Which bike to buy? Entry level triathlete.

If you are going to buy from Craigslist, I would just do it at your local city, so you have a change to inspect it before buying it. At least ebay has a rating system, but there is nothing for Craiglist. The one in Miami reads like it was written by someone who is not a native speaker. Someone could have a fake ad.


Of the remaining two, the '05 Specialized is a 9 year old bike with an aluminum frame for $900. You could get a new Kestrel Talon Sprint for $1450 with all-carbon frame.

The Felt is probably the best deal since it was $2200 new and is no more than 2 years old.

Thanks everyone for your replies, I'm gonna either go with the felt or something from mybikeshop.

Adding one more to the list.
http://raleigh.craigslist.org/bik/4299707997.html

Looks good to me, what u guys think?

I've done the same thing. In 2013 I did 21 Tris on my Cannondale road bike so I've been considering a Tri bike for a while. Get tired of hearing "on your left" from all the Tri bikes. I Narrowed it down to Felt B16 or Cervelo P2. This week I pulled the trigger and got the Felt. After getting professionally fitted for this bike it put me in a physical position that made going forward faster feel easier. I also got a good deal by purchasing the 2013 model with the Ultegra groupo. Looking forward to my 1st race on the new bike (from my LBS) this Sunday... Good luck in your search!!

I just picked up the same Felt B16 on Jan 1st for a grand. Low mileage and well taken care of so I was happy. I've only been on it twice b/c of the cold weather, but I like it a ton.

Well I'm literally inches away from pulling the trigger on a 2013 qr Lucero lite from "mybikeshop". Big jump up from where I was price wise but I think will be worth it in the long run.
Just waiting for my tax return, and we should be good to go unless something else amazing comes in.

If you know a specific bike and size you want OR you don't have a lot of money budgeted, craigs list/used bikes can be a good way to go. However, road bikes are like running shoes. If they don't fit, it really doesn't matter what kind of deal you got on it.

You said you were over $1,000 with your budget. With that money available, you might just go into your local bike shop and see what they have. A new bike is fit to you.. comes with a warranty where a used bike doesn't (lifetime frame warranties only apply to the original owner and on carbon frames, you would have to produce a proof of purchase which you won't have on a used bike)... and you get a lot of bike for the money once you spend $1,200 or more.

The Specialized Allez Comp retails for about $1,200 and uses the E5 aluminum which was what Mario Cippolini won the the World Championships on 10 years ago. Great for training and put a pair of clip on bars and it would be fantastic for a tri. The LBS will make sure it fits really well and you have a full warranty.

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/road/allez/allez-comp-smartw...

I went ahead and bought the Lucero lite from brian at mybikeshop, waiting on shipment now. But let me just say that Brian was the most helpful and honest salesperson I will probably ever come across and I will definitely buy more from him if needed in the future. He was so helpful that I was compelled to pay full price even after we negotiated a lower price!

Will update as soon as I get the bike up and running!

Only heard great things about Brian. And you'll love the Lucero. Had one for a few years and sold it to our good friend. She just repeated as AG world champion in London, so the bike won't hold you back.