The Bike Fairy Needs Your Help
Before I write the rest of this post, I’d better clear something up about The Bike Fairy. (This is a non-PC gag, so if you’re offended by this sort of thing, skip the rest of this paragraph). Contrary to popular opinion, The Bike Fairy is a supernatural being who brings good boys and girls bikes while their parents / wife / husband is away. Zed from Pulp Fiction is an entirely different kind of bike fairy.
Anyway, having got that over with, I have a problem. My A-race (and first triathlon - talk about bad planning) this season is only six weeks away. And having turned my VERY old race bike into a fixie, I need a new race bike. No prizes for anyone who saw that one comming.
My budget is limited (£600 / $1100 is realistically IT, ‘though I could stretch as far as £700 at an absolute push), and I need a bike with a first rate frame, drivetrain and components. Oh, and a set of aero bars with bar-end shifters is kinda essential - this is to be a race bike, where keeping in position, and at the top of the power curve are essential.
Here’s my shortlist. Which would you go for / have I missed an obvious alternative?
Claud Butler Milano 2007. Base price is £499, but replacement shifters & aero bars will take this up to almost £650. The groupset is only Sora, with only a 7 speed cassette, so the ratios will probably be wider than optimal.
Felt Z90. Base price £550, and again it’ll need new shifters and aero bars, pushing it to almost £700 (ouch!). The groupset is mainly Sora, but with a Tiagra rear mech. Unlike the Claud Butler, it has an 8 ratio cassette, which is somewhat more attractive, but not much - the 12-25 ratio indicates (possibly) a bit of a granny-gear setup.- Giant SCR3 (£450) or SCR2 (£525). Giant bikes have
a giant reputation, and the SCR range just keeps popping up. The SCR3 has a Sora / Tiagra setup like the Z90, while the SCR2 takes it to Tiagra throughout, with a 9×3 set of cogs. Again though, both would need aero bars & shifters to turn either bike from a fast day-bike into a TT / tri-bike - pushing the price up to between £600 and £675. 
Kinetic One FK-One. Special offer price is £699 for a stunning road bike with a Campagnolo Xenon 20 x 2 groupset. The problem is though, this is right at the limit of my budget, with no more money to put in to changing the bars and shifters. It’s a nice bike though . . .Tribike Phoenix £695. Not sure about the name here (rising from the ashes - after a crash and burn?) But again - just look at the bike. Alloy / carbon frame, Tiagra 9x 2 groupset, aero bars and Dura Ace shifters, etc. I worry a little about the yellow tyres in their photos. Not that these are yellow is the problem - are Michelin Pro Race 2’s clincher tyers, and if so, am I getting in too deep here?
So that’s my shortlist. Everything seems to be comming in near enough £700. Which should I go for, or is there a better choice that I’ve overlooked? Answers below please!
For what it’s worth… when I bought my first “real road bike” my local tri shop tried to sell me a Felt because of the price point. They are a pretty reputable shop and I can’t imagine them selling a product if they didn’t think it was a good product for the price point.
I was looking for a slightly different product… namely more of a road bike, so I was not concerned about the aero bars, etc. My biggest problem was that with my size (5′4″ tall) I was too short to be comfortable on a lot of standard frames… I was also impatient.
I ended up lucking out big time and finding a great full carbon fiber frame/forks with full Ultegra parts including a 10speed with a triple crank, for only $1200 US. It was new, but a very off brand, namely the house brand of “Super Go” bike shops now Performance Bicycle. These were mass produced bikes sold at below cost. They were selling dollar bills for 75cents and planning to make it up in volume… no wonder they got bought out.
Anyway, I don’t have a true tri-bike. I just have some Carbon Stryke Aero’s added to my road bike. I actually take them off if I’m in the “cycling” portion of my season, and put on the aero’s once I start focusing on my Ironman.
I think it price point is your main concern, then I’d find a great road bike that meets your price point, and then only put the aero’s on, and don’t take the extra expense of moving your brakes and shifters to a standard TT/tri setup.
Just my two cents.
Excellent advice, thanks. This is pushing me toward the FK-One, which seems to be just soooo much bike for the money - even though it’s a lot of money!
Other news is that The Edinburgh Cycle Cooperative have just opened a new store in Manchester, with a 20% off everything on production of an opening offer voucher that they mail out to you if you send ‘em an email. Their range is kinda limited, but it would push up my budget quite considerably