lightheir wrote:
Warbird wrote:
Fleck wrote:
I don't disagree in general, but when it came time to review an "entry level bike", and that was before supplements, magic brain illuminators and everything, he did exactly what Triathlon Magazine Canada did now - voted with his sponsorship contract. The "entry level" bike "reviewed" by Taren was a $3500 Ventum, and he didn't even mention the possibility that this was nothing like an entry level price.
I see these "reviews" by Taren and other media outlets, but then when I am Announcing at the Multisport Canada Triathlon Events, for the Give-It-Tri race - an event geared totally to first timers with a 300m swim/ 10km bike/ 2.5km run, that I will Announce at 4 - 5 times a year - I'll see 200+ people starting the race with all manner of bikes racked in transition - beat up old mtn bikes, city commuting bikes, fixies, cheap road bikes etc . . . these are the heart and soul of entry level triathlon . . but no one ever askes me for my opinion from what is the REALITY of what really goes on! :-)
ANY kind of bike will get you going in Triathlon!
At the sprint I did last month, my 2008 QR with 10s 105 was one of the highest tech bikes there. There probably wasn't more than 15 "real" tri bikes in the entire race. But lots of older/less expensive road bikes, and plenty of mountain bikes.
Shortly after transition opened up, only 2 tri bikes so far:
In the last decade, I've only done sprints, and this is what I typically see. Few tri bikes, mostly road bikes, and quite often the mountain bikes outnumber the tri bikes...
This is likely because you did a sprint, which tends to attract the newbies.
Here in Norcal, if you're in the M45-50 or M50-60 categories, even in small local Oly races, it's like a friggin' arms race in transition, everyone's got so much aero stuff.
In two 'smaller' races I did, I'm pretty sure next to everyone in my M45-50 rack had a TT bike, and my decked out Cervelo P2c was easily the oldest and least aero bike there. Everyone had race wheels and I was in the minority with mech shifting.
I still do think in the sprints, you'll see some mountain bikes, cruisers, etc. as they are more beginner-friendly.
And if someone in their 50ies or 60ies after working hard all their life wants to splurge on a nice bike so what? All that matters is the difference between their fancy gear and your mechanical P2 is probably only seconds if anything at all in an Oly anyway..?
Its like people drinking a cheap whisky complaining about people drinking expensive whisky, they still both get you drunk...