BACK TO THE SHOP

I ride a Trek 1200. I've upgraded it with aerobars and of course the Flashpoint wheels (aka "cheater wheels" as my friends call them), but it is still essentially an entry-level bike I've had for four years and it's time for something new.

I started my bike hunt late last fall, and it was the worst possible time. I went to at least 6 different bike shops, none of them had any of the bikes I wanted in my size. So they would send me out to test a bike that was too big or too small for me. Some of them were literally painful to ride. Time after time I was told I should just buy the bike and they would order the correct size for me.

I know many people will purchase a bike purely on spec, but that's not me. I'm willing to read the reviews and listen to advice for some general guidelines, but if I'm going to lay out a fairly large sum of cash, I want to have at least SOME idea what the bike is going to feel back. And coming back from a test ride with a sore back because the frame is too small is not a fair way to judge a bike.

I may have missed out on last year's clearance sales, but apparently the shops have better-stocked inventories now so I am back on the hunt. I have an Ironman triathlon in 4 months; I'd like at least 3 months of training on the new bike so I'll either get something in the next few weeks or wait until early fall.

The frontrunner based upon price/specs: Cervelo P2. If I can find a 51 to test, it may be a done deal.