Question for biker/tri types

Trek.

Get one new or used at your local bike store.

Do it.

Do it now.

If you can try to get a bike at a factory store. We have one where I live and I got a $2500 bike for $1100. It is all carbon frame with ultegra components. You really need to know what you want in your bike before you get one. If you know then you can get one off of craigslist and probably be fine but a lot of bike shops sell used ones that are a little safer. When it comes down to it components are the biggest part.

You can get more bike for your $ if you buy used, but you can get a new bike for that price that is good enough for triathlon and road racing, so I would strongly recommend you buy new. Go to an LBS (local bike shop), let them know exactly what you intend to use the bike for (as well as your price range), and let them guide you through the process. The fit of a bicycle can be very important, and a good shop will fit you to any bicycle you buy.

I would have a very hard time recommending one brand over another (Specialized, Trek, C'Dale, Giant, Felt, etc.). They all make bikes of comparable quality for comparable prices, but they will ride and fit slightly differently. Also, the shops that service them may be of differing quality as well... try going to several bike stores and seeing who treats you best and takes care of your needs. Buying a bike can be a long term relationship with the shop, so I would almost consider the relationship with the staff to be close to as important as the bike itself (since they are all so similar).

You can haggle with the price of bikes a little, similar to a car, but your best luck will be with accessories and service. Often you can get a year of free service with the purchase of a bike, and some great deals on accessories that frankly you will need anyways (tubes, pumps, lights/reflective gear, helmet, shorts, jerseys, etc.). The margins on these products will allow them to be more generous than with the price of the bicycle itself.

It's a lot easier to get a suitable tri bike off the internet or Craig's list than to get a normal road bike, because you have a lot more adjustability with the aero position than you do with a road position. I got both of my Ironman bikes (a 1996 Cannondale road frameset and a 1999 Litespeed Tachyon) just by knowing the general frame size I wanted, and then I adjusted the aerobar height and reach as well as the seat until I was happy. I always had good IM bike splits (5:10-5:20) and ran 3:13-3:20 off the bike.

I bought a road bike off the internet also, and it took me forever to get my position right. There's just not as much room for error in a road position.

You can and should absolutely get a used bike. And upgrade the wheels. It is NOT all about the components. The lateral stiffness, vertical compliance, and weight distribution of everything else on the bike MATTER. Just make sure you read enough about the fit. People will tell you different things.

Most of it is preference. You can switch parts of your bike for others, selling stuff as you go, etc. I started with one bike and gradually replaced things as they wore out or I upgraded them over the course of 3-4 years, and now the only thing I have from the original bike is the handlebars and shifters.

I adjust my seat height and position occasionally. I would suggest thinking about/adjusting your set up often at first as you learn more, until you get more of a sense of what people are talking about. You can get a fitting from some stores or specialists, new or used. there are step by step guides on the internet too.

Almost any bike you will get for 1200 will be "good enough". It is about having a bike that resonates with you.

One more thing: Tri/TT bikes are different than road bikes. If you put TT bars on a road bike, you will have to move the seat up and forward to get into a good aero position, and your weight will be too much over your front wheel. Some people ride with a race position on regular drop bars that is closer to TT position, though.

If you can get the right used bike you will get more for your money, that is for sure. This last year I bought a C40 Colnago/Campy Record bike that fits me pretty well. I bought the bike from a friend (my idea when he got a new, ~$10,000 MSRP ride).

However, I am years past my racing years and did not consider the pluses and minus for racing. And, this bike fit me quite well. It is hard to get a good fit from a used bike because they are 0ne-offs, not something designed to fit you. If you do go this route you should have a shop fit you, which will cost you some of your cost savings, plus what happens if something goes wrong or is not as represented? You really do need to learn a lot about racing and about riding and about what a good fit on the bike means.

I switched from running to racing on the bike when a plantar fascia problem would not resolve (and the underlying problem was an issue that would not go away either. I raced main hilly road races (won about half) and hill climbs (won 80%) [mainly Cat III, but no Cat V at the time] where my strengths were greatest and weaknesses did not matter as much.

70.3 entry fee: $300

Used road bike: $1000

Passing guys riding $5K+ tri/TT bikes: Priceless

70.3 entry fee: $300

New tri/TT bike: $4k

Destroying other runners and cyclists on crappy road bikes: Priceless

A good bike makes a huge difference. I'm not saying you have to get a $7-10k bike, but a good $3-4k is nearly as good - price difference to a $7k+ bike is usually components (ex dura-ace vs. ultegra) or little additions (like a built-in water bottle on the cervelo p4). But that $3-4k bike is WAAY better than a $1-1.5k bike (i have ridden both, and my tri bike kills my cheap road bike!).

Used for sure. I got a Merlin with Dura-Ace off Craigslist for $1200. There's always some guy that spent way too much on a new bike that doesn't ride it anymore.

For $1200 new, you're probably going for an aluminum frame. Pretty much every brand has something at that level. The Performance house brand Scattante, Fuji, Specialized, Trek, etc. I've heard a lot of nice things about the Specialized Allez, and Specialized has a fantastic crash replacement policy on many of their bikes (not sure about the Allez specifically). Don't forget you'll want pedals and shoes, and that'll cost money too (something like $100 for pedals and the same for shoes, although you can definitely get used).

If you decide to buy used, I guess you have to go for the best deal you can, it's hard to advise you here. Just don't get scammed and don't buy stolen, ask them why they're selling. You probably won't know what a good fit is if you haven't ridden much before, but if it's really uncomfortable you'll know. You can always make adjustments later (stem height, stem length, seat height, cleat position, seat position, etc). Try it out and don't buy if something is uncomfortable.

I bought my first road bike new, because I didn't know what I was doing and the shop had a policy that they would do certain work for free. There are other reasons to buy new as well: 1. I can return anything if it ever breaks. I just returned some pedals that I bought 9 months ago because the bearings broke on one of them, I got a similar pair and money back because they were on sale. I think it costs the shop nothing, they send the pedals back to the retailer and get refunded for the defective item. 2. The shop is happy to work on it, because they would really rather keep it working well. 3. It's a better relationship with the shop in general. 4. Some companies have crash replacement policies.

Bump