A question for triathletes/duathletes

dbevisjr

What bike do you use and why? Is there a weakness in your bike that you could have avoided but just didn't know what to look for? Any other advice or info concerning equipment?

dbevisjr

Bump... back to the top.

salgalruns

Have you done Triathlons before? I haven't done many, but that's because I like the running part mostly - really not a cyclist AT ALL... Anyhow, I borrowed one from a good friend for the purpose of trying it out, and that worked for me. Road bikes can get really pricy, really fast, and if you're not in it for good, I wouldn't spend thousands of dollars. Yes, thousands.

The one thing that I found to be a super advantage were the shoes and clips. You really can't cycle without them in any sort of effective way. I now use my shoes for spin classes when I'm feeling the need to mix up my routine, but for the most part, I'll stick to just running. Falling while clipped in was NOT a pleasant experience, and yes - I did that initially.

If you're already cycling pretty regularly, then go with what you have for your initial tri/duo and then see how that goes. You basically want something you can transition into easily. The higher level bikes have everything to do with speed and overall placement. I could care less which place I finished in, only that I finished, so it wasn't a big deal for me.

Hope this helps!

dbevisjr

Have you done Triathlons before? I haven't done many, but that's because I like the running part mostly - really not a cyclist AT ALL... Anyhow, I borrowed one from a good friend for the purpose of trying it out, and that worked for me. Road bikes can get really pricy, really fast, and if you're not in it for good, I wouldn't spend thousands of dollars. Yes, thousands.

The one thing that I found to be a super advantage were the shoes and clips. You really can't cycle without them in any sort of effective way. I now use my shoes for spin classes when I'm feeling the need to mix up my routine, but for the most part, I'll stick to just running. Falling while clipped in was NOT a pleasant experience, and yes - I did that initially.

If you're already cycling pretty regularly, then go with what you have for your initial tri/duo and then see how that goes. You basically want something you can transition into easily. The higher level bikes have everything to do with speed and overall placement. I could care less which place I finished in, only that I finished, so it wasn't a big deal for me.

Hope this helps!

When I lived in Cali I did a lot of off-road/ mountain biking. I did use the shoes and clip in pedals so I've had a few experiences with being too wore out to kick my heel out to unlock. I've ridden borrowed road bikes and put my pedals on them but I have never owned a road bike. I currently have a mountain bike with front and rear suspension so it is quite heavy compared to even an entry level tri bike. I started running in Feb and have started cycling again for something to do between runs. It's the swimming that I am certain would kick my butt. So far I haven't done a tri or duathlon but I do want to give it a try. There is one here in the town where I live and 3 or 4 more fairly close that I know of. Thanks for your input.

_Sally_

I think it depends on your goals. You should be able to find a local tri club and see what they have to say.

However, I've found that triathlete culture tends to spend a lot of $$ on the latest and gratest equipment, so you'll get lots of opinions on how to spend a lot of money.

Riding in the aero position is much less stable because you don't have a lot of steering control and your hands are no where near the breaks so you need to come out of aero postion to use the breaks at all. If you also ride on a rough road surface you will feel how twitchy the steering is while in aero.

You may find that you will also want to have a regular road bike to do most of your miles on and in group rides, since unless you are riding with a tri group who won't mind your aero bars, I don't think cycling club group rides like someone riding in aero position in the group becuase of the safety factor. Aero bars are best when you are riding on your own, I think.

I've done Olympic distance tri's and have trained for Half Ironman distance and IMHO unless you are doing Half Ironman or Full Ironman distances, or if you are looking to place in your age group, I personally don't think anything beyond a regular road bike with clip in shoes/pedals is going to dramatically change your performance on race day.

Bike fit is essential, so make sure you go to a good place and if you have to pay for a professional fitting, it would be well worth it.

If I were shopping for a tri bike today, I would look into the possibility of a third break system that gives you a rear break at the end of the aero bar extension, near your shifter. I think HED offers a third break system, but there could be other options out there as well. You don't want a full break system available to you when you are in aero position because that is not a safe position to be in when breaking because your weight is so far forward, you are more likely to flip, which is why they keep the breaks on the flat of the bars that are only accessible when you are sitting up in the seat.

However, I personally would feel better being able to slow down a little before I transition out of aero to get to my breaks. The one crash I ever had was in a sprint triathlon when I couldn't get out of the aero in time to get to my breaks soon enough before a sharp turn. I know it wasn't the bike's fault (and I should have been more familiar with the course), but these are some of the things you need to deal with on a tri bike.

I've also seen folks attach aero bar exensions without shifters to regular road bikes, but I'm not sure that set up supports the forward aero position properly. You would have to ask about this when you get your professional bike fitting.

_Sally_

Doing a Tri on a mountain bike would be tough, in my opinon. People sometimes do this if it is their one and only tri that is a Sprint (or shorter - I think they even have mini sprints now!).

Entry level road bike may be a good overall investment and would get much more use than a tri bike (which are very expensive, even at entry level)

dbevisjr

Thanks for the input _Sally_