Reigster now for free to join this or any of the thousands of ongoing discussions - Connect with thousands of athletes, post questions, share thoughts, find a training buddy,access triathlon training programs, marathon training programs and more!
Discussion: Bikes
Subject: Bikes By: cindy k. Written on: 2006-01-14 16:56:47 Message: Help!!! I am ready to purchase my first racing bike; however, there are so many types and styles out there to choose from. What are the best bikes on the market today? I am a first-timer in good condition and presently training for an April sprint triathlon. What do I look for in a bike? How many gears, etc. do I need to be competative?
Subject: RE: Bikes By: Ronald F. Written on: 2006-01-14 17:34:53 Message: I have been triing to answer this question for the past three years and came to the conclusion that the best bike for triathlon was the Cervelo P2 K it is now called P2 SL. Cervelo made a few small changes to the frame for the 2005 and 2006 model to improve the internal cable routing and now has an anodized finish instead of paint to reduce paint chips and scratches and 1/4 LB of weight and now has Durace derailers/shifters and FSA cranks. I put my money where my mouth is this morning and bought one. $ 2500.oo is what you should expect to pay. I weighed mine without pedals just as it came stock with the Easton wheels. 18.1 lbs. The wheels are race worthy Easton Vista's but I will have 404 tubular's on mine on race days. I believe that no matter how much I spent I could not get a better bicycle for triathlons. The most important thing about any bike is the FIT so buy your bike from a shop that specializes in Triathletes and has someone that knows how to fit it to you properly. After all of that let me say that for a first sprint race any lightweight road bike will do as long as it fits you. So you may want to save your money for now. There are many things that will make more time difference than the actual bike.Most importantly is how well you train then how quickly you transition from swim to bike and bike to swim. I hope this helps, Have fun, Ron
Subject: RE: Bikes By: Ronald F. Written on: 2006-01-14 17:57:22 Message: Oops I meant bike to run anyway I took a picture of my new P2 SL. Ron
Subject: RE: Bikes By: Amy C. Written on: 2006-01-14 18:38:59 Message: You may want to check out the Felt line, I found it to be very affordable and comparable to Cervelo
Subject: RE: Bikes By: Jamie B. Written on: 2006-01-14 19:55:33 Message: I am one of the managers of the number 3 Trek dealers in America and I can tell you from over 6 years in the business that there is no perfect bike. The best ting to do is test ride several different bike brands. There are also a different frame material options as well. You have Titanium which is expensive but if you are doing long course racing it is so worth it. You have carbon that is a lot more forgiving and stiffer than aluminum but it is real light so that is the big rage thses days. There are also a number of different aluminums to chose from as well such as ZR9000, scandium, 6000 series aluminum and the list goes on. If you are on a budget I would look for a bike that has a decent wheel set on it because most companies will just put a lower range wheel on it knowing that triathletes will buy a race wheel. I really like the Guru and I race a full Titamium model but there is some cool stuff coming out from Lemond that has a super light 6066 aluminum frame with Carbon seat stays and a carbon fork and it comes with race ready Bontrager lite or x-lite wheels and a full ultegra 10 speed gruppo as well. You have to find what works for you and not what other people like. j
Subject: RE: Bikes By: Doug S. Written on: 2006-01-15 07:33:41 Message: Like Ron said, there are more important factors into being competetive than which bike you have. The most important is training. If you are racing on a $2,000 bike but you are averaging 15mph on a flat 10 mi course, you have wasted your money. Put in the time on any bike and you will become competetive. All that aside, be very choosy about the bike you buy, because there are so many options. Try as many as you can. Doug
Subject: RE: Bikes By: Philip S. Written on: 2006-01-15 17:18:31 Message: Doug is right!! I have a Cannondale aluminum frame, because I broke a Chromoly, a steel, and a carbon frame. It isn't about the bike, its about the training. I don;t know how many times I have blown by 5000 dollar frame riders in the tri, and they ask me at the post race party how a guy that weighs 245 on an 400 dollar frame can blow by them at a lower cadence than they are riding. Simple I train with a 12/27 rear cog and race a 12/23. I climb as much as possible and do sprint training on the flats for 2 min intervals for 20 minutes, and then head back into the hills. It hurts, I sweat, I am exhausted, but it feels great to know, in the immortal words of Lance,"it's not about the bike". Paula Newby Fraser won her first Triathlon on a borrowed 3 speed city bike. Go to local bike shop and have them measure everything and understand that one bike setup isnt going to work for all races and training scenarios. I have 3 different wheelsets for racing, climbing and long rides.
Subject: RE: Bikes By: Amy C. Written on: 2006-01-15 20:04:21 Message: Check out the beginners review of the newest "entry level" Felt on trifuel.com - gear guide (...and no, I don't work for Felt - just feel like I got a great bike for the price!)
Subject: RE: Bikes By: Roland G. Written on: 2006-01-16 11:04:35 Message: Hey Cindy K, This may be the single most expensive piece of gear you'll ever purchase for triathlons. Take your time...look around...try different bikes out. I come from a bike background, ie: race and mechanic, you first need to look at your goals. Doug is correct that "if you only ride 15mph on a 10 mi course, you will be wasting your $2000 frame". Please keep in mind, that what is "right" for one person, may not be right for another. Cervelo frames do not fit everyone. They are a nice bike frame...but there are so many others. Look at what you hope to accomplish....is it to win at Kona? Or make it through your first sprint? You can ride a regular road bike in a sprint event. If that is all you plan to compete in, then invest in a good road bike. If you plan to do an IM event, then I would recommend a tri-bike. For now, if you have a road bike, don't buy another. Instead, invest in a good bike fit, if you don't have it fit yet. Then train, train and train! Between now and April work on muscular endurance and strength. Do brick workouts, focus on T2, getting off your bike and being ready to run hard! WARNING....once the "tri" bug has bitten you, you will always be infected! : )
Subject: RE: Bikes By: Chris U. Written on: 2006-01-16 17:34:00 Message: No one has yet made a pursuasive argument to me that until you are near the top in your community or are legitimately training to go elite or pro, you can not do perfectly well on a modified road bike, spending far less money and having a bike that is compatible with other riding environments (outside of a relatively flat time trial course). I live and train in a hilly area and make fairly frequent turns. I don't race on my bike (Specialized Allez Elite) outside of the tri's, but I appreciate the road handling for hills, community rides, comfort, etc. I have been talked OUT of buying a tri bike at 3 different stores by at least 6 different sales people. For what it's worth, I placed in 3 sprint tri's last season on my road bike, 2 of which before I even had aerobars. I say upgrade a less expensive road bike in the following order (based upon budget): aerobars, wheels, forward seatpost. In the mean time, I say train race specific and don't get hung up thinking your gear is going to do such amazing things for you. It's about the rider.
Subject: RE: Bikes By: Andy M. Written on: 2006-01-16 18:11:00 Message: Cindy, I think the best advice I can offer is to set your budget, research the different frame materials and component groups available in your price range. Then test ride all of them and pick the one that feels the best. Most importantly, make sure the shop you choose has a fitting specialist. A proper fitting session can take up to an hour but it is time well spent. Good Luck, Andy
Back to Discussion Index Triathlon Training  Triathlon Gear  Marathon Training  Health and Fitness