Cervelo One

Price Paid:  $1150.00 at Toga Bike Shop, NYC

Favorite Ride:
the streets of nyc

Bike Setup:
2004 stock components with Speedplays WHICH I LOVE!!!

Summary:
About me: I'M THE PERSON THAT KNOWS THAT THEY'RE COMMITTED TO TRIATHLON NOW BUT DOESN'T HAVE A LOT OF DOUGH AND STILL ISN'T SURE ABOUT TRI VS. ROAD GEOMETY
Novice clydesdale making first road/tri bike purchase. Didn't want to commit to tri geometry and yet couldn't find compact road frame that I could envision being comfortable enough to convert for occassional tri (this could be accomplished with pro bike fitting, of course). Am ready for and just experienced enough to feel performance + weight difference of various components (i.e. 105 vs. ultegra vs. dura ace) but not the dough to pay for it. Former training/racing bike was 62 cm steel road bike.

Like the professional reviews say, this is a great intro tri bike. It's got a moderate 75 degree seat tube angle that, along with the stem, allows newbie riders to grow into an increasingly aggressive aero position. Although heavier than carbon the aluminum Profile Split Second aerobars offer a huge range of sizing adjustments to get a perfect fit. They're also set on traditional road handlebars which make it easy to switch over to road riding in the off-season. The aero profile of the down tube also make the frame nice and stiff and is worth component upgrades in the future.

As good as this may sound, these weren't the traits that influenced me to buy this bike--the price was. If I had more money or more time to save I would've either gotten the Specialized Allez Comp (advantage: Ultegra groupo, much better wheel set and even carbon components on a bike that A LOT of roadies race on, compact geometry that lends itself to occasional tri set up better than many roadsters) or the Cervelo Dual (advantage: more aero frameset & adjustable seat post on similar 75degree geometry--but same crappy 105 set-up).

But this was what I could afford and it's working well for me! The saddle sucks (but that's almost always the case!), i'm no fan of 105 and the wheels will be one of the first things to go at the end of this season. But these are things that all cyclists go through no matter what they buy. And afterall, it's not about the bike, right?

So far I've only trained on the One and will race on it for first time in 2-3 weeks. Getting used to the harsh ride of aluminum is tough, especailly since I weigh in at over 200 #. The wheels have been holding up though and I was comfortable enough to put in 96 miles in aero position on day one of owning it! That's gotta count for something.

Strengths:
IF YOU REALLY ARE A BEGINNER (just getting into the sport), THIS BIKE IS FOR YOU--EVEN THE BIG GUYS.
Stiff; quality workmanship on frame that would be worth component upgrades--sorta (see below); moderate seat tube angle make it one of the few tri bikes that can MAYBE make it a pretty comfortable road bike--i mean, as far as tri bikes go.
Most important, this bike makes it easy to ride right: My knees stay tucked, elbows in and back straight!
Plus, Cervelos are just cool!

Weaknesses:
IF YOU ARE JUST NOW READY TO GET A "REAL" BIKE DESPITE YOUR EXPERIENCE IN THE TRIATHLON, THIS BIKE MAY NOT BE THE BEST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK EVEN THOUGH IT'LL STILL WORK.
Because Cervelo applies such radically different tubing profiles to each line of frames, owners are caught in a $$$ dilema when it comes to making modest upgrades over time. You can either put money towards a more aero framset with less advanced components (i.e. pay extra $300 and go from One->Dual but still stuck with 105 & mediocre wheelset), or upgrade parts and have limited aero benefits on less advanced frame. The other option is to pay out the wazoo from jump and get the kick-ass frame with great components.

Again, these are issues that many tri-bike owners face no matter what brand. So I hope I don't make Cervelo sound too bad. They are cool!

Similar Products Used:
None, this is my first tri-bike.