pjcampbell

I am looking for a new Tri bike for right around $2500. I'm factoring ~$800 separately for a power meter so I do not want to spend $3300+ on a bike and not have a power meter.
I was planning on getting the new single Garmin rally Keo power pedal fwiw.

Perhaps most interesting I've found the BMC TM02 as the only bike that includes a "FULL" 105 kit (most downgrade the crank) and actually can be purchased right now (i.e. I can find one in stock...)

I am open to other bikes, but i am really not finding much out there in the price range and actually available. I am 6'2 with a 35.5" inseam

Other ideas:

Argon E-117 Force 22 (rim brake) https://www.all3sports.com/products/...39375679619166 - $2650 - It's "power meter ready" for Rotor vegas crank spider but I'd prefer the Garmin pedal to integrate with a Garmin computer and Varia radar

A QRoo PRFour Disc: https://quintanarootri.com/collectio...ts/prfour-disc $2800

I found a last year's Cervelo P 105 for $2500 but it is a 56cm . Nice price but I think it is too small.

The Felt B is actually more Ultegra than 105 but is $2900. https://feltbicycles.com/products/b-triathlon-bike

Is there anything obvious I am missing? A lot of the "Best bike under $2500/3000" articles are now outdated as manufacturers have gone disc brake only.

burnthesheep

One serious consideration if this is for Tri is what integrated things it has for hydration or otherwise included with the bike that ups the cost but saves you more than buying separately after the fact.

Same for bike fit items you might need like arm rest or cockpit tilt. That can cost a bit after the purchase and end up being less up front.

Are you considering used?

pjcampbell

LOL well now they took down the link for the BMC TM02, so I guess that is out.
For hydration I usually just use a bottle when the course slows down, I do appreciate somewhere to put a spare, co2 cartridge, etc.
I haven't found anything good used that fits either on the Pros Closet or on Facebook.

burnthesheep

Mind you, I am not a tri person. I do TT. But when training TT I buck the trend of only doing short TT bike workout rides and will sometimes ride pretty far on it. Up to 70mi or so.

When training like that, I fit the integrated front hydration system to my Trinity and run a behind saddle bottle setup. Pretty much what someone would run as a half or full IM competitor.

Being able to constantly sip at a steady pace to get hydration and nutrition on the bike really seemed to assist with how much carb I can handle per hour versus chugging at stoplights or stop signs. Doing that I couldn't really get in as much as I needed.

For tri, it's up to you, but even on a pretty cheap bike that's fitted with a front hydration system and such will be faster than the time lost to drink the traditional roadie bike method on a really nice bike.

It's a noticeable difference in average speed when I have the hydration system fitted and use the straw on training rides versus without it and reaching for my behind saddle bottles and such. They sell the torpedo between arms ones, and also the ones that mount to your extensions and fit up close to the nose of your head tube on your bike. They make them so you can refill them also.

I personally like the Trinity's front hydration idea because after you can quickly unclip it to wash in the dishes at home. Other systems with internal to frameset bladders or long hoses from mounting behind the seat tube require some disassembly and picky cleanup. It's also large enough that if you ran a single aero downtube bottle and the front hydration system it would be enough fluid for a 1/2 IM bike leg probably. It has a little rubber gasket hole where you would take the downtube bottle and squirt it into the front hydration all at once when the front is empty. You could do that once while coasting.

Next point up, is for $3500 you should be able to find a meter-included used tri bike with Di2 instead of mech 105. If I were spending anything more than $2500 on a tri bike, Di2 would be mandatory. It's just a game changer once you have it.

This is it.......the straw end is about 1.5 inch from my lips when riding in aero. The straw is silicone like so it's safe to have that close as super flexible. It's the weird thing hanging on the front end of the bike here.....

blacknbluebikes 

I think tri bikes are the best values in the used market. So many are put up for adoption by folks that aren't doing events anymore. buyers have an advantage, and for your budget you could land a really nice catch...