Newbie needs recommendations for bicycle

Triathlon Forum
1

Hi,

 I'm brand new to triathlons.  I've been running and swimming sporadically for years but recently decided to start doing triathlons using the 5 month beginner training program on slowtwitch.  The last time I road a bike I was 12 (15 years ago) and I've swum more miles by far than I've ridden so I'm an absolute beginner on a bike.  I have a few friends who are avid riders and I've gotten mixed opinions on what I should do.  Some people have recommended getting a decent mountain bike and fitting it with slicks figuring that the added stability of the wider tires would be helpful to a new rider.  Others have told me that a road bike is the way to go because over longer rides I will tire myself out on a mountain bike and that tire size won't make that much of a difference when you factor in the added control found on a road bike.  Then I started reading here about triathlon bikes and I'm unclear about what the difference is between road and tri-bikes.  So overall I'm pretty confused.  My budget is maxed out at 800+/-100 for the bike.  Any suggestions about which way to go and any specific models would be incredible helpful and appreciated.  Thanks you.

LM

2

In your budget I would look at getting an entry level road bike. Trek and Cannondale make good bikes for around the $800 mark (the Trek 1000 and the Cannondale CAAD8, I believe) Don’t get a mountain bike unless you want to become a mountain biker. If your goal is to do tri’s, a cheap road bike will give you a lot of room to grow and you can learn good road handling skills before you make the jump to the tri-bike.

Jodi

3

I’d suggest you pick up a used road bike and get a clip-on aero bar for it.

You’ll be disappointed after your first race on a mountain bike with slicks. It will frustrate you to no end as people blow past you… You’ll attribute it to the bike and wish you spent your money on something more naturally suited to what you’re doing. I love mountain biking, but it’s a completely different animal and I have no illusions about making my mountain bike fast on the road.

A tri bike will not be practical as your only bike since it is basically designed to be ridden fast in an aero tuck. You don’t likely want to be riding like this in traffic or all the time. If you’re new, you will probably also find it uncomfortable as well as too expensive.

You should be able to find great deals on reasonable used road bikes at this time of the year. Try to find something with Shimano 105 components on it and make sure it fits you properly - this is the most important part. Use the old Greg LeMond formula to figure out what size of frame you should buy. It’s as easy as measuring your inseam in cm (inches x 2.54) and multiplying by 0.67. Set your seat height by inseam x 0.883

Good luck.

Read here: http://www.cyclemetrics.com/Pages/Docs/6-BikeFitting/LemondSystem/fit_formulas.htm

4

You can get a nice road bike that will be absolutely fine for your initial training and races through your first couple of seasons for $800.

The key concern is getting good fit, which your local retailer will be willing to provide- you’ll know from talking to them if you get a good feeling about their ability to fit you accurately. There are a few nice road bikes available around $800 and you’ll likely get a deal shopping at this time of year.

Interstingly enough, a used bike can wind up costing more than you think once you begin to make necessary changes to get the bike to suit you and fit adequately. Compare the real costs of a used bike purchase to what your local dealer is telling you and ask questions about what they would charge you to fit a bike properly. My opinion is that if you are buying a bike form them there should be no charge for the fitting.

As for the difference between road and triathlon bikes you may find this resource informative:

http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/bikes/difference.shtml

Best of luck!

5

This is a tough question to answer. The most important aspect of owning a new bike is the way that it fits you. Everything else is an afterthought. If your primary use for the bike is triathlon and other multi-sport events, you need a triathlon bike.

Let’s first start with the primary difference between a road and triathlon bike. The primary difference between the two is seat tube angle. This is important for more than one reason, but let me ask you a question: do you run with your feet out in front of your body? The answer is no. No one runs with their feet out in front of them, they run with your feet underneath them. Road bikes have a very shallow seat tube angle where triathlon bikes have a much steeper angle. Sitting in the classic road bike position, the angle between your femur bone and you torso is very narrow. In the tri position, the angle between you femur and your torso is about 90 degrees. Essentially, sitting in the road position is like running with your feet out in front of you and sitting in the tri position is more like having your feet underneath of you. Riding a triathlon bike makes you bike to run transition much easier on your legs.

Now, you may think that you can buy a road bike and shove the saddle all the way forward and add aero bars. Here is why that is not always the best solution. When you shove your saddle all the way forward you may change the angle between your femur and torso, but now you compromise the handling of your bike. A road bike isn’t designed to hold all that weight on the front wheel. Ask someone that has positioned themselves in the “tri” position on their road bike what happens when they go to reach for a water bottle. I would be willing to bet that they ended up way right or way left. Also, you are compromising comfort. No matter how much the angle between your femur and torso has changed, you are creating pressure points on your ischial tuberosity bones (your sit bones) because you have changed the weight distribution on your bike. These aren’t issues on a triathlon bike because it is designed to ride with the same weight ditribution but in a different position. Your rear wheel is further up underneath you and your front wheel is further out in front of you. The actual geometry of the bike has a steeper seat tube angle to begin with.

Given the fact that you have a budget, your best bet would be to find a bike fitter in your area, get a fit and see if they have any 2006 sales closeout prices. If you are interested in reading about triathlon fit, I would suggest reading the information on this site.

6

I second Tom’s suggestion to read that article on his website; it was helpful to me when I was looking for my first road bike back in June. I also agree with the rest who say you should definitely not buy a mountain bike for triathlon training or racing. I considered doing the same, but now I’m amazed at how well my road bike handles the locally famous potholes.

I ended up buying a used, steel, Campy equipped Gios road bike off of ebay which conveniently, already had aero bars on it. I love my bike, but by the time I outbid everyone else, paid for shipping, paid to have my LBS put it together, clean, oil, and straighten everything (needed because of poor packing by the seller) buy a new seat, handlebar tape, and pedals; I could have bought something adequate new, probably lighter and with one more speed. (9 vs. my 8)

I’m happy that I bought a road bike with drops for my first bike, because I ride a lot in New York City, and except during races, there’s not all that much time I can spend in the aero bars, although when race time does come, I’m sure glad they’re there.

I’ll keep this bike when I buy a “real” triathlon bike for next season. Yes, I’m hooked now. :slight_smile:

Good luck. I hope this helps.

7

Hi -

I’m hardly the expert on bikes, but was a newbie recently enough, so I remember debating this question myself…

I got a road bike. I just wanted ONE bike that I can do everything on. It works. I can do tris on it, I can commute to work on it, I can do errands around town with it. Tri bikes are not set up for that (the errands around town thing).

Have you spectated at a triathlon yet? (It’s fun - go and volunteer at one.) Half the bikes there will be road bikes. They work fine in the races. I raced up to a Half Ironman this year in my road bike. I did get clip-on aerobars 3 months prior to that race so that I could practice long rides in the bars. (To learn more, you can do a search on this site.) For shorter tris you don’t really need aerobars unless you are going to be racing in really windy areas. Especially if your first priority right now is just to get comfortable and skilled riding a bike again. Looking back, I had so many bike skills to learn just with a road bike, so I’m glad I didn’t try to get aerobars right away.

Oh, see if you can find a bike skills clinic. It will teach you how to make turns going downhill, how to do emergency stops, how to follow other riders in a paceline, etc.

I agree that “how the bike fits” is important. REALLY important! (I had the wrong fit at first and that contributed to a knee injury that took me off the bike for 4 months last winter.) “Fit” means two things - (a) The correctly sized bike (51 cm or 54 cm or whatever); and (b) working with a bike fitter who can make adjustments to the seat post height, saddle, handlebars, cleats, etc. based on your body shape and flexibility. Some reputable bike shops will do this fitting for “free” if you buy a new bike from them. Some bike shops have highly trained fitters and others are less competent. Ask some experienced cyclists in your town, or even on this forum, about where to get a good fit. I bought my bike used so I had to pay for a fitting. If you have to allocate $100 of your budget to pay for a fitting (leaving $700 for the bike), it is absolutely worth it. It makes a complete difference in your experience.

Just my 2c.

Good luck!

8

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate all the input. I think that overall a road bike sounds like the best combination of practicality and performance. I will start looking around my local bike shops to see if i can find something. If anyone has any further recommendations for particular models or makes I could definitely use the advice. Again, thank you so much.
LM

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What is your budget for a bike that will help with recommendations.

Grant

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http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-2006-F80-Aluminum-Road-bike-w-carbon-fork_W0QQitemZ280035917777QQihZ018QQcategoryZ98084QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
.

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wow sorry i missed that completly in the first post. I think any aluminum road bike that is a year or two old will be around that price. And they will still be quite decent.

Grant

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2nd year newbie here myself as well as a late-in-life starter. I bought the Trek 1000 road bike and just love it. And in an aerobar and clip pedals and you are right in your price range.

13

Take a look at Trek and Cervelo, they both make good entry level models for triathlon. If near one, go to a Trek Superstore.

14

Good brands with sub-$1,000 bikes off the type of my head: Trek, Fuji, Felt, Jamis, Bianchi … NOW is a little late (sizes may be out) but maybe a good time of year to get an '06, as the '07 s will hit the market in a few months.

15

You’re going to need to adjust your expectations in my opinion.

You cannot use a mountain bike, - it will be so slow, - you’ll get killed.

I agree that you need an entry level road bike. Entry level road bikes start at $1000 at the lowest.

This will be unfair to a local bike shop, - but if you’re really on a budget, - maybe you can go back to them later and make good: but, I would go to a local bike shop, take a look at an entry level Bianchi, and an entry lever trek or cannondale. Get them to get a ballpark sizing. For example, if your 5’10" a close/ballpark framesize on a bianchi is around a 55 or 56 cm. Ride it and then ride a Trek the same size to see if you like Campagnolo or Shimano components, - both are good, - just check personal preference of how you like to use the controls.

Then look for your fav one of those bikes used… (late model).

If you score, - then take it to a pro fitter, - preferably someone who does Serotta system or someone of that ilk.

As most people say here, - you can’t emphasize the importance of fit. a Fit brings you optimum power and comfort on the bike, - which is ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL. It’s better to buy a $1000 bike and get a $500 fit than it is to buy a $1500 bike. Many places that will sell you a good bike on sale, don’t know crap about fitting.

I spent $400 on my fit that lasted 6 hours and it was totally worth it. If someone spends 1/2 hour fitting you, - it will be bad…My fit guy spent nearly an hour on my feet alone… Plus, during the fit, - unfortunately, - you have to count on spending more money on parts, - like stems, to do something like bring your handlebars closer or farther away or whatever…

When all that is done, - you’ll need to go out and buy yourself a good set of clamp on aerobars, - hopefully during the fit.

I can’t say enough about how much faster you are going to go when you’re in a stable aero bar position…

Go out to Google and do searches, and check the FAQs to see all of the great advice on Time Trialing, and Time Trialing bikes and the importance of the streamline position…

This really isn’t esoteric stuff, - it’s important to start off at least close to being correct, - otherwise, - you’ll be throwing money away AND not getting the right first impression that you’ll need to even decide if you like it, - let alone keep up.

If you use a mountain bike with slicks, you’ll not have a good first impression, and it is very likely that you’ll end up not doing the sport, - that’s how much it’ll affect the experience, - seriously.

Plus, riding a roadbike takes practice, and then a LOT MORE PRACTICE riding in aero bars. Believe me, until you get the hang of it, - the bike is crazy out of control riding in aerobars, - you need to get used to them… but first things first…

You may be able to find a Bianchi Eros, or a Veloce, or a Giro used for under 1,000, or a nice Trek or Cannondale. Get a decent fit for $400 and a pair of aerobars for a $100… and count on spending $100 on shoes, and hopefully the person will sell you their pedals too…

You should expect to be paying $1500 to get you in a position to get a first impression…

You can buy that $7000 Pinarello TT bike a few years down the road…