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Tri Bike or Road Bike?
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Hey everyone, it's me your know it all who has no actual experience with triathlons. Trying to figure out what the move is gonna be for getting a bike. budget? HA good one, ATM I have approximately negative dollars but would still like to look for a bike so I can give my track coach's bike back so he can train himself. I'm really not interested at all in an entry level bike like not at all at all. My main concern is whether to get a tri bike or a road bike, I see that lots of people tend to train on a road bike and just use the tri for races. Since I don't plan on actually being fully dedicated to racing triathlons for at least 3 years (finishing college as a track runner whilst training for tri) I'm not sure if it's worth it to get a tri bike or just get a road bike which I'm sure would suffice for any local or less competitive races I compete in for now. I also have the luxury of asking my coach for his bike for races if need be. All I currently have is a fixed gear bike that I use to ride around campus and get to class and while I have done 30+ mile rides on it, after using the multi thousand dollar triathlon bike I can't go back to that lol. Let me know what you guys think/recommend/advice whatever. Thanks in advance and sorry if this is a common question.


If anyone is wondering my swimming training is going great :)
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Re: Tri Bike or Road Bike? [Kylek42] [ In reply to ]
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Well... an aero road bike like the Felt AR could be a great choice. It is designed to convert between a road and triathlon configuration.

Or, just get a good tri bike. I know a few folks who exclusively ride tri bikes, no matter what. If you are getting a bike for triathlons, it sure is nice riding an optimized piece of equipment in a race. You do not feel like you are giving anything up unnecessarily.

It's almost a coin toss.
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Re: Tri Bike or Road Bike? [exxxviii] [ In reply to ]
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exxxviii wrote:
Well... an aero road bike like the Felt AR could be a great choice. It is designed to convert between a road and triathlon configuration.

Or, just get a good tri bike. I know a few folks who exclusively ride tri bikes, no matter what. If you are getting a bike for triathlons, it sure is nice riding an optimized piece of equipment in a race. You do not feel like you are giving anything up unnecessarily.

It's almost a coin toss.

Thanks for the recommendation, really like the style of the Felt AR. I also forgot to ask, what is ur advice on buying a bike used? do it/don't do it?
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Re: Tri Bike or Road Bike? [Kylek42] [ In reply to ]
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I have 2 road bikes and 2 tri bikes. I much prefer riding my road bikes for comfort.

If I were you, I'd get the road bike and just put on some clamp on aero bars when racing tri's. I've actually done that a few times on hilly technical courses and doubt I've lost that much time.

Heck, I did a oly last Sunday on my aero road bike without clamp on's and I passed a whole lot more tri bikes than was passed. I probably did lose about 1 to 1.5 mph on the road bike, but I'm doing IM Zurich on a road bike so I want to keep using my road bike for practice.
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Re: Tri Bike or Road Bike? [exxxviii] [ In reply to ]
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There is a thread somewhere about buying a tri bike and using it as a roadie as well. That was a pretty good idea.

I would 100% buy used if I were in your situation. You could even buy a really old used bike for now. You are going to pass a tonne of people on the run with your track background, so just aim to get to T2 in one piece.

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Re: Tri Bike or Road Bike? [Kylek42] [ In reply to ]
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What kind of riding are you going to be doing for the next three (3) years? Will your training rides be with a group or solo, mainly on a trainer or on the road? Are you going to be riding only for training or are you looking forward to enjoying long exploratory rides?

If you are going to be riding with groups you would be better with a road bike.
If you will be riding solo for the sole purpose of training then I would suggest a tri bike.
Riding mainly on trainer - some people can't get comfortable on a tri bike for extended trainer sessions.

As for buying used vs new - similar advice as for buying a used car. A used bike can be a good way to get a higher end model than you can afford new - but there are risks in ending up with a bike that has been heavily used and needs a lot of maintenance, new components etc.
(I bought my Shiv brand new but picked up my Tarmac used - both good deals).
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Re: Tri Bike or Road Bike? [Kylek42] [ In reply to ]
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I'd definitely say a road bike. Something to look into would be a specialized allez sprint, it's fairly aero for racing but not too expensive like the felt would likely be. No point in getting a tri bike if you're not planning on racing a bunch and that leaves you open to doing road races and the like as your training improves. Unless there are a lot of open roads and/or trails in your area, you're not going to be getting much quality mileage out of a tri bike, in which case a road bike is better as well.
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Re: Tri Bike or Road Bike? [Kylek42] [ In reply to ]
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I'll keep it short. If you are serious about triathlon get a TT bike. If you are serious about cycling or unsure about how many tri's or TT you will do in the next year or two, get a road bike. I've done all of the above. Stand alone TT bike, stand alone road bike, and also had an aero road bike (Cervelo S5, di2, aerobars, yadda yadda). There is no comparison a full TT bike is always faster, but if you plan on doing group rides or have limited bike handling skills get a road bike. Hell, get a cheap road bike and use it when you can and save some wear and tear on your TT bike.

Link to my Dual Purpose S5 build.
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...d_P5222055/#p5222055


Last edited by: kppolich: Jun 28, 17 15:38
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Re: Tri Bike or Road Bike? [Kylek42] [ In reply to ]
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Kylek42 wrote:
I also forgot to ask, what is ur advice on buying a bike used? do it/don't do it?
I highly recommend used. It is a great way to get a very good bike at a better value. It just takes patience to keep looking until you find the right one for you. I bought my tri bike new, because I could not find any decent options. However, I just built a freaking awesome road bike from used stuff.

Also, keep in mind that in general, you are buying a frame... the foundation. The rest of the bits are easy and relatively inexpensive to upgrade over time. You really cannot effectively upgrade the frame.
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Re: Tri Bike or Road Bike? [Kylek42] [ In reply to ]
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Lots of bike options out there, but here is another one that you probably have not considered:
http://darkspeedworks.com/blog-whatbike.htm

Worth reading, if you want maximum function and maximum speed without having to buy bike after bike ...

Greg @ dsw

Advanced Aero TopTube Storage for Road, Gravel, & Tri...ZeroSlip & Direct-mount, made in the USA.
DarkSpeedWorks.com.....Reviews.....Insta.....Facebook

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