Decisions, decisions

Sooooooo. I took my bike into the LBS this weekend because it was not shifting well. The long and the short of it is that my components are on the edge of failure. I love my bike and I don't feel like I'm ready to retire the Jolly Green Giant. In fact it feels a little like how I felt when I was faced with the decision to put my dog down, of course at a much lower level. However, I know that the smart thing to do is to get a new bike. Cheaper in the long run and the technology has changed a lot in the last 7 years (that's how old jolly is).

So I'm looking for suggestions on models to start with.

What kind of riding do I do? Long distance triathlon, Ironman and Half Ironman are my faves. I'm a competitive age grouper at a local to state level.

So hit me with suggestions ladies. I've always ridden Specialized, but hey, it might be time for a change. I tried the Ruby. Good bike but not for what I do.

Budget $3000.

For TT's & Tri's as long as you are tall enough - Cervelo makes a beautiful bike (looks and performance that is ;) ) The woman I bought my Quintanroo from was selling the bannana (it's bright yellow) because she was getting a brand new Cervelo. (btw the P2C DA model is listed on their web site at $3000.... )

Just want to pass along what my LBS guy told me when I was looking for a new bike. He says that there are a lot of good bikes out there but that Specialized does a lot of R&D for their bikes. They come out with innovative designs and then other bike manufactures copy their designs. I guess you could look at that in several ways. Save some money and buy from a less innovative company or pay a little more to cover the costs of R&D and support a company that is a leader in the industry. That probably didn't help at all, huh?

I love my Ruby, wouldn't trade it for anything - but really Specialized does not specialize (arf, arf) in TT/Tri bikes. They do have the Transition, but it sure seems like other companies put more time into these kind of bicycles.

I agree with Eden about the designs. Having said that, I do a lot of riding in hilly country and my racing bike is my training bike. I can't afford 2 separate bikes. So I'm not opposed to getting a road bike (it is a better choice for the majority of my riding hours) and just add my flashy carbon strike aerobars.

Or you could buy the flashy race bike and fix up the Jolly Green Giant as and when you can afford it. Might take a few months and some eBay hours, but you'd have two bikes at the end of it... :D

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Originally Posted by DirtDiva

Or you could buy the flashy race bike and fix up the Jolly Green Giant as and when you can afford it. Might take a few months and some eBay hours, but you'd have two bikes at the end of it... :D

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This is definitely one of the ways I'm thinking. The Jolly Green Giant isn't ready to be set out to pasture yet. But I will eventually need to change a lot of things to bring her back.

Well, I LOVE my Specialized Tarmac Expert. Simply love it.

It's a mean racing machine (OK, well the engine running it- not so much- but the bike is fast)... and is fun to ride.

I would strongly suggest going and looking at Specialized bikes. You can probably look at a nicer model than the Tarmac.

In the end though, it's all about doing a test ride and finding the bike that you love.

Wahine, I'm afraid I don't have any wisdom to offer, but I am curious about something you said...(don't want to hijack...feel free to disregard or PM me...)

You said the Ruby was a good bike, but not for what you do. And, you said you would consider a road bike and just dress it up with the TT bars...

I'm sorta curious why the Ruby might not work for you? I'm not challenging...just curious. I know it isn't a Tri-bike, but could it be a good bike if you decided to dress up a road bike?

:D :D Have you checked out the Kuota Kaliber?If you subscribe to Bicycling Mag they review it on page 28 of their 2007 Buyer's Guide.It is $3700,a little more than your budget,but at the level you are competing at it may be worth a look.I am a true Trek devotee and it turned my head!Maybe later on when eating and living indoors aren't such priorities!lol.I just purchased a 2006 Trek Equinox 7 WSD and I love it.It's super fast and quite comfy for a tri bike,the only upgrade I plan is a faster set of wheels.That may also be a way to get more bike for your money.If you can find the bike you want,then look for a closeout deal on a new 2006 model if there is no change in components,etc.from the new 2007.It saved me over $800 on the Trek and I even like the 2006 color better than the 2007.Good luck on your search and on rehabbing Jolly!!

Thanks for all the input ladies. I am going to explore Specialized thoroughly. My LBS carries 'em. The also carry Litespeed, Orbea and Trek. I'd like to buy from them if possible but not if I can't find the right bike. Jolly's a Specialized Allez Pro, and she's served me well. My last 2 MT bikes have been Specialized and I love(d) them.

Starfish - the Ruby was fast, light and lovely on the hills with the compact double. I think it's a very good bike. I can't put my finger on why it doesn't seem right for me. It may be that the top tube is a little short for me and I would feel scrunched if I tried to trick it out with aerobars. It just didn't feel right.

Thanks for the suggestion on the Kuota Kaliber. I do get bicycling mag but I haven't really had much reading time lately so I don't think that I saw it. I'll dig out my old issues.

Look at Cervelos. They have an awesome line of bikes. Phil and Gerard are engineers who started the company and put significant amounts of time and research into their bike designs every year. Tom D of bikesport who is a very accomplished athlete, bike shop owner and world renouned bike fitter has some very extensive reviews of Cerverlos and also other Tri bikes that would fit within your budget.

http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/bikes/index.shtml

http://www.cervelo.com/home.aspx

Also, if you go the tri bike route, get a fit from a decent fitter who specializes in tri positions (Fist certification). A good fit for Tri is worth it's weight in gold....and is a lot harder to do yourself without serious knowledge and/or video equipment.

Have you ever had a fitting done?

I'd definitely consider it before spending that much money on a road bike. (Especially since it sounds like you want something that will work for both road and tri positions).

What kind of bike (material-wise) are you looking for? (Personally, I prefer ti or steel, but there is certainly a diversity of opinions on this one.)

Hey wahine-
Since Tri is mainly what you use it for I'd consider going with tri geometry. Someone somewhere posted an article about the benefits of tri geometry in the long run. And I must say that since I've started riding tri specific I run off the bike much better than I used to (last weekend notwithstanding).

Is the green giant a road bike? If so I'd consider fixing her up as your hill bike, and then going with a tri rig. There are some good deals out there on last years models as well. I know my bike (QR Seduza) was 3k when I bought it last year and the 06 model is now down to 2k. So that might also be an option. Do you have access to any good tri shops near you? I'm lucky because I have tri sports a couple of hours to the south. Yeah it's a 2 hour drive, but when I was looking for a tri bike that was the place to go. Most selection and best fit. I could throw out there a million brands that *I* like, but bottom line is fit. ESP in a tri bike where you will be in your aerobars for a looonnnggg time.
But just cause I like oooggling over bikes, these are my favorite brands.

QR- cause that's what I ride and she fits like a glove

Elite- small company from the east coast. Great service and sexy bikes.

Kuota- OH MAN! These are just plain sexy! Norman Stadler should have been put in jail for bike abuse at kona in 05! (he couldn't change his tire so he threw a tantrum and tossed his bike in the lava).

Orbea- See above.... Actually I mostly like their road bikes, but MAN are they sexy!

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Originally Posted by Running Mommy

Hey wahine-
Since Tri is mainly what you use it for I'd consider going with tri geometry. Someone somewhere posted an article about the benefits of tri geometry in the long run. And I must say that since I've started riding tri specific I run off the bike much better than I used to (last weekend notwithstanding).

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I second this...I don't do Tri's anymore, but when you have a tri bike set up well, you'll see the benefit when you hit the run.

I have a Kuota road bike; not a tri bike. I love it! Compared to my Trek 5200, it rides like a dream. I always get asked if I do tris because of this bike, because not many shops in the US sell their regular road bikes. You should check them out.

Thanks Ladies,

Keep 'em coming. I'm checking it out as I can.

anakiwa - I had a fitting done on the Jolly Green Giant by Eric Moen a PT that specializes in this sort of thing. He got me set up really nicely on Jolly so I'll likely try to duplicate the geometry. I may go for a "cheaper" full on tri bike for racing, nurse Jolly along and buy a really nice road bike a little later. Jolly won't convert to a "hill" bike very well, I don't think. She's a little heavy.

As for material, I haven't decided. That's part of the reason for the post. It's been a long time since I've been in market and things have changed a lot. I haven't kept up with all the changes. Jolly is an aluminum alloy (Specialized M4 material) with a carbon fork.

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Originally Posted by Robyn Maislin

I have a Kuota road bike; not a tri bike. I love it! Compared to my Trek 5200, it rides like a dream. I always get asked if I do tris because of this bike, because not many shops in the US sell their regular road bikes. You should check them out.

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I have a Kuota Kharma and love it! Like, Robyn, mine is not tri specific. They have some great tri bikes.

Kerry

Wahine,

I bought a Guru Carbonia Tri last year and love it. They will do custom geometry if you want for same price as a factory frame. Mine was about $4K with all Ultegra components. It fits great and is so much lighter than my aluminum frame road bike.

I am really happy with Guru and suggest you check them too. Good tri geometry; i got 650 wheels and those have been a good fit.

best luck searching,
Laura

How is the quest going for a new bike?
When I had my bike fit the fellow gave me this article- thought you may find it interesting- it is long but a good read- unfortunately for me- it was a little late as I had already bought my bike and so we spent time "retro fitting" rather than finding a bike that fit my geometry - we tried to fit the me to the bike by making a few changes.
ah well next time- I will do it the other way around:)

oops could seem to get the attachment thingy to work- I emailed it to you instead:)

Got the e-mail thanks. I haven't had a chance to read it.

I took a bike fit course from this guy:

http://www.bikept.com/

I may e-mail him for advice as well. His course is totally worth it BTW, if you're interested.

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Originally Posted by Wahine

I may go for a "cheaper" full on tri bike for racing, nurse Jolly along and buy a really nice road bike a little later.

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That makes sense. I currently have a road bike and a tri bike. If I had it to do over again I might have started with the dream road bike- put clip on aerobars on it- and saved the money from the second bike for something else. (While I've found I really like the aero position for racing- I much prefer training on a road bike- so while I love the tri-bike, I'm not sure that it gets enough mileage to justify its existence.) But then again- I only do a few races each summer.

As far as materials go- that's where it makes sense to do some test-riding- and I think you have to do a long ride. Personally, I'm not as big a fan of carbon- it feels great at first, but after a while I find it too dampened. (I've never ridden aluminum on the road- most of my riding has been on either steel or carbon.)