Ok… Here’s the deal. I bought my first (and only so far) bike about a year and a half ago. Its a stock Giant road bike. Started out avg. about 18mph for sprint distance tri’s. I just finished a half-iron 2 months ago averagin about 21mph (actually 20.4 but I stopped to go to the bathroom). I think my biking has improved significantly over the past year or so.
I will be doing an Ironman this coming year and I definitely want to upgrade to a tri bike. Problem is… I know NOTHING about bikes. What’s a derailleur? What’s a headset? etc… So, since most of the poster’s I’ve seen in here seem to know a ton about bikes I would like some advice.
Are there any books or websites out there that will explain bikes (particularly tri bikes) in detail… but, aren’t intimidating to a cycling novice? I’ve tried reading articles in magazines about tri bikes but they all seem way too complicated. Any advice at all would help… thanks!
slowtwitch.com (you may have heard of it) has a number of great articles about tri-bikes. some of them are in more detail than guys like you or i need. however, most of them are very informative. just go to the main page and then surf around.
also, bikesportmichigan.com has an interesting article about tri-bikes. and tom demerly is a badass.
A tri bike may or may not be best for you. My advice is if you get the tri bike also keep the Giant.
Everybody as to start somewhere. Your local bike shop may offer a weekend or evening seminar on bike basics. ie, how to change a tire, adjust a derailler, etc. Check it out.
Lots of stuff to read on the net. You’ll have to weed your way thru it. Two of the very best places to start are Slowman’s articles under the technical section on Slowtwitch and this very good article by our resident fit expert Tom Demerly http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/bikes/difference.shtml
Well, I’m definitely serious about this sport… I did my first one about 5 years ago. Then college happened and now that I graduated I’m back into it full swing. I would most likely keep the Giant if for no other reason than it gives me something to ride in the rain/winter/whatever else. I’m a decent swimmer and usually get out of the water ahead of most people and then get passed (about 70 passed me in the half-iron) on the bike. My run is fairly strong too but I’ve been wondering if it might be stronger if I had the correct fitting/seat angle/height/etc…
While I have placed in my age group I usually find myself coming in 4th or 5th in my age group in races. And, it’s ALWAYS to people with stronger bike splits than me. I will be ramping up the miles this year but I can’t help but think that if I had the lighter, aero, comfortable, perfectly fitting, leg saving bike these guys that are passing me have I would only be passed by 7 athletes… not 70. Also, with the Ironman next year I figured it would be about time I upgraded to a sport specific bike.
That being said… I thank you guys and appreciate the words of advice and welcome any more you might have.
As a new triathlete (and I use that term loosely, even though the desire is high), I am limited in the amount of advice I can (and should) give.
But regarding being “fit for your bike”, I read around quite a bit as to how to do it . I found by making a simple change (buying a new seat stem/post that was twice the length of my old one) that my mph on the bike for 14mi went up from 15mph to 20-22mph, by just raising the seat 3-4 inches. My level of exertion did not change.
When just starting out, one is a little skeptical about how equipment changes affect efficiency and times. But, once you start trying different adjustments, you quickly realize that there is something about this “being fit for your bike stuff”. I went to a bike shop and asked as many questions as they would answer. It turns out that people are very friendly and helpful, and enjoy conversing with other “endurance geeks”. I would not hesitate to take you and your bike to the shop and let them set you up and show you a few things (customer service is their big selling point usually). Getting the right seat height, seat angle, aero position, etc can have a significant impact on your bike times. I would investigate it rather thoroughly.
That’s all I can really say with my limited experience (3 months). I hope I’m not overstepping my bounds here, since I am a new trainee. I now step away from the podium and turn it over to those that really know what they’re talking about.
As others have mentioned, our favorite site has lots of good info, in particular you might want to start with bike-picking, tech stuff, and fit.
For basics of bikes in general, Sheldon Brown’s site is worth a browse, and I think Zinn’s book on road bike maintenance is very useful for introductory material even if you don’t want to do much of your own maintenance.
Check out the park tools web site. There is a section on maintenance. You clikc on the picture of the bike and it explains how to replace it and maintain it. I suggest you find some time and take your bike apart and then put it back together.
A good start would be to print out the park tools article on adjusting the shifting on your bike. Take off the chain and clean it, and clean every part your chain touches, then put everything back together and use the article to get your shifting fine tuned.
I went through this process with every major component on my cheap road bike before I bought my Cervelo P2k. I felt very comfortable shopping for a nice bike because I understood better what makes a bike well put together. You will also appreciate your new skills on race morning when you break something on your bike and can fix it immediately.
OK, this is going to sound a little weird, but trust me, it has worked for people (customers) here: If you are lucky enough to have a good local bike shop strike up a good dialogue with one of their key people. Establish a relationship with them and gain their trust by being honest, sincere, unpretentious and, basically, exactly how you come across in your post- A nice guy with some good questions who wants to learn. Bike shop guys live for people like you. Ask the guys there if you can “hang out” once in a while or just start doing it. If you have something to offer, like for instance, you work as an insurance guy, tell them “Hey, if I can ever do you a favor on insurance let me know- I’ll hook you up.” If you get the opportunity to hook them up, pull out all the stops- even if it costs you. You are waging an effective “Hearts and Minds” campaign. You are winning their hearts and minds and developing trust. Once you have established trust and familiarity learn as much as you can from them, even if you have to clean bathrooms there on Saturday morning to do it- I guarantee you, it will be worth it. I’ve gotten calls on my cell phone at 10:30 PM on Friday night from a customer who had a bike problem and was racing the next day. When they have worked the “favor bank” I just say, “Hey, I’ll meet you at the shop in 20 minutes…” and we hook them up. One of our customers, a man named Hugh, was the manager of the local Ritz-Carlton Hotel. he worked the favor bank with particular skill. We were all livin’ it up in suites at the Ritz like a Saudi oil sheik. If one of the guys brought his girlfriend there Hugh would roll out the red carpet and make a big deal. Before too long Hugh was gettting employee purchase here. He still does, and now he lives in Ireland. It pays to have friends. If you establish a good relationship your local bike shop will be more than happy to help you learn and give you some training in taking care of your gear. They might even give you some hook-ups if you hook them up. It’s the way people have done business for thousands of years. Good luck!
thanks everyone for responding… i’ve checked out the websites everyone sent and they are/will be helpful. i doubt i’ll be able to “hook up” the bike shop people with much… i just started teaching k-8 phys. ed. so, my options are a little limited. i will try to make some friends in the bike industry however and learn as much as i can.
i already realize i’m ready for the tri bike… it’s just a matter of which one (how do i choose???). hopefully all the info everyone has offered will help me make an informed decision. you’ll probably see me post more about bikes and maintenance and (probably) elementary questions in the next couple months. i will also take the advice and take my bike apart to try and learn the components. (i’ve done some of this already - but, never fully apart)
as for buying a new seat post to improve my cycling… i had actually considered that but as i have the standard road geometry i’m pretty sure i would be sitting back too far from the aerobars (a pair of syntace c2 ultra). i’d rather not be stretched out so far - bad for the back.
thanks again everyone… i appreciate it… keep weighin in with your opinions and advice if you have any!