Recommendations on a new bike

D

Drex

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Currently I have a fairly cheap Sirrus Specialized bike that I ride. I am thinking about buying a Tri Bike since I plan to do triathlons in the future. I'm going to start taking a look around and do some research, but I wanted to see if anyone had any pointers.

I'm 6'5" and currently 212 lbs.

As I understand the benefits of a tri bike over a road bike is a tri bike is more aerodynamic and a road bike is lighter. With triathlons as my main focus for biking, is a tri bike the best option?

What are the comfort differences between a road bike and tri bike? Would I want to take the tri bike on a 50 mile scenic ride? Would I be better off getting a good road bike?

Any brand recommendation?

Anything I should be specifically looking for?

Thanks,
 
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Drex said:
Currently I have a fairly cheap Sirrus Specialized bike that I ride. I am thinking about buying a Tri Bike since I plan to do triathlons in the future. I'm going to start taking a look around and do some research, but I wanted to see if anyone had any pointers.

I'm 6'5" and currently 212 lbs.

As I understand the benefits of a tri bike over a road bike is a tri bike is more aerodynamic and a road bike is lighter. With triathlons as my main focus for biking, is a tri bike the best option?

What are the comfort differences between a road bike and tri bike? Would I want to take the tri bike on a 50 mile scenic ride? Would I be better off getting a good road bike?

Any brand recommendation?

Anything I should be specifically looking for?

Thanks,
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Drex, I would strongly recommend you buy a new road bike and add aero bars to it. A road bike with aero bars will give you almost all the aerodynamic benefits of a true tri bike but still give you the benefits of a road bike.

A road bike has quicker steering and, more importantly, quicker stopping. A tri bike (aka time trial TT bike) is a dedicated triathlon bike that is not really suitable for group rides. Most other riders, myself included, will not ride with someone on a tri bike unless that person rides in front. If someone on a tri bike is behind you and has to stop suddenly he will likely rear end you because he couldn't get to the brakes in time. And since a lot of training miles will be in groups you will need a road bike anyways. If down the road you feel you need a tri bike, get it in addition to your road bike.

At 6'5", you will need a large frame, probably a 60cm or 62 cm, but you need to get measured at a bike shop. Big frame bikes tend to be less expensive or more expensive because they are rarer.

As for brand recommendations, my favorite road bike is a Guerciotti carbon fiber with Campagnolo Record components. But, if you want to spend less than $8,000, I can make some additional recommendations for your budget.

A carbon fiber frame is a good bet but more expensive. Aluminum is a little heavier but works fine too. As for components, Shimano Ultegra and Sram are fine; Dura Ace is a little lighter but more expensive.
 
Thanks g8r80! I was hoping to hear from you and that is exactly what I was looking for. I didn't want to dump a lot of money into a bike and then need to get another one right away.

I would prefer to keep the price in the $3k-$5k price range. If the benefits are really worth it I may consider a bike in the $8k range.

Thanks so much!
 
Drex, you don't need to spend more than 3K. That is the sweet spot for value and performance. If you spend more than that, you get to shave a few grams off your components, but it is not worth the extra expense.

Look for a bike with carbon fiber frame, Sram Rival (my preference) or Shimano Ultegra or Campagnolo Chorus components, carbon fiber seatpost, handlebars and stem, and some quality wheels. I am very fond of my Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheels, but there are some better wheels if you spend more.

My bike is a Orbea Onix carbon fiber frame, seat post, stem and handlebars, Sram Rival components and Elite wheels. My total cost was $2400, but I got a good deal, including buying some components off eBay. At a bike dealer, it would have been about $3200 but will serve me well for a decade or more.

As for brands, Orbea and Cervelo are fine. Trek and Specialized make nice carbon fiber bikes. Colnago and Pinarello are excellent. Giant offers a lot of value for the money but I don't care for their welds, which often look sloppy.
 
Thanks g8r80! I figured at some point I would end up paying a lot more for little upgrade. That helps a lot and will get me going in the right direction.

My one concern at this point is that someone told me a carbon fiber bike would not work for my weight and that I would have to get aluminum to support my weight.
 
You'll be fine with carbon fiber. I know dozens of riders your size with carbon fiber and I weight only 10# less. Here is a quote from one carbon fiber bike maker:


What is the maximum rider weight allowed for the Mojo Carbon?
We don't actually publish a maximum rider weight. We have found that rider weight has a bigger impact on wheels than it does frames. Frame failures tend to be less a matter of actual rider weight than the peak loads experienced. So riding style contributes more to frame failure than weight. Do you break a lot of frames? If you do then it's likely something related to riding style than of frame durability.

from:

And here's a biking forum that discusses carbon frames and 200+ riders..



That said, there are limitations on wheels, so you will have to consider that. But, there are lots of great wheels for riders your size, just not the ultralight (translation = expensive) ones.
 
Thank you so much g8r80! You have helped me tremendously. I still have a lot to learn after spending a few hours last night trying to put together a bike on a web site, but I am going down the right road now. Thanks again and I will update this to see what you think when I think I have found what I want.
 
Drex said:
Thank you so much g8r80! You have helped me tremendously. I still have a lot to learn after spending a few hours last night trying to put together a bike on a web site, but I am going down the right road now. Thanks again and I will update this to see what you think when I think I have found what I want.
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No problem, glad to help. I hope to be somewhat recovered from my surgery by the end of May, when I travel to Eagan to do a training class. As I recall, you're near Eagan. If I feel up to it, I'll ship my bike and we'll ride in the evening.

Richard
 
Looking at the bikes online I liked the Colnago and the Trek Madone's. I stopped by the Penn Cycle this afternoon and they mainly carry Trek. They had a 60cm 2007 Madon 5.0 they seemed eager to sell me and it appeared to be a very good deal. I think retail was around $3,200, but since it was a 2007 they were trying to get rid of they were selling it for $2,000. Unfortunatley, after I tried a few bikes out, I should really get a 62cm bike rather than a 60cm bike.

I decided I liked the 2008 Madone 5.5, so they are going to check on Monday to see if they can get a hold of one in a 62cm frame. Price on that one is $3,999.
 
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Matt, that '07 for 2K would have been a good deal- it it fit you - but it's a terrible deal if it doesn't. You might want to look around and see if any other local shops have a '07 Madone in 62cm. I would definitely check out some other shops for other brands as well. Colnago is a very good brand if you went that route.

As for that '08 Trek, that would have everything you need and then some. The wheels apparently have no rider weight restrictions as some do, or at least I couldn't find any weight restrictions.

One thing about that bike that I would consider doing is swapping that 50/34 compact crank for a more conventional 53/39. The compact crank has a very small chainring, which serves as a granny gear, but leaving you with only 10 non-granny gears. For your area, which is relatively flat like Florida, and for your strength - you are a strong rider, - you might want to go with a 53/39 crank which won't have the very low granny gears for hillclimbing but you'll use the smaller 39 chainring much more often than you would the 34. Something to think about. Fwiw, I have a 53/39 and am just fine riding nasty hills like the Horrible Hundred - see my journal and Flyinfree's journal for when we rode that in October - and when I ride in Colorado. I just find myself getting out of the saddle more often than someone with a triple or a compact.

Dura Ace is top of the line and the Trek carbon frames are top notch as well. I am not a huge fan of Bontrager, mainly because I don't know much about them. The seat post, stem and bars are all carbon, which is what you'd expect on a high end bike.

Will the bike shop include a custom fitting for no extra charge? This is something that you might be able to negotiate with them. But, ifyou have to pay extra, it is still worth the $50 - $100 for a bike that fits properly.

Like all high end bikes, this one doesn't come with pedals so you can either use your current ones or get new. I am real fond of my Look Keo Classics for about $100, but they are not the easiest and quickest pedals to get your cleats into.
 
g8r80 said:
Matt, that '07 for 2K would have been a good deal- it it fit you - but it's a terrible deal if it doesn't. You might want to look around and see if any other local shops have a '07 Madone in 62cm. I would definitely check out some other shops for other brands as well. Colnago is a very good brand if you went that route.
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I will call around and see what the other shops have tomorrow.

g8r80 said:
One thing about that bike that I would consider doing is swapping that 50/34 compact crank for a more conventional 53/39. The compact crank has a very small chainring, which serves as a granny gear, but leaving you with only 10 non-granny gears. For your area, which is relatively flat like Florida, and for your strength - you are a strong rider, - you might want to go with a 53/39 crank which won't have the very low granny gears for hillclimbing but you'll use the smaller 39 chainring much more often than you would the 34. Something to think about. Fwiw, I have a 53/39 and am just fine riding nasty hills like the Horrible Hundred - see my journal and Flyinfree's journal for when we rode that in October - and when I ride in Colorado. I just find myself getting out of the saddle more often than someone with a triple or a compact.
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That is good to know and I will look into that. I did read about that bike ride, sounded like quite an experiance. :)

g8r80 said:
Will the bike shop include a custom fitting for no extra charge? This is something that you might be able to negotiate with them. But, ifyou have to pay extra, it is still worth the $50 - $100 for a bike that fits properly.
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SOunds good, I will check into this. What does custom fitting involve? Would it require new parts? The only adjustments I can think of are the seat post hieght without switching actual parts.

g8r80 said:
Like all high end bikes, this one doesn't come with pedals so you can either use your current ones or get new. I am real fond of my Look Keo Classics for about $100, but they are not the easiest and quickest pedals to get your cleats into.
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I actually have pedals being shipped to me right now that I had ordered for my current bike, before I decided to upgrade. They are Shimano Pd-m770 Deore Xt. Finding bike shoes my size isn't easy, so I always wore running shows and regular pedals, but I just recently got a pair of size 17 biking shoes that fit, so I needed to get some pedals as well.
 
Drex, for a custom fitting, the seat post is adjusted up and down, the seat is adjusted fore and aft and for tilt angle, the handlebars are adjusted for angle and height, and the correct stem is used. The bike shop may have to swap out the stem if needed.

Size 17 biking shoes? Wow. My 16 yo son wears 14, so he may end up with 17 as well.
 
It is hard to find shoes... I wore size 16 Nike at 16. Nike's run a little smaller though. Most Nike's I need an 18 where most other brands a 17 will work.

I found a couple other bikes that I could order online.
Colnago - it doesn't seem to have much for spec info. I'm not sure the size of the crank. I can't find a Colnago shop around here to check these out.

Specialized that looks pretty good. There is a Specialized shop near here I am going to go and take a look at this one.
 
Matt,

I didn't see a 62cm on that Colnago page. Otherwise, that bike looks fine.

When comparing the Colnago to the Specialized to the Trek, the frames are all pretty comparable IMO, but the differences are in the components.

The Specialized has mostly Dura Ace (Shimano's top of the line) with some odd Ultegra (2nd level but very good) and the same Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheels that I have and heartily recommend.

The Colnago has the lower priced Mavic Aksiums which are machine made in Asia and are a little heavier. But, lots of folks have them and lots of train and race with them. Most of the other Colnago stuff is Ultegra.

By the way, this surprised me because Colnago is one of the original Italian bikes and they almost always come with Campagnolo components.

Both the Aksium and Ksyrium Elite wheels are rated for riders up to 225#

The Trek was mostly Dura Ace with Bontrager wheels.

The Trek and Specialized are comparable in price and the Colnago is $1000 lower, which reflects the lesser priced components.

All three would serve you well. If you order it online, make sure there are provisions to get it fitted locally. I am a real big fan of Colnago fwiw. Now, that Colnago with Ksyrium Elite wheels would be really sweet.
 
Couple more Trek.

It looks like I would be better off with the pro version of the 5.5, but I don't think I could stand a yellow bike.

The 5.2 pro looks pretty good too.
 
For the Colnago, I was assuming "62cm CT|TT 58.7cm" was a 62cm bike, but is that really a 58cm bike? I don't know what CT|TT means.

Thanks again for all your help!
 
I didn't see that 62 listed. I guess I'm getting blind in addition to old...

CT means center of bottom bracket to top of top tube. Most bikes are measured CC: center of bottom bracket to center of top tube. Because the top tube is probably about 3 cm in diameter, a 62 CT frame would be equivalent to about a 60 TT frame. If you're comfortable with the fit of the Trek 62 frame, compare the lengths of the top, seat and down tubes of the 62 trek to the 62 Colnago. Like shoes, equal sized bikes of different brands tend to be different sizes.
 
Drex said:
Couple more Trek.

It looks like I would be better off with the pro version of the 5.5, but I don't think I could stand a yellow bike.

The 5.2 pro looks pretty good too.
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Both are sweet rides for sure. The 5.5 has the Sram Force components which a lot of the racers are going toward. Just so you know this, Sram uses a double tap shifting system unlike that of Shimano, Campagnolo and others. With Sram you touch once, lightly, to go to a high gear and you touch harder to downshift. Sram has a huge advantage when you need to downshift fast as you can go up to 3 gears at a time, whereas with Shimano you have to go 1 gear at a time.

I have Sram Rival, the non-racing version of the Force, and it has taken me a while (1000+ miles so far) to get used to this. I tend to downshift 2 or even 3 gears and have to upshift afterwards. No big deal and the shifting is real crisp, but it would be different than what you are currrently using or what you would have tried out on test rides.

FWIW, I have the entire Sram Rival group and would buy it again and recommend it with only that one reservation. And, maybe I'll get better at downshifting.

As for the 5.2, it has Ultegra which is tried and true and works very well but is not quite as innovative and "sexy" as Sram.
 
I checked with several local bike shops and anything I wanted they would need to order. So I went with the Trek Madone 5.5

They will swap out the 50/34 crank with a 53/39 crank after it gets in. They will also do the professional fitting at no charge.

Thanks for all your advice Richard.
 
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