When you get to the 58cm size, tri bikes diverge geometrically. Why? Because they can. The height of these bikes is similar, one to the next. But in reach, there’s more of a divergence.
by Dan Empfield, May 1, 2010
What is important? What ought to matter? The answers depend on who you are and what are you’re trying to achieve. You are a tri bike’s designer, for the purpose here; good steering geometry the goal.
Are you 5’6″ or shorter, or have an interest in one who is? Here is an assortment of small tri bikes, and where they fall along the geometric gradient of long, short, tall and narrow.
The exercise here is in the understanding of a tri bike’s frame geometry. There are several things worth noting, and this ought to impact, or at least inform, your buying decisions.
In about a month, I’ll have two bikes in my garage: a P3 and a Slice. The P3 was an output, that is, it was the result of a process. The Slice was an input: It commenced a process. Confused? Let me explain.
This Plasma is the longest in the tooth of the three Plasma framesets. It’s still got plenty of life and relevance. Even so, it would benefit from a couple of design and spec upgrades.
Is this bike the last of an era? The bike aboard which Levi, Lance and Alberto won so many grand tour TTs prepares, perhaps, to slide off into history. The Equinox TTX 9.0 is part of that lineage.
After 20 years of ambivalence toward tri bikes and the tri market, Specialized has finally made a world class timed race bike. The Transition is, with some exceptions, a bike worthy of its headbadge.
Cervelo’s juggernaut P2 moved out of the $2500 neighborhood, selling this year for $280. Felt’s B14 nicely slotted into the P2’s hand-me-down $2500 category; it’s a great value for the money.
The Felt B12 is a worthy competitor to C’dale’s Slice 4 and Cervelo’s category killing P2, as well as the entry level Equinox TTX and Specialized Transition. But the closest rivel to the B12 isn’t Cervelo, it’s Felt’s own B14.
Over the past decade Cervelo simplified cable routing, added a chain stay adjustment screw, then came the move to carbon. Since then it’s been pretty clear sailing.
Light and stable at a weight of 9.7 oz., the big feature is this shoe’s rubber Wave plate. This Mizuno is a lightweight trainer, good for neutral runners, maybe slight pronaters.
The swim portion of the Freshwater Trust Portland Triathlon takes place adjacent to a Superfund site. Yet, Triathlete magazine dubbed this the “Greenest Race in the World.” Read how.