Starter Bike for Sprints
207
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1268 days
rb85cj7 posted 3 years ago.
you are about to open the "who makes the best bike debate".
I can't tell you i only had $650 to work with. I wish i could spend 2500. that would be AWESOME
42
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1920 days
new tri mom posted 3 years ago.
Oops not meaning to open a debate! :)
I am giving myself some time to save so that's why the higher $$$.
95
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1589 days
virturace posted 3 years ago.
For 2K plus, you can have pretty much the pick of the litter. Actually, for that money, you could buy a great tri and a great road bike - which might not be a bad choice if you plan on joining a cycling club.
Speaking as someone who just dropped 1800 on their first ever bike, I would try to stick a hair below your budget and leave some money in the bank for a few months. After you ride whichever bike you choose for a while, you're start figuring out which parts you want to swap out or upgrade. For example, I went with the Felt S25 tri bike - LOVE THE BIKE! But, I'm not crazy about the aero bars - a fact that I didn't really realize until after I had ridden it for a couple of months.
Wheels are the other big thing. There are a lot of options and depending on the amount that you spend on the bike and wheelset, you might want/need a set of training wheels and one for races.
In short, I ride Felt - I love Felt. You get tremendous value. I've heard iffy comments regarding support, but I bought the bike from a fantastic LBS in Scottsday (Tribe Multisport), and I trust that they would make good on anything Felt would not. For 1500, I got full Dura Ace, tri geometry, Profile Design aerobars, etc. on a bike that is fast, fast, fast. In your case, that would leave $1000 in the tank for some ZIPP 404 wheels. Not a bad problem to have.
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1920 days
new tri mom posted 3 years ago.
Virturace - I had never thought about that before -- leaving some $$ aside for the extras. Thanks for the advice!!! I'm not very familiar w/ Felt so I need to do some research I guess!
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350
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1409 days
tcrunner07 posted 3 years ago.
i love my bike..felt b2..but that is outta your price range...but i am not a fan of Trek...thats just my 2 cents
If you get a flat, and don't have a tube, Suck it up and run it in!!!
834
Member
1360 days
JamieM posted 3 years ago.
Felts are great bikes from what I've heard, but I have to put in a plug fo Trek here. They're great bikes as well, I rode Treks for years and sold them for awhile as well. Quality products and great customer service. Can't go wrong.
That said Ace makes a great point about getting a raod and tri bike. If you are planning on joining in on some club rides, look into a road bike. Club riders get a little nervous about doing group rides with anyone with aerobars.
And as a former bike shop employee I'd have to recommend finding a good LBS to buy from. This relationship can be almost as important as which bike you buy. FInd a dealer with good knowledge, especially with regards to fit. A good shop should be willing to work with you on fit, even doing same dollar part swaps at little or no charge to custom the fit of the bike you're buying. If you look into a shop and they don't take whatever time you feel is necessary for you to be comfortable on whatever you're looking for, find another shop.
Find a good shop with friendly, knowledgeable staff and drop some money on a good bike, whatever the brand (I have to be honest here, I used to ride Trek but have moved onto an Aegis recently and couldn't be happier). The relationship you can develop can pay off later in information, discounts and good advice.
Sorry to preach but I've been in too many shops that didn't care about giving people more than a price. Just my $.02.
Jamie
I currently have an old steel frame road bike w/ some updates (i.e. new wheels, carbon fork, etc).
This was my first tri season and I'm already looking forward to the '06 season. I hope to buy a new bike for next year but I'm not really looking to spend more than $2,000-$2,500. I think this is a reasonable budget for someone only doing sprints and possibly an oly or two. But correct me if I'm wrong! :)
Any brand suggestions for me? I am 5'8" with very long legs -- the mgr at my lbs suggested a Trek Pilot model.
TIA!
Tami