new bike advice

For the past two years, i've been commuting 30 - 40 ks a day in Brisbane on a slooooow mountain bike with slicks, so I've also been thinking of updating to a road bike. Although my budget may be a bit higher than yours (up to $3000 AUD), i think you can get some decent stuff at a price of $1500. Have you considered the Trek 1200 with Tiagra. I havn't heard anything bad about this bike, and my pop has a 1400 which he is very happy with. You might also like the Giant OCR range. BUT the bike i'd buy (it is a bit dearer, but who cares), is the Cannondale T800. It seems like a durable bike for general commuting and is pretty fast if you just change the tires. I'm currently looking at the T2000, which probabally is worse value for money, but I want the best. The touring bikes mightn't be good in a tri' race, though... 😉

How do you want to transport your stuff? I've currently got a rack with a Arkel Bug backpack/rackpack on it, which costs about $300.

So you want a road bike that you'll commute with but also want to do some triathlon racing? That's a wide variety of needs to cover with one bike, but if you're content carrying your stuff on you (e.g., backpack vs. a pannier), a properly fit, standard road bike (with clip-on aero bars?) might work. I understand that the deadly serious tri bikes have a rather different geometry, but it sounds like tri is not your top priority.

It sounds like this will be your first road bike, and you're spending a decent amount, so make sure to test ride a lot, and don't let the shops rush you. Pay attention to how weight is distributed between your hands on the bars and the saddle, how comfortable your back, wrists, and neck feel, how easy it is to reach the brake levers from the drops... These attributes depend on both the frame design, parts, and how the bike is set up. On a less important note, the Rosa looks like it comes with a triple crankset, which might just be extra weight unless you're not a strong climber and ride lots of hills.

My guess is that there is a good number of viable choices in your price range, so don't be afraid to make some choices based on service---a good shop with knowledgeable, attentive, respectful staff is priceless. If you decide to look around for a used bike and are not experienced with bike repair, it can help a lot to have someone knowledgeable come along to make sure you don't get ripped off.