[moose8500]

hey, I'm looking for the best bang for buck for 1200... Campy or shimano, Anything... I would like at least full 105... Anny great deals you've seen? I am really looking for a tri bike, and I once saw a sale at sbrmultisports.com on a dual for like $1200, but that's long gone. Anything?

Best bang for buck $1200 bike??? ebay, the classifieds, online stores? I am looking for a 52 and would prefer brands like cervelo, quintana roo, specialized, giant over the nonames like mercier and stuff...

 

[climbandcycle]

That's a tough price spot...

$1200 is a very hard price range to be in because a little more money will get you a lot more bike, you're best bet is a closeout at your local bike shop, unfortunately waiting for a deal means not riding.
I was in the exact same spot you are and I searched high and low for a bike in that price range with 105 and a quality wheelset. I ended up joining a team who was sponsored by a local bike shop so I ended up buying an ultegra level bike with a nice wheelset that may not have been my favorite choice but it was an excellent deal near my price range. You may want to try and do the same depending on your area.

My final suggestion is to look at the Fuji Aloha, maybe even try to get a deal on last years model. Many of my teammates ride them and don't really have anything bad to say, parts are pretty high caliber (Last years model came with a better wheelset in my opinion), and cost is relatively low for a tri-specific bike. It is not a Cervelo or a Felt, but Fuji may surprise you. A Fuji is definately uncool but I think the brand realizes that, and is working on creating bikes that speak for themselves.

 

[imetis]

I was looking in a similar range, and decided on the Motobecane Le Champion SL from bikesdirect.com. $1295 (no tax or shipping), < 16 lbs, ultegra + FSA carbon mega exo crank + American Classic AC420 wheelset. Very hard to beat. You can get aluminum ultegra bikes from most of the online sources for about that, what sets this one apart is the wheelset. One of the best. The only downside is that they aren't shipping until the first week of Feb, so I have to keep waiting

 

[Henry Chinaski]

Depends. What do you have now? I'd start with a good frameset, nice bar and stem, and some new Ultegra stuff from eBay and cannibalize bits off my old bikes til I could afford the rest.

 

[Bertrand]

What about GVH

I also bought a Motobecane LeChampion SL last year when they were on sale. I've been very happy with it.

But I think the Viner special offered by GVH bikes looks like a very nice deal. It would be a very solid, reliable bike. Plus you would have the chance to upgrade if you want, and you would have better customer support than BikesDirect offers.
________
White Wife

 

[moose8500]

I also bought a Motobecane LeChampion SL last year when they were on sale. I've been very happy with it.

But I think the Viner special offered by GVH bikes looks like a very nice deal. It would be a very solid, reliable bike. Plus you would have the chance to upgrade if you want, and you would have better customer support than BikesDirect offers.

I'll look at the motobecane lechampion, I just am unsure about the frame/???? What exactly is nice at GVH??? I don't really see any bikes in this range?

 

[JayTee]

hey, I'm looking for the best bang for buck for 1200... Campy or shimano, Anything... I would like at least full 105... Anny great deals you've seen? I am really looking for a tri bike, and I once saw a sale at sbrmultisports.com on a dual for like $1200, but that's long gone. Anything?

Best bang for buck $1200 bike??? ebay, the classifieds, online stores? I am looking for a 52 and would prefer brands like cervelo, quintana roo, specialized, giant over the nonames like mercier and stuff...

Pretty damn hard to beat the Giant OCR1 at that price point. $1200 would get you out the door, including tax, with a few bucks left over.

I also like the Lemond Croix de Fer at that price point.

Neither of those is a tri bike per se, but unless you are doing dozens of tris a year, you should just want a good road bike for your purposes.

 

[moose8500]

The problem with that bike, WHERE CAN I BUY IT THAT THEY SHIP??? I have found no store that sells that bike to me shipped, and I need it shipped to miami... Anyone know a place?

 

[estone2]

Pretty damn hard to beat the Giant OCR1 at that price point. $1200 would get you out the door, including tax, with a few bucks left over.

I also like the Lemond Croix de Fer at that price point.

Neither of those is a tri bike per se, but unless you are doing dozens of tris a year, you should just want a good road bike for your purposes.

Trek Equinox 5 $1319, Specialized Transition Multi Sport $1200, C'dale and Giant dont have offerings in terms of tri bikes at that price range
maybe the best thing for you to do would be to get a road bike and put road bike specific aerobars on them ("shorty" bars - normal ones made for actual tri bikes are a bit long for a road bike which can make you steer kinda crappy and overextend and stuff)

 

[moose8500]

Thnx a lot everyone, instead of buying from a shop or something, I have been checking ebay and RBR for some nice new closeouts and stuff, and found some real nice 1200-1300 05 stuff. Thanks a lot! I'll post pics of my new giant Tcr (ultegra/105 mix) when it gets here!