on the Trek such as better derailleurs and a carbon fork. I also like that the frame is more of a tri geometry.

I have also checked out ebay and craigslist but have not found any good deals yet. I would rather buy from an LBS for the free maintenance and fitting since I am new to biking.

My triathlon is only 6 weeks away and I really need to get started with my bike training, so any advice or suggestions are welcome!

Thanks!

dmikester1

Not that I have the money to buy this. But I'm just curious to hear your guy's thoughts. How would this work for a tri? And is it a good deal?
https://eauclaire.craigslist.org/bik/2379171751.html
Thanks
Mike

Jbfresh

Hi all I am a begginer triathalete im 16 and am currently training on my dads 1986 velo sport perstige with shimano 600 and and a new rear weel. he also put thicker tires in it because my older brother was riding it and did not feel comfortable on the race style tires. i can post a picture. can anyone give me upgrade suggestions I am training for a sprint tri. or should I buy a new bike I save all my money and i could manage to spend around 1000 on a new bike but would perfer not to.

thanks for your help

Krubious

I'm comparing Quintana Roo cd0.1 ultega vs cevelo p3. I'm looking for some feed back. Also these two bikes are in my price range so if you would like to recommend something else go a head.

I have road both I like both

www.trirubio.com

TXBamanut

Hey guys, new to biking, triathlons and the forum (I'm not even a beginner triathlete yet). Just branching from strictly running (5ks and such), and am thinking of dipping my feet into a sprint triathlon. I don't want to invest huge (there's probably a very different meaning to that word between me and some of you), but I was thinking about starting with a Hybrid and fitting it with some thinner tires. My thinking is that if I don't stay doing triathlons that I will keep biking and my kids are just getting to the biking age, so it could double as something I could ride over ground with if need be. If I stay with the tri's and go longer or get more serious about it, then I'll sink money, but just not sure yet.

I was looking at a used Fuji Absolute 2.0 2009...what are you guys opinions on that plan, keeping in mind, I'm going from "no ride in 25 years" to this...no laughing.

leisha481

I bought the base model (white) Cervello S5 as an all round Tri and road bike, fitted the 3T aluminum Erganova bars with Profile Design T3 plus bars. I am fitting Campy Athena EPS with Super Record Ti crank with CULT bearings. Have Campy Bullet Ultra CULT wheels, with aluminum braking surface. I like the additional hand positions compared to the reduced aero compared to TT base bars. Seat in front positions in aero position with a ISM Adamo TT seat works awesome for TT position. My wife has a speed concept with DA DI2 HED Jet 6 FR, works well for her.

leisha481

Athena EPS with Super Record Crank installed and working like a charm!

Garfield Cat

Every year there is a bike count and equipment count at the Kona Ironman. The results are published by LAVA magazine. Admittedly, the professionals are in this count and they most likely are sponsored by those very manufacturers. If we subtract those out, and end up with participants with no sponsorship with the major manufacturers (because manufacturers cannot sponsor everyone), what do you suppose that bike count to be like?

4157 Linden Ave

I have a road bike as well as a mountain bike,both are quite awesome.

johnj2803

I am new to triathlon and bought a road bike for my triathlon needs. I have since raced 2 sprint distances.

I am wondering based on geometry, I have an endurance road bike (I have a look 566), if a racing geometry would be a better hybrid for a tri bike. What do you guys think?

I know comfort is of utmost importance when choosing a bike especially for those new to a sport. So a racing geometry would probably make for a more uncomfortable ride generally?

So does it even matter?

Thanks!

Okolsen

How about Merida Warp 5000? It`s for full Ironman


Or is there anything that is clearly better?

Thanks for all answear`s

VK_Rides84

Hello all!

I would love your advise. I am recently getting back into biking as I haven’t touched one for 20 years.

I bought a hybrid bike with the family as I now have a 3 year old. As I am also going through medical issues I found the focus, challenge and freeing side cycling addicting.

I already have my eyes on getting a true road bike. I would like to start training to possible do a Tri. I would like to start with a sprint of Olympic length. Would I be at a large disadvantage using a quality road bike or do you heavily recommend a tri bike for a beginner?

Cheers!