I've been thinking of getting a new bike with a budget of $2000-$2500.
So far the soloist and the talon caught my eye. I like the scott cr1's because of the weight and material but the cervelo and kestrel look better.

So anyone here had experience/rode both bikes?
Which one will have a better ride?
Which one do you think is lighter?
Which one is a better bike over all?

Any inputs/comments will be appreciated.


Thanks

I'll let you know in a couple of weeks after I build up my Kestrel.

I sold my Cervelo P2K and want to get a dual purpose bike for roadie/triathlon. The most obvious choices are the Soloist and Talon. Both are aero and have a dual position seat post for road and tri riding.

I chose the Talon for a few reasons. First the carbon Soloist is out of my price range. I rode the aluminium Soloist and felt it was a bit harsh, not overly, but definately an aluminium feel to it. I was used to an aluminium Cervelo P2K and did find that bike a bit harsh on long rides, although 650c wheels, 19mm tires and solid rear disc had a lot to do with it. Of course I haven't rode my Talon yet, so I'm only assuming it will be a nicer riding frame than the aluminium Soloist, but I'd be pleasantly surprised if it rides as nice as my Lemond steel/carbon spine frame.

Otherwise it's a bit of a wash. The aero tubing on the Cervelo seems a bit more genuinely aero, but the Talon does have aero seat stays and a shorter head tube for getting a bit lower in the forward position on aero bars for triathlons.

It was a tough choice, but in the end I based my decision mostly on frame material carbon vs aluminium.

Do a google on the slowtwitch.com forum. This has been covered several times.

Thanks for the response. I'm really not sure what i will get right now. I'm used to the ride of my aluminum trek bike, never had the chance to go to helen's here in los angeles to test drive the soloist, i don't even know if they will let me. As like what you have said, one reason that i'm looking at different brands is the price too. The talon is cheaper and it's carbon. I was also intrigue with the felt bikes, either the F4 or the F55. I should really
go the my LBS soon and check how all of them ride, wish there was an LBs that carries all the these brands so i wouldn't drive around. Thanks again.

I rode a Talon SL last summer, and it gave new meaning to the concept of a "wooden" ride. There was something strangely rickety about that frame, like something that had been hastily McGyver'd together out of 1x3's and bailing wire; noisey and frighteningly un-solid feeling. I really wanted to like that bike, as it was by far the best looking of all the ones on my short list. But ultimately the most favorable comment I could muster after my test ride was "Well *that* was interesting."

Comparing a Kestrel Talon (even the non-SL) to an aluminum Cervelo Soloist is a bit apples-to-oranges, don't you think?

"Comparing a Kestrel Talon (even the non-SL) to an aluminum Cervelo Soloist is a bit apples-to-oranges, don't you think?"

Why would you say that? They're two road bikes both with aero tubing, internal cabling and dual position seat post for road/tri positions. One is carbon and the other aluminium. Priced about the same. I can't think of two better bikes to make a direct comparison.

"Comparing a Kestrel Talon (even the non-SL) to an aluminum Cervelo Soloist is a bit apples-to-oranges, don't you think?"

Why would you say that? They're two road bikes both with aero tubing, internal cabling and dual position seat post for road/tri positions. One is carbon and the other aluminium. Priced about the same. I can't think of two better bikes to make a direct comparison.


Mea culpa, I was thinking of the price of last year's Talon SL; a $3700 CF bike versus a $2300 Alu bike struck me as apples-to-oranges. But since we were in fact talking non-SL (as even I noted) and since I've just discovered there's been a significant price reduction on Kestrel models since last summer, I hereby rescind my comparison.