Should I buy a tri bike?
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Triguy98 posted 2 years ago.
A proper fitting bike is an essential thing. It WILL help you go faster.
I dont think I would go for the Leader frame, though.I was leaning that way, too, when considering my bike purchase. I would wait till the end of this year, saving money all the while, and get a closeout tri bike from an LBS or offline.
Life is short. Play hard and get dirty doing it.
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deepbluex posted 2 years ago.
Triguy98 wrote:
A proper fitting bike is an essential thing. It WILL help you go faster.I dont think I would go for the Leader frame, though.I was leaning that way, too, when considering my bike purchase. I would wait till the end of this year, saving money all the while, and get a closeout tri bike from an LBS or offline.
What's bad about the Leader frame?
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Triguy98 posted 2 years ago.
TALL head tube would be the knock on the newest frame.
Also, how do you know youre going to like this frame? The handling and everything? Its a STEEP set up, and you might not like being that steep. Might wanna test ride a few tri bikes at shops and compare the geometries to the leader. QR would be the closest, in all likelyhood, to how the Leader would feel.
Aero forks aint cheap. And making sure you get one with the right amount of rake and offset for this particular frame....
I have also read some complaints about Leader's slow response to warranty claims. Not something I would like if I was to buy a bike from them, and one of the ultimate causes of my not getting their frame.
ONe other obersvation: they dont list the chainstay length in the geometry table. They look pretty long proportionally to the rest of the frame... at least for a tri bike. i just measured it out. Unless their pic is squashed or something... those are LONG chainstays. I doubt those horizontal droputs would do any good, thats how far the tire would be from the cut out. Measurments off my own bike : Top tub length: 24" Chainstays: 15" .625 proportionate ratio. Leader (from the pic): 1.5" tt and 1.25" chainstay, .833 proportion....
Life is short. Play hard and get dirty doing it.
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glbrum posted 2 years ago.
Whatever you do, make sure you get low and aero. I saw a guy out this morning on a P3SL (cervelo) and it looked like he was holding the pads climbing a hill sitting straight up. Yet, it was a slight downhill and he was in his aerobars. It was about us un-aerodynamic position as I've seen. If you are going to spend the money, you better make it worthwhile. It will uncomfortable to be in an aggresive aero position at first, but you will adjust.
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deepbluex posted 2 years ago.
glbrum wrote:
Whatever you do, make sure you get low and aero.
If I do get the tri bike, I will make sure to do that. In fact, this is one of my road bike's situation I'm finding to be an issue. The tall 60cm frame results in a very long head tube which puts me up very high on the handlebar. I can't raise my seat up above it to compensate because it's already a tall frame to begin with so my seat is not raised up more than an inch and a half above the top fo the seat tube.
I do feel my front end could ride lower and therefore be more "aero".
Does this lowered stance cause any problems with breathing from being crunched up like a fetus?
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Triguy98 posted 2 years ago.
No, because you go lower, you also elongate your upper body. Poor fit and setup can result in funky things, like a hunched back or whatever.
Life is short. Play hard and get dirty doing it.
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bigdogtwo posted 2 years ago.
Shop around for a tri bike and you may find one that has been in inventory for awhile.
In December I bought a brand new, '04 Cannondale Ironman 2000 that my LBS hadn't sold. Given that the '06 were out, this bike was getting "stale." It tried it out and it fit me really well. I saved $900 off the list price.
A few other bike shops around town have tri bikes that have sat for awhile as well. There just aren't nearly as many people in the market for tri bikes and they don't move as fast.
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glbrum posted 2 years ago.
Just make sure you get fitted correctly. With that, you won't feel crunched up like a fetus. You shouldn't have to pul yourself in to be aero, you should almost just fall forward onto the bars. What are you dimensions btw: height, inseam?
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deepbluex posted 2 years ago.
glbrum wrote:
Just make sure you get fitted correctly. With that, you won't feel crunched up like a fetus. You shouldn't have to pul yourself in to be aero, you should almost just fall forward onto the bars. What are you dimensions btw: height, inseam?
I'm 5'8, 31-inch inseam.
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glbrum posted 2 years ago.
deepbluex wrote:
I'm 5'8, 31-inch inseam.
That 60 seems HUGE for someone your size. I'm about 6'1 with a 33in inseam and I ride a 56 road and 54 tri. I see a lot of people get tri bikes that "fit", but don't fit. They fit like road bikes. You don't want it to fit like a road bike. That defeats the purpose. You want to be aero, as i said before, so I'd think a 52 would be more down your alley. Just my thoughts....
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Triguy98 posted 2 years ago.
glbrum wrote:
That 60 seems HUGE for someone your size. I'm about 6'1 with a 33in inseam and I ride a 56 road and 54 tri. I see a lot of people get tri bikes that "fit", but don't fit. They fit like road bikes. You don't want it to fit like a road bike. That defeats the purpose. You want to be aero, as i said before, so I'd think a 52 would be more down your alley. Just my thoughts....
You like small bikes! I'm 6'2 and cant wedge myself into a 56 to save my life. I sold my old GT roadie (56cm) cause it drove my back nuts. And a 54 tri bike would be like a kids toy!
But yes, that 60 is waaaaay to big for a 5'8 dude.
Life is short. Play hard and get dirty doing it.
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bigdogtwo posted 2 years ago.
I'm 5'9" with a 31" inseam. I ride a 56cm road bike and 54cm tri bike.
A 60cm seems HUGE for a guy 5'8".
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deepbluex posted 2 years ago.
Ok I did it. I am now on the committed path toward a new tri bike.
I have placed my order for a 54cm frame made by Leader.
I measured my steer tube and it's 160mm which is ridiculously tall and won't ever let me get down "low" for a good aero position. I'm riding a decent bike but it's just not fitting me so I'll probably sell it once I get the new one built up. I am pretty excited because I usually come in the top 1/3 of the bike leg so maybe I can do even better with a properly fitting bike!
Thanks for all your feedback!
I figured I could answer that question for myself easily enough but it has now been 3 weeks of solid fence-sitting and self-debate and I am no closer to an answer.
Right now I am using a decent road bike - an Argon 18 aluminum frame with carbon forks - which I picked up used a year ago. I have some cheap Shimano SPD pedals and a Century aero bar on the traditional drop bars. It gets me there. It isn't the right size for me but I have experienced no pains or discomfort... I'm 5'8 with a 31" inseam. My present bike is a 60cm and I'm told a 54cm would fit me better. I just keep my seatpost low and the seatpost flipped backward so i am positionned forward and close to my bars.
I could continue to use this bike.
OR - I could also put together a pretty good Tri bike. I am considering a Leader 735TT frame with a Profile Design combo bar (bullhorn + T2) setup and put my race wheels on it (Bontrager Race). This would probably run me about $700-800. I already have a crank, front, rear derailleur, wheels, cassette. I'd need the frame, seatpost, saddle, fork, bars, brakes, and shifters - which I think I can gather up from various Ebay sources one at a time over the next month or so.
So what would you do? Keep pushing on my present bike figuring that it's all about "the engine" or go for the tri-bike experience?
:confused: