So my duaghter just invited me to do a sprint triathlon with her in September. I've never done any tri events. About 10 years ago I started running and doing 5K's and then did a couple 1/2 marathons. Have not been training seriously for a couple years so I need to get at it right away. I'm a naturally good swimmer, but have never swam competitively. No competitive bike experience either. The big question right now is I don't have a bicycle and I'm sure I am in for a serious case of sticker shock! At this point it's just something to do with my daughter to strengthen our relationship. I'm competive by nature, but at my age and fitness level it's more abut competing with myself than placing in an age group or anything like that. So I need a basic entry level road bike that will be sufficient for training and likely one or two sprint triathlons per year. I'm 6'3" 235 lbs right now and just a few years ago when I was at the peak of my 1/2 marathon training I was 215lbs. A Realistic goal is to get down to low 220's by the time of the event. So what I am looking at realistically for a budget? I am talking the whole package...bike, pedals/shoes/clips, helmet, etc....Any recommendations? brands, style, should I go to local bike shop and get custom fitted or can I order off the rack, online? Admiting I'm somewhat clueless here LOL!
For a Sprint triathlon, I would just get a regular road bike and not a tri specific bike. Realistically, a more expensive bike is not going to make near as much of a time impact as training a little more. I like my Canyon Endurace a lot and you can get them with AL frames for less money or go up to high 4 figures if you have money spilling out of your account. Clipless pedals and road shoes are recommended and a helmet for sure is required. Get some tri-shorts and shirt that you can swim, bike and run in. Goggles, a cap, and running shoes and you’re good to go.
Have fun. If its not something your gonna do regularly, get a regular road bike. A sprint tri is usually only 10-15 mile ride anyway. You can do that much on a mtn bike with skinny tires if you had to. I'm a big fan of buying used, as many people go buy 2-3-5K bikes ride them for a minute and park them. Big savings. You should be able to get all of it, especially with a used bike, for $2k. Maybe less. I'm not in bikes or doing tri's anymore but it used to be to look for something with Shimano 105 or higher for the Grupo...the brakes, shifters, gears, etc. The lower end stuff was tiagra (SP?). Lots more guys on here will chime in I'm sure. Also one other tip...make sure to do some bricks and also some practice tri's. The way you feel coming out of the water to start the bike and riding without falling over is something you should experience before the day of. Same with trying to run after riding 10+ miles and trying to make your wooden legs work. Have fun and dont drown.
Like anything - how serious are you talking? A real tri bike is going to be $$$... If you want to look the part, grab one of these . https://www.theproscloset.com/collections/search-results?query=triathlon+bike
How much do you want to spend? Doing 12 miles on a road bike is a walk in the park, I've done quite a few sprint tris for fun. No need to get some high end roadie unless that's what you want. There are tons of choices at bikesdirect.com that will suit what you're talking perfectly fine. You may even prefer the "gravel" side of road bikes with wider tires. Poseidon bikes makes some well priced bikes that are really nice for the money. Like to the point their margins must be opposite the general bike world. Shoes, well, spd-sl is the typical road shoe interface. While they are more stable, the spd interface is easier and will be just as fine if you're not looking to be a cat 1 pro. A couple hundred for spd shoes/pedals. Maybe $150 for a helmet. You can be all in for whatever you want really.
This will probably work, unless you want a Shimano 105 group, but at your size, I feel you definitely want disc brakes. https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/...omane-al-3-disc/p/33082/?colorCode=grey_black
Not that serious. I'll take my training somewhat seriously and I'm goal orientated and competitive with myself, but could careless about how I finish within my age bracket or anything like that. My duaghter is a beginner and not super competitive. I might actually wait for her to come out of the water so we can ride and run together, so as long as I can hang with her I'll be happy LOL!
You should get a proper bike fit. I got into road cycling this year, but have been mountain biking for many years. I wish I would've got a bike fit before hand, but luckily the bike shop I use got me fitted pretty close (still need to make some adjustments). The issue is all bike frame manufacturers are a little different in the way they size, and if not fit correctly, will make you not want to ride because it will make it uncomfortable to ride long distance. Most people buy a bike that is too large. Be prepared to spend some money to get the bike setup correctly. You might need to swap seats, bars, stems, and try different pedals/shoes. Google this YouTube channel and start watching the videos; tons of good information: Choosing the Right Bike Frame Size & Why It's So Difficult - BikeFitTuesdays For training, I use a Wahoo trainer and Zwift. It's kinda nice to have the bike on a trainer before you take it out on the road because you can get off the bike and made adjustments easily. I wanted to get on a road bike for a while before I actually did, but it seemed like there were so many damn options I just kept saying fuck it. After a lot of research, I started to be able to sift through all of the options and make a purchases with the help of my local bike shop. I wouldn't get hung up on brand name as much as getting the right fitting bike with a good group set like Shimano 105. You should really shop local, especially if it's your first time making a purchase like this.
I just helped set my neighbors bike up for sprint tris. Gave him some bolt on bars and a seat to test fit for his trainer. We went for a short street ride and he needs to work on bike balance/control before working from an aero position. I did let him ride my cervello... I thought for sure he was going to crash it in the aero bar position. He is a great swimmer though... something most arent. Im betting youll make up more time in transitions than on a tri specific bike starting out.
At 6'3" you would be around 58-61 cm bike depending on brand and what's on the bike (bars/stem), there's still a small number of new bikes around because of parts being scarce. More lower end groups are available then high-end stuff from what I hear. Check out slowtwitch.com or Ebay/fb marketplace for a used one. Get going and if it clicks and you enjoy doing it upgrade to a tri bike if you wanted. All bike prices have shot through the roof because of "New Technology" (disc brakes on a road bike) Rim for the win
For a sprint tri, skip the aero bars. On a road bike, move your seat a little more forward than normal so that you work a slightly different part of your legs. It helps on the bike-run transition. Like Dan said, the first time you hop off your bike and try to run a 5K, you wonder why your legs just turned to jelly. It takes a few hundred yards to get your running legs going. One other pro tip I learned is that the speedplay zero pedals were great for my repaired knee. I’ve always ridden SPD clipless but was getting some knee pains and after some research tried the speedplay pedals. They were a game changer for my knees (with a meniscus repair surgery under the belt). Overall, training for a tri of any length is a great way to get fit.
Check the local bike shops to see if they do a ‘bike swap’. A few of the shops around here do them and you can usually pick up something decent for a reasonable price. Also check Craigslist and FB marketplace. Regardless of what you get, follow the advice of others and get a proper fitting done. I think you could get everything you need for under $1k. Realistically, any bike will do. My wife did her first one on a mountain bike, toe cages (not the clips), and road tires. Just enjoy the training time with your daughter.
If you get a good road bike, it’s amazing how you can feel the power going to the bike. But most importantly get toe clips and the silly shoes. Make sure your daughter is there with a video. She may want to wear a pair of Depends because she will pee in her pants. You falling over at 0 mph just never gets old. My wife took 3 falls all in the driveway. After the falls there will be bonding and bandages.
Absolutely get a 'Bike Fit,' once you decide on the bike that you feel meets your needs. Having spent a full year returning to cycling with much loftier goals than I'd ever done on a bike before, I'm only now feeling moderately up to speed with all things bicycle related. 17 months later, I'm still learning the intricacies of the nutritional, training and technical aspects of the more serious cyclists. I had an older Trek Madone that I started on, and while I'd ridden it for many years on and off. I'd never considered myself more than a casual, occasional cyclist. My first bike fit was a game changer for me. I was immediately more comfortable. After 3 months I bought a modern gravel bike (Trek Checkpoint SL6,) and after several more months, I installed road tires on it, since I ended up doing all road miles, despite my early thoughts of cross-training on my mountain bike. I ended up riding over 2,500 miles in 13 months, and still aren't as good at climbing hills as I thought I'd I'be by now. I was off my bicycle for 3 1/2 months for shoulder surgery, but I did eventually buy a trike I put a few hundred miles on, before my former bicycle racing PT allowed me back on my bike. Haven't ridden much since I finished RAGBRAI in late July. Developing a good relationship with your local bike shops (LBS) will be important for your 'learning curve.' They likely have other Tri customers they work with also. My suggestion is to talk with several bike fitters before buying your bike. If your budget allows, I personally would plan on spending well more than $2k for everything you'll need. You'll likely end up spending a lot of time on your bike, in time. I've learned that Tri athletes understand that they can reduce their times the most by training more on their cycles. You can only go so much faster by becoming a faster swimmer or runner. You can achieve greater reductions by being faster on your bike. With you enjoying motorcycles, you'll have lots of fun bicycling! You'll also enjoy some of the folks you'll meet along your journey. I've made more 'Moto' friends I've met bicycling. You'll also get used to a lot of girls kicking your ass.
For my first few triathlons I borrowed a nicely setup but hand me down Giant brand road bike, made minimal changes to the seating position and handlebars to make it comfy and just sent it. I didn’t even use the clip-ins so I could focus more on a smooth transition without having to worry about all that. For your first couple races I’d recommend you jump on Facebook marketplace and find a used road bike with the proper sized frame and save a ton of cash. You don’t need a full triathlon bike at this point. Any bike shop will also adjust the bike to fit you. In a sprint race you’ll be competitive with a basic package. After a few races I went all in and got a brand new Specialized Allez road bike. But for starting focus more on the training and preparation, and also transitions. Any clean used road bike will get the job done.
We should be able to find you a decent bike for around $500 or less. Anything more is fluff. Give me a call bud.
My three cents. Unless your daughter is expecting you to keep pace with her and she's a tri-geek you can ride anything you want in a sprint. It really doesn't matter. People will be on everything from mountain bikes to the latest 15k super aero S-works an Trek bikes. Find something that works for you and where you can ride. If you live in the sticks and have great roads that are safe a true road bike would fit the bill better than an MTB. In a shitty city then a more robust bike would probably be better IMO. For rails to trails and multi user pathway rides a flat bar 'hybrid' (not electric hybrid, sorta mountain sorta road hybrid) is a great choice. Cheaper and more comfortable than a road bike but heavier. Faster and lighter than a mountain bike, but not capable for all but easy and flat mountain bike trails. A custom fitting can eek out the last few watts of hidden performance, which again, IMO, isn't something you need to worry about. A good fitting by an experienced friend or local bike shop guy would be fine unless there are some biometric issues like leg length differences, joint issues, etc. Expert fittings take hours, aren't cheap, and generally end up with you buying new bars, stems, cranks, saddle, etc. to get your bike to match the final specs on the fitting jig. There's nothing at all wrong with it and you'll be faster and more comfortable for the same level of effort, but it's costly and a good fitter at a shop will get you 80% there with your bike if it's close to the right size to begin with. Now is probably a really good time to find a bike. The tri-geeks are looking for their next latest an greatest ride and racers are between seasons shopping for their next ride or sponsored bike. Covid created a huge run on bikes and left many shops empty. I'm sure lots of those are on the market now and can be had for pretty good deals. All that being said, a crappy first real bike can sour you on riding. I'm sure tgold can get you on the right ride. Now don't ask me about training philosophy or metrics. I'll geek out for real.
LOL! I know what you mean. I did alot of research on training for a marathon a few years ago, but my sport/spine/ortho/soft tissue guy said marathon training would further damage my minor hip bursitis issue. He said 1/2 marathon at the very most, but encouraged me to keep it below 10K. I had to change my running form and everything so that it doesn't bother me. I need to keep a faster pace/cadence so as not to aggrivate it. That reminds me I need to make an appointment with him and just have him check everything out and do some maintance work if needed, before I get too deep into my training.
