I wasn't arguing for a tri bike as first bike. As a matter of fact, I put down the pro/ con thing because frankly I would argue against it. But if you are going to put clip on aero bars on a road bike, you better make sure the effective top tube length is short enough(possibly by swapping out stems) so that the handling of the bike is not thrown off by putting too much weight too far forward. The comment about short course tris is correct, I raced 3 this fall with the Trek and no aero bars. But the long course stuff next year, you better believe will be on the Roo Baby. Of course, I have goals such as dropping times and more ambitious ones related to the Ironman Collegiate National Champoinship and Hawaii. I may not be Karen Smyers and have only been nationally ranked on the Xterra off road circuit but that doesn't mean my racing doesn't matter. In addition, when I help people bike shop around here, I tell them they can get an excellent bike to grow with between $1000-1500. Of course, budget and quality matter to most of the people that are asking. BTW, my bikes are actually relatively cheap compared to some of the people I ride with.
So using the LBS to size you and then ordering online, I have a problem with that ethically but that is my personal opinion. Yes, there are places that you can pay for the service but that $150-200 plus the lack of follow up service rapidly eats into the cost savings. Most LBS do a year or more of follow up service. Would I buy a bike online? I've looked at it in the past- if I could have justified the additional cost of the Titus(yes, it was MORE) over the Jamis, I would have. Road bikes- I've looked at Airborne but they wouldn't fit and ultimately I ended up deciding I wanted full carbon. It really boils down to what you feel comfortable with. If you decide to buy online after careful examination of your LBS options, check out Colorado Cyclist and their Douglas house brand bikes. They seem like you can get a lot for the money, their customer service is knowledgable, and they publish geometry.
Someone asked how a tri bike is different- is really a geometry issue. The seat tube angle is steeper(bottom bracket or where the cranks attach to seat) and that is supposed to move you a bit further forward over the petals and therefore be a bit of leg saving to run afterwards. The other big geometry issue with a dedicated tri or time trial bike has to do with safety. I mentioned above being careful about getting too much weight forward. A road bike is designed to have most weight distributed over the seat and then down through the axis of the head tube and fork. A clip on aero bar puts your weight on your elbows but your head and more of your mass is further forward than a regular road riding position. A tri/TT bike has a different head tube angle that helps somewhat with this weight shift. There are some debates about 650 v 700 c wheel sizes. 650s accelarate quicker and are nice for a smaller athlete but Lance rode 700s so... The other major difference visually is the handlebar set up such as drop bars plus clip on aero bar on a road bike or less expensive tri bike or cowhorn bars with an aero bar with the shifters at the end of the aero bars. Yes, this affects the aerodynamics but also has to do with comfort level with the brakes and shifters separated and at the ends of the bars. I didn't buy a tri bike until I started racing long course events but that was partly a monetary choice. If you can own just one, most people suggest a road bike.
So using the LBS to size you and then ordering online, I have a problem with that ethically but that is my personal opinion. Yes, there are places that you can pay for the service but that $150-200 plus the lack of follow up service rapidly eats into the cost savings. Most LBS do a year or more of follow up service. Would I buy a bike online? I've looked at it in the past- if I could have justified the additional cost of the Titus(yes, it was MORE) over the Jamis, I would have. Road bikes- I've looked at Airborne but they wouldn't fit and ultimately I ended up deciding I wanted full carbon. It really boils down to what you feel comfortable with. If you decide to buy online after careful examination of your LBS options, check out Colorado Cyclist and their Douglas house brand bikes. They seem like you can get a lot for the money, their customer service is knowledgable, and they publish geometry.
Someone asked how a tri bike is different- is really a geometry issue. The seat tube angle is steeper(bottom bracket or where the cranks attach to seat) and that is supposed to move you a bit further forward over the petals and therefore be a bit of leg saving to run afterwards. The other big geometry issue with a dedicated tri or time trial bike has to do with safety. I mentioned above being careful about getting too much weight forward. A road bike is designed to have most weight distributed over the seat and then down through the axis of the head tube and fork. A clip on aero bar puts your weight on your elbows but your head and more of your mass is further forward than a regular road riding position. A tri/TT bike has a different head tube angle that helps somewhat with this weight shift. There are some debates about 650 v 700 c wheel sizes. 650s accelarate quicker and are nice for a smaller athlete but Lance rode 700s so... The other major difference visually is the handlebar set up such as drop bars plus clip on aero bar on a road bike or less expensive tri bike or cowhorn bars with an aero bar with the shifters at the end of the aero bars. Yes, this affects the aerodynamics but also has to do with comfort level with the brakes and shifters separated and at the ends of the bars. I didn't buy a tri bike until I started racing long course events but that was partly a monetary choice. If you can own just one, most people suggest a road bike.