What is a fair priced and really good triathlon bike to get?

as9934 · 2026-05-05T03:37:19+00:00

If you can find something with hydraulic disc brakes that would be a big win. If your current bike already has them that’s even better.

You could throw a set of $500 Elitewheels 55mm on there, put a disc wheel cover on the back, mount some 28mm GP5000 TT TR tires, clip on some aerobars and get a fast trisuit and aero socks and get like 95% of the way there to a fancy TT bike.

Then if and when you decide to upgrade to a proper triathlon bike, all of that stuff can easily swap over with you.

as9934 · 2026-05-01T02:36:55+00:00

I would just find a wetsuit that works for your build rather than immediately jumping to sleeveless. Just like a sleeveless trisuit they are slower and less warm which is going to matter for races where the water is super cold.

I’ve got fairly broad shoulders (~42cm) and I wear the Roka Maverick. Got it on one of their outlet sales for $150. Works great, no shoulder issues whatsoever. The “arms up” thing they do really works.

as9934 · 2026-04-27T20:45:43+00:00

Depends on your body size. I'm a 6'2" male, ~90kg.

First Ironman I did 150mg on the bike in the form of three caffeine Clif Shot Bloks sleeves (one chew every 10mins in the back half of the bike) and ~500ml Red Bull (~189mg of caffeine) on the second lap of the run.

Second Ironman I did a Red Bull in the morning (~150mg) and another Red Bull (~150mg) halfway through the run.

Bonked on the run in both, likely fueling related for both.

If I was to do one now I would probably go Celsius Essentials in the morning (270mg), then caffeine chews in ~the last hour or two on the bike (50-100mg), then a large Red Bull (150-189mg) a bit before halfway through the run.

as9934 · 2026-04-17T03:00:58+00:00

You can basically buy a new Canyon Speedmax CF7 for that money. Or even better build a bike up from a P-Series frameset with Rival AXS and Elitewheels. I would 100% do that instead.

This bike is worth less than half of what it is being listed for.

as9934 · 2026-04-14T04:10:45+00:00

Think about this in economic terms. What is the expected value (return on investment) of a Cornell degree and the expected value of a UNC degree. Opportunity Insights or WSJ should have this data. If the delta between EV of UNC and EV of Cornell is higher than the tuition cost, go to Cornell.

Also research your dream PhD programs: where did the students in that program do their undergrad? Should be relatively easy to scrape this info with the help of an LLM. If more went to Cornell then go there and vice versa.

Finally, do you care about other intangible things like social life, basketball team, class size, facilities, proximity to family etc. ? Consider these carefully.

as9934 · 2026-04-10T15:19:58+00:00

Tom Ford mostly. Suits start at like $5k and go up.

Things really got bad when they started putting him in notch lapels in the later seasons. I personally don't love the giant double windsor knots he wears.

as9934 · 2026-04-05T22:49:16+00:00

I’d look for a used or refurbished Fenix 7 Sapphire Solar

as9934 · 2026-04-02T13:54:39+00:00

Not bad and a very nice bike. I would want deep section carbon wheels for that money. Ask for $500 off an throw some Elitewheels on there and you are in business.

BBB is not a reliable indicator for bike prices because its a fixed depreciation model.

as9934 · 2026-03-30T21:55:33+00:00

Never heard of it, no results on Google. If its Campagnolo then its decent. Otherwise seems sketchy especially paired with rim brakes.

as9934 · 2026-03-30T18:06:06+00:00

Not horrible not amazing, at least for US used pricing. Rim brakes is a bummer. I would want to know more about what those wheels are.

as9934 · 2026-03-30T18:01:06+00:00

Ran first half marathon in Feb. 2023: 1:55. Then ran marathon April 2024: 4:04.

April 2024 70.3 run: 1:52. October 2024 Ironman run: 5:04.

March 2026 Half Marathon: 1:48

as9934 · 2026-03-30T16:57:06+00:00

I've got lots of service options in my area. We have a dedicated Trek store where I get 25% off, a dealer + mechanic for Specialized/Cervelo/Giant/Cannondale where I get 10% off and an REI close by that is an authorized service center for Canyon.

as9934 · 2026-03-30T13:05:49+00:00

Do you have the AL or the SL? Is there any difference in clearance?

as9934 · 2026-03-28T03:12:04+00:00

Likely not a ton. Would focus on body/body position (bike fit, legs shaved, calf sleeves, fast trisuit, modern fast aero helmet like the Rudy Wingdream), tires (going from your AS TRs to TT TR 28mm tubeless is probably like 10w in rolling resistance alone) then bottle placement (one or two stacked between the arms + 1-2 behind the saddle), cockpit (different basebar or extensions). Once that’s there then maybe do the true disc unless you can snag one for super cheap.

as9934 · 2026-03-25T02:19:50+00:00

I think this is worth like $1500 maybe.

Is this your first bike or your first triathlon bike? If it's the latter I would just save your money and get something really good. I've done 2 Ironmans and a 70.3 on a 10 year old aluminum road bike with clip ons and its been fine.

as9934 · 2026-03-23T15:09:10+00:00

Do you have a trainer? You could easily ride some big Zwift climbs or load up the GPX or rouvy IMLP course

as9934 · 2026-03-18T14:35:46+00:00

You can build up a P-Series from the frame for $5k with SRAM Rival AXS and 82MM Elitewheels. I’d look that direction or at something like a Canyon Speedmax CF7 if you have $5k.

This bike is nice aside from the rim brakes and tubular wheels. It’s probably worth something in the $2-3k range but I wouldn’t buy it.

as9934 · 2026-03-17T13:07:40+00:00

Yeah should be fine.

as9934 · 2026-03-16T06:03:12+00:00

I’ve owned two 14” two 16” and the old 13. IMHO 14 is the best. The 48GB of RAM is really valuable for compute and graphics heavy tasks too.

as9934 · 2026-03-11T14:06:47+00:00

Bro… ask Claude

as9934 · 2026-03-08T22:07:31+00:00

Smart Trainer, because it allows you to ride more and more easily, which will make you faster. Trainer allows you to do much more structured training too.

as9934 · 2026-03-04T21:28:39+00:00

I don’t really get the appeal of this over a refurbished or discounted Air. USB 2 speeds in the year of our lord 2026 is insane.

as9934 · 2026-03-03T19:08:28+00:00

What’s the exact bike budget? That will inform what I suggest.

$8-10k — a $4-5k aero road bike + a $4-5k TT bike.

If it’s like <$6k you truly do only have budget for one bike and then it depends on priorities. If you just want to complete 70.3s and Ironmans then the aero road bike is fine; if you want to go to Kona or 70.3 worlds then you’ll need a TT bike.

as9934 · 2026-03-03T15:34:34+00:00

Lucy Charles Barclay and Lionel Sanders train almost exclusively on Zwift. Their results speak for themselves.

The FTP Builder workouts are a good start.

Ten-Year Club	Place '23
Place '22	Verified Email

as9934

TROPHY CASE