Wednesday morning I went to Speed Theory to try out some TT bikes, I had stopped by on Saturday morning and checked out the Argon 18 E114 and the Orbea Ordu. Wednesday was going to be my first time trying them outside.
This week we had some fantastic weather in Vancouver, it was clear blue sky and 7-9*C every day and Wednesday was no exception to this. The first bike I tried out was the Orbea, and to be honest, I was a little disappointed. I found that even on a small frame I wasn't getting far off the frame and the drop (even though lowered as much as possible) didn't feel like much. I felt like THIS, instead of what I feel could be like THIS. On top of that, I felt really cramped on the frame, as though it was too short front to back for me, I kept hitting my knee's on the arm rest. Oh well. I may try this one out again in a different size. The aerobars could be stretched out a bit and saddle moved back a slight bit.
The next bike I tried out was the Argon 18 E114, this bike was much more comfortable, I immediately felt much more comfortable on it. My big complaint with this bike is the cockpit.
As you can see, the handles on the sides are straight out, and this just didn't fit right in my hands. The aerobars felt really good though. My roommate made the comment though that how often will I be on the arm rest which is true, ideally I will be in the aero position for most races.
One option here, the E114 has this whole fancy one piece aerobars/fork. Where as if you go down one model to the E112, you can customize the fork and aerobars. If it comes down to it, this will probably be my decision.
But after riding both bikes, I'm far from convinced. I'm really hoping that this week I can try out a few more to get a better perspective. I am currently in the airport on my way to Boulder Colorado, also known as Triathlon Capital USA to visit some McGill friends. I brought a bike kit with me along with my shoes and pedals so that when we check out some bike shops I could try out a few frames not available in Vancouver. Bikes I'm hoping to try out would be a Felt/Scott/Trek/Ridley/Kuota to name a few.
Anyways, the hunt is on for a tri bike. I've got plenty of time to get one, so I'm really going to do my homework before making my purchase.
2 comments:
Just a couple of thoughts re your comments about the Orbea - moving the saddle backwards may compromise your fore/aft position, which will affect your ability to run well off the bike. Also, moving the arm pads may compromise your elbow angle, which will ultimately cause some shoulder discomfort.
Look at top tube and seat tube lengths, to make sure the bike fits your body type, ie if you have a long torso and short legs, or the other way around...
I personally love the Scott's and Felts... road and TT.
Good luck finding a bike... :)
N
Try Cervelo P3 medium. You'll love it.
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