Home Chat General Chat

Entry level road bikes for a newbie

Hi all, I'm looking at getting a bike for doing sprint triathlons and have no knowledge of bikes. I've been searching the net and think the Giant Defy 4, Specialized Allez or Felt Z95 might be good bikes to start with. Do any of you have these or have experience of these or any other info which might help me? Will soon go to the LBS to test these bikes.

Also, once I've decided which bike I'd like, do I simply buy it "off the shelf" and adjust the seat and handle bars myself (or rather my husband!) or do I get the LBS to do this for me? I don't quite understand the full fitting service that the shops do and whether that is of benefit to me or not. Not sure whether to have clip in shoes or just wear my normal trainers.

Any advice would be much appreciated, thanks.
Jo

Comments

  • gavinpgavinp Posts: 168
    Hi Jo40

    First of all, welcome to the world of triathlon

    As you are going to be doing your first triathlon then you can buy whatever bike is in your budget and basically, looks good to you (because the bling that ya bring is what matters most to all of us ).

    Definately go to a bike shop as they will advise you on what will fit you the best for your body geometry (basically your legs, arms and body length against the bike frame size as these can vary). Buying off the shelf is fine if your going to pootle around town, but your not so it's best to get a basic bike fit (at least) to make sure it is set up for you. This will make sure that you are delivering the power through to the wheels efficiently and most importantly, you don't injure yourself in the process.

    Regards clip on shoes. If you have a few months to get used to them then get them now and use them all the time. Otherwise, if your race is in a few weeks, just use your trainers. Golden rule: never introduce something new just before a race.

    Hope this helps a little.

    Have fun!
Sign In or Register to comment.