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Which cycle ?

Do I have to get a specific triathlon cycle as the ones I have seen so far are starting at almost £1000 upwards. I was kinda hoping I could start somewhere at about £200 upwards

Comments

  • MGMG Posts: 470
    You get what you pay for really. £200 will get you a road bike but not a Time trial (TT) bike. If you can stretch to maybe £500 you'll get a good starter bike if not take a chance and look on fleabay. Good luck.
  • search the forums for this



    "How much faster will a £1000 bike be than a £300 bike??"



    There's a good thread about bike costs and the ups/downs to spending the extra.



    Hope this helps
  • jonnnijonnni Posts: 32
    Stealth



    Don't get dragged into paying a fortune for a bike. I did my first tri on a 12 year old bike borrowed from a mate (see previous post) and beat a huge number of red carbon-fibre freaks and what a lift it gives you to beat them by 2 minutes and £1000!



    Have since bought the bike for £100 will use at the start of this season then probably do cycle to work to get decent bike for half price and 12 months interest free!



    I suggest look around for a second hand bike or pick up a new road bike for £300-400 or TriUK basic package is £575 at the moment for bike/trisuit/wetsuit/helmet/clipless pedals and shoes



    Have fun
  • Do I have to have a proper Triathlon bike for competing or will I be allowed to enter with a road bike ? althought the starter pack from TriUK sounds a good deal
  • TommiTriTommiTri Posts: 879
    Yes I'm sorry but only full carbon Triathlon bikes are allowed in competition, its not that you're not allowed per-se but we will knock you off it you're not on one.



    Hehe nah, you can enter a tri on any kind of bike, as long as its road worthy! Many people ride mountain bikes and I've heard stories about baskets and apparently a BMX
  • You can ride anything in a tri, people only judge you if you turn up on a £3k+ and then ride like a numpty. You will over take these people

    [;)]



    I have overtaken someone before with wheels worth more then all my bikes and car added together.
  • ZacniciZacnici Posts: 1,385
    I have even seen am MTB with aero bars



    My first tri I used a £60 Halfords MTB, good fun, next bike a £500 Giant SCR2, present bike a £900 Focus Tria, I do not intend to upgrade. I am achieving a decent result, to spend any more will bring me under the watchful glare of others who will no doubt roll about laughing at this t**t riding a £3K carbon at a 'numpty' pace.



    If you do a search on my posts about my choice of bike you will see that I chose this bike for very personal reasons and after a lot of resesarch based on my own particular strengths.



    As with anything in triathlon it is diminishing returns a £1k bike may haul you round 3 minutes faster than a £500 bike but a £3k bike is not likely to get you round 3 minutes faster again
  • treefrogtreefrog Posts: 1,242
    Bottom line you will not get a good bike for less than £500, you will have to pay about £1000 to get a competitive bike.

    Everyone will tell you about people who turn up on this that and the other and beat the guy on the sooper dooper bike this means that the fitter guy always wins but what happens when he races an equally fit guy on a better bike? The guy who will gain most from a good bike is the novice.

    In my opinion go out there and buy a Cervelo S1 (formerly known as Soloist Team;SLT) it can be converted between road and tri geometry and is a quality frame/bike. Try www.slanecycles.co.uk PS I'll be shouted down by everyone for this advice - but ask Benny!

  • bennybenny Posts: 1,314
    Best advice ever, Frog. Lets keepon spreading the truth together: Cervélo has top bikes and are superb price-quality!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    S1 (I bought one this summer)is the best bike I ever rode!!
  • ZacniciZacnici Posts: 1,385
    Agreed with Treefrog, about £500 new, less from a cycle club/ebay etc (but make sure you know about sizing etc) will get you a good basic bike. There was a quantum leap going from my £500 Giant SCR2 to my Focus Tria @ £900 and brought me into the 'competitive' group such that a friend who once was 4 minutes faster on the bike I was now beating. The Tria has tri geometry as for me this has proved to suit me best. Will I get any faster times by spending £2,000 - £3,000, possibly but I do not have that sort of money and what sort of time saving am I talking about, minutes or seconds? I dare say that I could go faster and spend less on an aero helmet and lose som more weight (down to 65Kg but need to shed 1 - 2kg more). Again I bought my bike after 6 months research and to suit my own particular needs.







    As for the Cervelo S1 I can't comment, I wanted a bike that had the right geometry for me and an aero cockpit and the Tria has given me that at a cracking price. I got a good deal on some Easton EA70 wheels and have a great bike but am now looking at altering the gearing a tad based on my first season of using it. There you go, never stops, always have to tinker and buy stuff.





    [image]local://1974/92FEDB194A2741D4AB7EC6C3E8DF4E65.jpg[/image]
  • fatstufatstu Posts: 46
    Okay, stealth, some great advice from the guys who keep this forum running.



    Here's my slant on things



    [ol][*]Whatever you buy for goodness sake make sure it fits. I know people who have got what they thought was a great deal on a bike which didn't fit. If you are not comfortable on the bike you'll not have fun and you won't keep going. Best way to do this is your local bike shop. Some will let you pay them to do this and to set up whatever you buy so you can get a second hand bike knowing it fits

    [*]If you have not cycled much before or recently, TT bikes will take some getting used to. I would plan to buy a road bike first and then add clip on bars as you get more confident. When you really get hooked buy a TT bike and then you have a training bike too so you're not trashing your red carbon beauty with training on it in horrid weather. That said, the Soloist is a fabulous bike but it's a lot to shell out if you are not sure you're going to get hooked (although as everyone on the forum will tell you - you will...)[/ol]

    Whatever you decide, forget the others you see at your races and what they're on. Remember in triathlon, the only person you are really racing against is yourself.
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