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Slowtwitch Forums: Triathlon Forum:
Road Bike Frames....plush racers?

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jackmott

Oct 28, 09 12:22

Post #26 of 61 (372 views)

Re: Road Bike Frames....plush racers? [triarcher] [In reply to]	Can't Post

what I am hearing is you need to htfu and bike more, want a bike that will be comfy for biking more
yet let you get in a good tri position in the future?

you could just put some spacers and bullhorn bars on your QR and be done.

get bike thats easy to deal with and

In Reply To:

But I have a bad back from a weak back :) I'm sorry I don't get a sore back from my tri bike. I was just using it as an example. I'm slow ok, and I don't want to be slow. My fitness needs to improve and to get where I want I have to put alot of miles in. We all train more than we race so for someone like me, who can only really have one bike, it makes more sense to me to have a road bike that I can ride for hours that is still raceable. The alternative for me right now is to keep pounding on the tri bike which is not the most comfortable thing to spend hours on eveyday. I've already made up my mind...I'm selling the Kilo and getting a road bike....In my research I've come across these plush racers and they look great on paper.....but with my previous (limited) knowlege of road bike geometry I've only known tourers and racers. When it's time I will have another tri bike but I have a long way to go. I got this Kilo for a super deal and could not pass it up. Otherwise I was going to get a entry level road bike. I completed my first ever season on it and I learned alot about what I need to work on....right now it's not aero anything.

----
What is good in life? - To crush your enemie's dreams, see them dropped behind you, and to hear the lamentation of their women!
Sunglasses: http://www.framesdirect.com/sunglasses
Tri Gear: http://www.atctrishop.com
Cheap Disc Wheel - http://www.wheelbuilder.com Tire Crr Data - http://www.biketechreview.com

cdw

Oct 28, 09 12:56

Post #27 of 61 (363 views)

Re: Road Bike Frames....plush racers? [triarcher] [In reply to]	Can't Post

We all train more than we race so for someone like me, who can only really have one bike, it makes more sense to me to have a road bike that I can ride for hours that is still raceable.

I guess I'm just missing how it is that you can't have two bikes. Maybe you have a space issue I didn't read earlier. Even so, with $2500 I could start from scratch and have a road bike and tri bike. Just from a quick eBay search I could take my pick of Cevelo P1/P2Ks for around 1000-1200 and less than a grand for Cervelo Soloist/Felt road bikes. Spend $100 on a wheel cover, $200 on a used front race wheel and I can have two bikes and race speed for $2500. That amount can still go pretty far if you know how to spend it.
So why can't you have two bikes?

Chad

Boudreaux

Oct 28, 09 13:11

Post #28 of 61 (354 views)

Re: Road Bike Frames....plush racers? [cdw] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Dang Chad; this is ST and all, but read the damn OP. He can't afford two bikes and would like to have one nice one. His back is farked up and an over sized TT frame hurts him. Don't beat the poor man up.

OP: Sell your TT and get a RS. You'll thank me later after you ride hard all winter and spring and pass folks up who used to beat you.

"you know, aero trumps training ;-) "
R10C 10/09

tmiles

Oct 28, 09 13:14

Post #29 of 61 (351 views)

Re: Road Bike Frames....plush racers? [cdw] [In reply to]	Can't Post

When I look at the Scott website I can pull up a comparison between the CR1 Pro, and the Addict R2. Both bikes are similarly priced, and specd, and the weights of the bikes are very close - - - but the Addict is "racier" and "twitchier". I think the question is which bike should an average rider consider? If an average rider moves up to a Cat 3 over the course of a few years of training for instance - will the CR1(or other similar "plush" bike) still be racy enough? And if the average rider starts out on the Addict, will they be sorry because the ride is twitchy and not as comfortable when out doing century rides or non-racing?

I am not sure I am asking the question clearly, but my inclinication is to get the Addict because the price is similar, and the Addict is supposed to be racier, but I am concerned that if I never get good enough to truly appreciate it's racing pedegree that I will be stuck with a bike that is "twitchy" and not as comfortable.

Make sense?

Boudreaux

Oct 28, 09 13:22

Post #30 of 61 (347 views)

Re: Road Bike Frames....plush racers? [tmiles] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Make sense?

Not in my feeble mind. You have many (many) 10's of thousands of miles to go before you exceed the "limitations" of a more "comfortable" frame. Get a bike you can ride all day; go out and ride it. Ride hard. Get hard. Come back three years from now and you won't need to ask that question because you'll know the answer.

The whole "race" frame thing has been blown way out of proportion.

"you know, aero trumps training ;-) "
R10C 10/09

triarcher

Oct 28, 09 13:24

Post #31 of 61 (344 views)

Re: Road Bike Frames....plush racers? [cdw] [In reply to]	Can't Post

CDW.....Space is not an issue. I would just prefer to have one really nice really good fitting bike that I can really get alot out of rather than piece together two bikes that I will not be completely happy with. I know myself.....;) I also want to do some road racing this season...something I can't do with my tri bike. Regardless jackmott is right....HTFU is something I have already come to grips with. I have good endurance but my overall physical strength is poor. I'm just trying to fit the right bike with my goals. :)

jackmott

Oct 28, 09 13:26

Post #32 of 61 (338 views)

Re: Road Bike Frames....plush racers? [triarcher] [In reply to]	Can't Post

you could road race with the tri bike if you put normal handlebars on it.

we sometimes overthink this stuff

In Reply To:

triarcher

Oct 28, 09 13:27

Post #33 of 61 (338 views)

Re: Road Bike Frames....plush racers? [Boudreaux] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Thanks Boudreaux but I'm not taking offense...I asked for help and ridicule. ;)

triarcher

Oct 28, 09 13:40

Post #34 of 61 (325 views)

Re: Road Bike Frames....plush racers? [jackmott] [In reply to]	Can't Post

That's a thought. I could see that. All I would need is some 105 shifter/brakes levers and a handlebar. I already have 105 on my roo. That would only be a few hundred bucks. My only concern is that my bike is a touch big and I'm already way on on the end of my rails to be semi comfy in my aero bars. I should be in a 52/53 road frame this is a 55cm tri bike. mmmmmm......I'll compare the numbers of my current bike vs what I'm looking at (look 566) and see if that's a viable option.

gbot

Oct 28, 09 13:45

Post #35 of 61 (321 views)

Re: Road Bike Frames....plush racers? [triarcher] [In reply to]	Can't Post

That's probably the best cheap option. Honestly if bikes like the RS, Roubaix, Addict, etc are getting thrown around... well you're just not going to get enough for a used QR Kilo to put much of a dent in the price of any of those bikes. Might as well just keep it in that case.

cdw

Oct 28, 09 13:46

Post #36 of 61 (320 views)

Re: Road Bike Frames....plush racers? [triarcher] [In reply to]	Can't Post

rather than piece together two bikes that I will not be completely happy with. I know myself.....;)

Those were not pieced-together bikes, but rather one new P1 and several near new road bikes. But they were aluminum, of course, so that would not make them very cool.

Well, it sounds like you had your mind made up before posting, so I've given a contrary opinion and you will do what you had planned. Good luck.

Chad

P.S. Ok, maybe one more opinion. :) If you only going to have one bike, at least make it something like the Cervelo Soloist that is actually aero.

triarcher

Oct 28, 09 13:53

Post #37 of 61 (314 views)

Re: Road Bike Frames....plush racers? [cdw] [In reply to]	Can't Post

And it was a welcome opinion. Thank you. But yeah after a few test rides, I prefer carbon....not because of cool factor but because my taint likes them better. :)

triarcher

Oct 28, 09 13:54

Post #38 of 61 (313 views)

Re: Road Bike Frames....plush racers? [gbot] [In reply to]	Can't Post

that's a good point.....I like the way you think.

Dave in Canada

Oct 28, 09 18:14

Post #39 of 61 (287 views)

Re: Road Bike Frames....plush racers? [triarcher] [In reply to]	Can't Post

With that price range in mind I woudl strongly urge you to test ride the Giant Defy Advanced (same frame comes in 3 or 4 various 'gruppo' trim).

I tested it when I was shopping for a new ride, I also tested the Specialized Roubaix, the Cervelo RS (in 'plush' rides). The other bikes I tested were the S2, Giant TCR and an Argon bike (can't remember the designation).

In the end the RS felt the best to me, including comfort and speed. The Giant was the next choice. I'm not saying it was better than the Specialized...but the price difference was not there. Honestly the Giant came in full Ultegra for less than the Specialized with a 105 mix. The Argon and S2 just didn't feel right for me and seemed like I was trying to fit my body on somthing that I wasn't made for.

The value in the Giant was great and the difference in the frame was negligible compared to the Specialized (IMHO).

All that said, the RS was significantly better than all the others (for me). I fit on it perfectly and it reacts so easily to my effort. I think that if you can't afford to go to that end then you should go with the lowest end that meets your goals. For me this would have been the Giant.

Fortunately my wife is super cool and told me to get the bike I wanted (even though the cost was more than double).

Dave

triarcher

Oct 29, 09 6:18

Post #40 of 61 (270 views)

Re: Road Bike Frames....plush racers? [Dave in Canada] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Thank you for the honest review Dave. :) I will definately give it a test.

Fleck

Oct 29, 09 6:31

Post #41 of 61 (264 views)

Re: Road Bike Frames....plush racers? [triarcher] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Not sure if this will be helpful or not but I have done a brief review of the Cervelo R3 here on my Blog:

http://stevefleck.blogspot.com/...ke-is-road-bike.html

It's true what others have said that it is hard to find one bike that will truely do it all. As general rule I find triathletes too obsessed with aerodynamics. Many would be better off starting out with a road bike, getting properly fit on that bike and seeing how far they can go with it. Depending on the bike and your body morphology, you can get a not too bad aero postion with clip-on bars on a road bike. It's not for everyone and it won't work for everyone. However, stand at the side of the road at about the 80 mile mark of a big IM and you'll see something a bit strange - many people riding hands on the base bars, bolt up-right and back on their super aero TT/Tri bikes! :)

Steve Fleck
http://www.nineteenwetsuits.com
http://stevefleck.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/stevefleck

(This post was edited by Fleck on Oct 29, 09 6:32)

triarcher

Oct 29, 09 7:05

Post #42 of 61 (254 views)

Re: Road Bike Frames....plush racers? [Fleck] [In reply to]	Can't Post

It's funny you say that. On longer rides I find myself up and down. My best race to date was 18.something MPH for a sprint race. 19.7mph has been the fastest I have gone for a 10m TT. So I have alot to work on. I'm not at a competitive level with any of the three sports. I am only good for 2minute 100's swimming and 9:30 miles running. This past season was a test to see if I like this sport and I LOVE it. Like I said before I got this QR Kilo for a steal, otherwise I would have gotten a road bike. I'm real with my ability and what needs to be done to get faster. I have a full time job and two children so it's not like I'm going to set the triathlon world on fire but I know I have much more to give to myself and I want to make the most of my time. :) Thanks for the review!

jackmott

Oct 29, 09 7:55

Post #43 of 61 (239 views)

Re: Road Bike Frames....plush racers? [triarcher] [In reply to]	Can't Post

my first season I was 19mph for sprints
i was up to 25mph 3 year later

hang in there!

if training time is limited the key really is to go hard on the bike. a key for me was i had a 1/3 mile bike loop to work with. no stoplights, no resting. just go go go

In Reply To:

triarcher

Oct 29, 09 8:21

Post #44 of 61 (231 views)

Re: Road Bike Frames....plush racers? [jackmott] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Thank you jackmott...I'm lucky also, I have a very nice very new road with wide shoulders exactly one mile from my driveway. It's lighted and it's exactly 2.5miles from end to end. So I can loop it and get exactly 5miles per trip. There is a little 1/4 miles section where I do my sprint intervals. No stops, light traffic...the only time I need to back off is at the turn arounds. Oh there will be pain this winter no matter what I'll be riding :)

jackmott

Oct 29, 09 8:26

Post #45 of 61 (228 views)

Re: Road Bike Frames....plush racers? [triarcher] [In reply to]	Can't Post

make your "intervals" 20 minutes long instead of 1/4 mile long

=)
----
What is good in life? - To crush your enemie's dreams, see them dropped behind you, and to hear the lamentation of their women!
Sunglasses: http://www.framesdirect.com/sunglasses
Tri Gear: http://www.atctrishop.com
Cheap Disc Wheel - http://www.wheelbuilder.com Tire Crr Data - http://www.biketechreview.com

triarcher

Oct 29, 09 8:38

Post #46 of 61 (222 views)

Re: Road Bike Frames....plush racers? [jackmott] [In reply to]	Can't Post

ouch.....It's coming.....my legs started shaking while I was just reading my new plan. After reading it I realized how little I was actually doing on the bike. I'm doing some cross training and weight lifting right now. I'm starting my base in November. I want to be ready for the hills of Austin come April.

jackmott

Oct 29, 09 8:41

Post #47 of 61 (218 views)

Re: Road Bike Frames....plush racers? [triarcher] [In reply to]	Can't Post

you are in austin?

me too.

do the tour das hugel Nov 14th

you might not finish but the effort to try will accelerate your bike fitness enormously =)
----
What is good in life? - To crush your enemie's dreams, see them dropped behind you, and to hear the lamentation of their women!
Sunglasses: http://www.framesdirect.com/sunglasses
Tri Gear: http://www.atctrishop.com
Cheap Disc Wheel - http://www.wheelbuilder.com Tire Crr Data - http://www.biketechreview.com

triarcher

Oct 29, 09 9:01

Post #48 of 61 (214 views)

Re: Road Bike Frames....plush racers? [jackmott] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Actually in South Louisiana. I'm doing the MS150 from Houston to Austin in April.

Boudreaux

Oct 29, 09 9:18

Post #49 of 61 (207 views)

Re: Road Bike Frames....plush racers? [triarcher] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Lissen up. I'm going to say something that rarely gets said on ST...just go out and get on your bike. Just go ride it. Go out and have fun for a while. Become at one with your bike. When you want to ride fast, ride fast. When you want to ride slow, ride slow. Become a bicyclist. Learn how to ride a straight line. Learn to ride without hands. Learn how to ride without hands while eating. Learn how to ride a straight line without hands while eating. Keep that grin on your face for the time being.

Then go out and do intervals, fartlek, VO2 Max (whatever the hell that is) or LSD or Tempo or whatever else happens to be the training moto of the month - you'll know when the time is right for hard training and you'll be better for it. At that point you may ride the piss out of your bike and leave your snot on the top tube.

You may thank me later...but for God's sake, get a bicycle that calls for you. One you love. One that's fun to ride - and then you'll ride it.

"you know, aero trumps training ;-) "
R10C 10/09

(This post was edited by Boudreaux on Oct 29, 09 9:20)

gbot

Oct 29, 09 9:24

Post #50 of 61 (202 views)

Re: Road Bike Frames....plush racers? [Boudreaux] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Well said, best post in this thread so far...

It's very simple. If you love to ride, you'll get fast. If you have a bike you love, it's easier to love to ride, but it's not absolutely necessary.

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