Bike for Olympic Distance Draft Legal Racing - Triathlon Week

09-03-2007, 12:56 AM

Hi
Now that spring is upon us i thought it would be a good time to change
my bike for the new season. I am currently riding a size 58 trek 5000
but i feel that it has had its day and i will probably keep it just
for use on the indoor trainer.
Now down to the nitty gritty. I dont have a large budget. In other
words i can't afford a bike over 3000 bucks (due to the fact that i
will probably end up spending another 700-800 bucks on other stuff
(pedals, shoes, new aerobars etc).
I am obviously forced to go for a road bike frame because of the style
of race i take part in (tri bikes are not ITU legal) and i have been
doing my research on those lines.
I have decided to go for either a Trek (happy with the 5000 until now)
possibly a 5.5 madone which retails for about three grand for dura
ace; or a Cervelo Soloist Team which is roughly the same price again
for dura-ace. There are however notable differences and here is where
things get a bit tricky. The madone is carbon. The Cervelo is
aluminium. The Trek doesn't have ideal geometry/aerodynamics for
multisport. It's more of a 'climber's bike' hence the less aggressive
frame geometry. The Cervelo is ideal for multisport with its
reversible seatpost and more aggressive geometry but is a little
heavier.
If anybody has any valuable input i would be grateful
thanks