Welcome to the sport. You may get a better response from fellow ST'rs if you provide more information. Is this a 1x race for you or have you decided triathlon could be something long term? Or will you make that decision after the race. If 1x, renting a decent bike, especially for a HIM might be the way to go. What is your overall budget for bike/equipment......besides "cheap". This is not a cheap sport considering entry fees, equpment, travel, etc. Do you have all your other equipment.....helmet, run shoes, bike shoes, wet suit, tri suit......or again, is this a 1x thing for you. Riding on a cheap used bike in an HIM may not be very enjoyable. Have you considered the Sprint distance to start things off? I see a lot of ads for a company in CA called Nytro.....never dealt with them but they seem to have decent all inclusive "package deals" (maybe someone else knows about them). Again, provide a little more information about your current status with equipment, long term and/or short term goals with the sport, overall budget, and you'll probably get some feedback.

Thanks for the reply.

I don't want to make any major investments if I end up not liking the sport. I hope I do, though. So I will be making the decision after the race. I had never considered renting before, but that is probably the best option for my situation.

By cheap, I mean $300 or less even.

I have considered sprints, but worry that it's not the same experience as say a HIM. I am open to suggestions though, so if a sprint is the best way I can get a good idea, I mean idea enough to get better quality gear, then I will probably take that route.

I have no other equipment for the bike portion, but I'm ok on the other two. Package deals would be fantastic.

craigslist

You could spend $300 for entry into one HIM. I say that merely to give you an idea how much stuff cost with
triathlon.

I would consider buying an older used road bike, don't worry about brand, just that it's in good
working order. Check STs classifieds and you could find a good deal.

In buying an older model road bike you could perhaps sell it at some point down the line for about what you have in it.

Additionally there's guys here that will almost give you stuff for just about the cost of shipping.

I would consider doing a sprint race first, simply because it allows you to get into the sport on the cheap.
Often times you can find good local sprint races in the $60 range.

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Find out what it is in life that you don't do well, then don't
do that thing.

I absolutely would not ever ride a $300 bike for a HIM unless you're just looking to complete it and even then I'd be weary. If you spend any time on this forum you'll hear the same tune played again and again, get a proper fitting bike. I'd try the shorter races on the cheaper used bike and go from there. The idea of you riding a bike that doesn't fit for several hours is absurd.

Do your best to find a bike that fits you. You can use the Fit Calculator on competitivecyclist.com to get some idea of what size frame you need but this is not as good as a professional fitter of course. Once you've found the size get a deal on craigslist for a used bike from a reputable company (Trek, Specialized, Felt, Cannondale, etc). Then leave some room to get a proper basic fitting at your local bike shop. Since I assume you'll be training on this bike as well you'll want that to reduce chauffage and the other well known "discomforts" of cycling long hours.

The last piece of advice I'll give is to start with Sprint distance. Everything that is less than ideal magnifies when you factor in long course racing. Many hours of riding and training for that distance will kill you're motivation if the bike is a shit fit. At least with the shorter distance you'll benefit from:

1. Reduction in Race Fees
2. Reduction in amount of time spent in the saddle to get ready for the event
3. Get a good idea of what you'll need to compete at the longer distance
4. Complete your first tri somewhat comfortably

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"Train so you have no regrets @ the finish line"

Ok, if you are not sure if the sport is a long term thing until after you do the race, I'd rent before investing in anything.....unless you would like to have a bike just to ride around. As PattersonPaul said, an entry fee to a HIM could be $300. If I were you, I'd find a local bike shop or someone/Craigslist to rent a used but decent bike and start off with a Sprint distance race (much cheaper entry fee) but will still give you a good feel for what the sport is all about. Good luck.

If you don't want to make any big investments, I would suggest not even doing a sprint triathlon. You will get hooked and you will make many big investments. You can do shorter distance races a lot more cheaper than longer distance stuff. Just entry fees alone add up quickly for half and IM distances.

I think the best bike you could get per dollar is the cheapest carbon frame with 105 or rival polly get a new one for 1000-1500 and if you look hard enough and it'll be worth every penny. I got a new trek 1.5 with tiagra last year when I got into cycling and the plastic on the shifters is falling off like wtf I spent 1000 on the bike like damn whatever you do just don't spend more than 600 on a alu bike with or without the carbon fork. I got a new tt bike for not much more than my first road bike this year and it is eons better I looked really hard for that deal tho. I'd probably suggest either jumping to a bike that's really great that you got for an amazing deal so resale will be good if you don't want it or getting something really cheap. If you think triathlon is great right now and is something you want to get into investing some dollars in my opinion isn't a bad idea. Like i have this awesome bike either way. I might suggest riding a cheap one this year to learn the ropes and getting the carbon wind slicer dream machine once you can crank out some watts or just get the carbon and it'll be good. If you get a cheaper road bike avoid shimano, shimano is going to break under 105 sram is probably better at that price point

The money isn't shit compared to the training. clipless pedals, ya need those. All the reputable brands are the same, their bikes only have minute differences between the models at a certain price points. the 600 alu with sora, the 2000 carbon with 105, etc. Another broke college student here! Lol

A good alloy frame can be much better than entry level carbon.

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This is great info, thanks!

Thanks so much for the info. I'd never heard of that site, but I'll check it out and go to a bike shop just in case.

This is awesome. Thanks for the specifics!

an alu with 105 or maybe even apex would be good but they usually have tiagra sora shifters and they have these plastic parts that break off on the top of them

Good luck at the bike shop. You will have sticker shock.

Honestly, to compete in triathlon will require dedicated training on the bike. Which means you will need something that will hold up to being ridden on a regular basis. A $300 bike will probably not survive daily training. Realistically you will spend at a minimum of $1000 for a used bike that is good enough. And that is not including the couple hundred you will spend on chains/tires throughout the year.

Biking, unfortunately, has gotten very expensive in the past 5 to 10 years.

I did my first triathlon last year. I really must strongly suggest doing an international/Olympic distance if you are in good shape or a sprint if you aren't for your first race. There's just so much going on and your body isn't used. I did an olympic and finished it but it was a lot harder than I anticipated (I also had two flat tires). In addition to your bike (I had an 8 year old Cannondale that a friend gave me for free that worked out great) you need shoes, a helmet, glasses, and bottles.

If you need to get in to the sport cheap look around. For me I borrowed a mountain bike the first year and did some sprint tri's, then the 2nd year moved up to a used old 10 speed for $80 for some sprints and 1 Olympic race. I got this from some guy's garage who was just looking to get rid of it. The bike was old but in pretty good shape. Finally in year three I signed up for an IM and took the 10 speed to LP and realized I needed more gears, and probably more power. I bought a used bike online, still cost me $700.

Is the 1/2 different, in length but you don't need to do one to get in to the sport. As mentioned bike fit is important but you don't need all the fancy gadgets, clip on pedals, power or even a HR monitor. They will help if used properly but you can get in to the sport cheaply.

I don't know of any HIM's that you can do on a mountain bike but I'm sure there are local tri's that you could get in to. If you need something newer get to a bike shop and figure out a general size then start researching bikes and difference in makes/models. Come on line and ask questions. Will you find a great bike for <300, I don't think so but you can find something functional and safe to get you to the finish line.

Gordon

When I started tris, I began with an Olympic. I was a good runner and swimmer and decent on the bike, and had a really nice road bike. The Olympic gives you a "feel" of a longer triathlon: you can be somewhat relaxed during it (a sprint is more frantic), but it won't wear you down as much as a half. After my first Olympic, I did a few shorter sprints, which are good for training, and then did an early-summer half, which kicked my butt.

Even coming from a very intense sporting background (D1 college sports), the Olympic distance felt like a nice, long event that was challenging. It's still my favorite distance. I think that you'll want an Olympic distance. I can't imagine someone doing their first tri as a half and enjoying it that much.

Also, you might want to rent or borrow a road bike for the race, and train on a bike in the gym and a cheap mountain bike or whatever.

I did my first tri season (sprints) on an alu Felt with Tiagra... Was under $1000, and is a terrific bike. Very reliable and comfortable. It's now on my trainer as my "indoor bike". I wouldn't have any issue using it for a half-iron distance race, but I'd worry about the wear on the lower end components from all the training volume. No idea if that worry is at all valid... The shops tend to try to up sell you to at least 105, so they put a bit of fear in you toward the lower end stuff. That said, my bike is still running great. I always kept the drivetrain clean and lubed, which I know has helped.

This is really good to know. Thanks for telling me about your experiences on some hand-me-downs...which is probably what I am going to get, let's be honest.

This is awesome! Completely answered all my questions about what length is best for me! Thank you!

Great info! Thanks!