1st season over, now I need some serious bike advice
367
Member
825 days
mdd posted 6 weeks ago.
I think you are really smart to stick with a road bike especially since you only have the ability to own one bike. Ride that bike as much as possible and you will see some big gains I am sure.
Now the question is which bike. Be sure to consider how the bike fits YOU. Have you had a chance to ride either bike? If not be sure to take a test ride. Also is the geometry of the bikes very different? Does the place selling you the bike do bike fits? If so you might talk to them regarding how they think the bike will fit you. Fit/comfort are crucial and can not be overlooked.
I do not know much about either bike but I will assume that their overall quality, components, etc are basically the same so really it is just going to come down to which bike fits you better because if you can not get comfortable on the bike you probably won't ride it very much.
Good luck!!!
1821
Member
1079 days
tri-ac posted 6 weeks ago.
I'm 6-5/200#. I have a 63cm 2006 F75. It has served me well on 6 days/wk riding. I totally agree on the saddle, but not sure why you'd replace the seat post (don't like carbon? or want forward post?). The wheels are decent but not so great that a wheel upgrade shouldn't be considered.
(you can't really go wrong with those choices, tho)
Adam
Tri-ac
221
Member
77 days
jnrice posted 6 weeks ago.
mdd wrote:
I think you are really smart to stick with a road bike especially since you only have the ability to own one bike.
+1. If you get to the point where your TT's are strong enough that aero bars are a big concern then you can put a pair of bolt on aero bars on your bike and it will be OK. A road bike over a tru TT bike allows you do other things like go race community road races which is good even if you are a TT person as it teaches you agressive biking and some day you might be in a draft legal race and then what?! :) enjoy the new ride, and try as many different brands/bikes as you can.
1008
Member
1193 days
PJT posted 6 weeks ago.
The S1 is the former Soloist Team (aluminum). This is a bike designed to be switched back and forth from a tri configuration to a road setup. If you think the fit characteristics of the 2 bikes are similar, I'd say go with the S1. Get your fit coordinates for both a road setup and a tri setup with aerobars, forward-facing seatpost, etc. That way, you can ride the same bike on group rides and in tris and not sacrifice much at all in performance.
4914
Member
1716 days
beads1985 posted 6 weeks ago.
PJT wrote:
The S1 is the former Soloist Team (aluminum). This is a bike designed to be switched back and forth from a tri configuration to a road setup. If you think the fit characteristics of the 2 bikes are similar, I'd say go with the S1. Get your fit coordinates for both a road setup and a tri setup with aerobars, forward-facing seatpost, etc. That way, you can ride the same bike on group rides and in tris and not sacrifice much at all in performance.
I agree, the S1 can be easily configured to fit your riding needs.
I am a Cervelo owner so i am partial to them. ;-)
Nothing to it, but to do it
2437
Member
1321 days
Triguy98 posted 6 weeks ago.
Consider the wheels. If a set of wheels on one bike is rated poorly, there is a good chance they wont hold up well under the weight of 220lbs and 5 day a week riding. I would think about a wheel upgrade on either bike, a wheel built for a Clyde will have thicker spokes and a higher spoke count, and will be fairly bombproof. You can bypass this choice for now, but may end up paying more for it in the end if the shop you go to does new part trade ins.
I havent ridden either of your choices, but consistently hear good things about the Soloist.
Life is short. Play hard and get dirty doing it.
13
Member
123 days
gmccormi posted 6 weeks ago.
Cool I'm glad I had the right idea, basically.
- I'm looking to get a set of Profile Carbon Stryke Aerobars, and already ride with look Keo's with either option. so have already factored that into the equation.
- I went for all the bike measurements and those were the two bikes that came out on top, I also test rode them and the cervelo 'feels' fast, from a raw acceleration perspective, while the felt feels a bit more comfortable over bumps, but both i think i could do a good chunk of distance on. To be honest having never ridden a true road bike, both feel like lightning compared to what I'm on right now.
- Tri-ac, seatpost is 100% to get me forward, i actually like the felt carbon post, and from the bike fit, it seems I could just swap the post/saddle for Tri's and clip on the bars with very few other adjustments. Also the 2009 F75 has a wheel upgrade over the '08 and have been told it's a night and day situation with the new ones.
So much for a smoking gun pointing me in one direction or the other. I guess I'll have to go take them both for another test ride, ah the joys of a 3rd test ride in NYC. I'm sure both shops are getting tired of me, but for 2k+ they'll deal.
So be honest the S1 is the way I'm leaning, it's got a better component group, is designed pretty much specifically for what I'm trying to do, would be coming out of a tri specific shop in NYC, and (this is bad...) it just looks cooler. the 09 paint job is nice.
I'll let everybody know which way i go.
4482
Member
1634 days
kylie posted 6 weeks ago.
You are definitely on the right track. For what it is worth, I don't think the look of the bike should be ignored. If you don't like it, you will feel less of a draw to be out on it. If fit/performance are the same, looks is not a bad thing to decide on :) I have hunted for the older model of a bike (when only paint scheme changed for the year) just to get the color I want, and I have no problem admitting that.
1821
Member
1079 days
173
Member
297 days
chekmarks posted 6 weeks ago.
S1?, more like $1. that bike is money. ; ) . my apologies, i just couldn't resist. i love my bike.
At the end of my first Tri season, 3 races in, I'm a complete addict. I look forward to April/May with excitement and anticiapation. BUT, I need to work a few things out in the off season. Most are clearly defined: Swim stroke, diet, running without socks, that ring of chubby around my mid-section... And, of course, the bike. While everyone agrees you can have a fun and fit 1st Tri on whatever beater ride you've got going. By race 3 I've figured out that the bike, and quality thereof, does matter.
This is where i'm at.
- I Live in NYC, so i can only get 1 bike, there's just not room for anything else.
- I'm not committed enough to Tri specifically to go for a TT bike (if so the P2 SL, Ultegra would be a no brainer) I want to be able to ride groups, maybe a century, and just for general fitness. Although Tri is the focus, as i'm planning on 8 races next year
- I'm interested in getting quality, and I believe I can afford quality without it getting out of hand
- I'm 6'1" 220lbs and don't want to feel like i'm going to break the bike.
So all that being said i've narrowed it down to 2 options. the 2009 Felt F75 or the 2009 Cervelo S1. When you take into account that the Felt will need a new post and saddle, the cost diff comes down to $500.
Where I really need help is if anyone has experience with them or advice in the process of narrowing things down. Or just general commentary on my choices. I've got a good idea of the pro's and cons of each ride, lets just pretend that the extra $500 spend doesn't bother me too much. And in the end I think they'll both perform about equally if properly set up.
soo thoughts? Am I missing any other contenders in the same class? Any specific gotcha's i'm overlooking?
Thanks