Starting out
comanighttrain
Posts: 682
in General Chat
Hey guys,
Last week I took part in London triathlon with my work and I had a great time and it was good to do that for charity.
Next year I want to do the whole olympic event on my own (we did it in teams of three - I swam).
I need to get some stuff though.
I don't have a bike - what kind of bike is best for this event and how much should I spend?
Last week I took part in London triathlon with my work and I had a great time and it was good to do that for charity.
Next year I want to do the whole olympic event on my own (we did it in teams of three - I swam).
I need to get some stuff though.
I don't have a bike - what kind of bike is best for this event and how much should I spend?
0
Comments
I have an entry level Orbea that cost £350.00. It has been great for the last two years. I have done some upgrades to it now that I want to do better in Tri, and carrying out the upgrades is more fun than buying an expensive bike anyway.
Try the link below.
http://www.m2events.net/Default.aspx?alias=www.m2events.net/tcr
Nick
I did London this year on a bottom of the range Specialised Allez which cost £500 3 years ago (it still does). I just bought a Trek 5.5 which was £1500, reduced from £2300. It is clearly a much better bike, but I am not sure the difference will be much more than a minute over the London Course (but that would take me under the magic hour, which is why I coughed up). My point is that I think that up to £500 you really get a lot more bike for each quid, whilst once you have a fairly good frame, fairly good gears, etc that you get less and less per pound. Below £500 you can get some very heavy bikes that just aren't much fun to ride.
Of course, at this time of year, there are lots of bikes on offer, esp 06 models, so you can get one that "should" cost £500 for cheaper, or get a better one for your £500, or get a second hand one, but I reckon you should aim for something that costs £500 new.
Then later on, if you are an idiot like me you bankrupt yourself.
- Unless you are very familiar with bicycles and their components (or you have a friend or family member with limitless patience who is), you may want to to avoid buying a second-hand bike or a bike off the Internet. If you are new to the biking thing, then find a good bike shop with people whose advice you trust, and try the bikes out before you buy. Make sure the bike shop can offer a fitting service if you buy from them, and that they have someone in there who is at least a little familiar with some of your requirements as a triathlete (even if it is knowing how to order special components like an aero bar or tri-specific cycling shoes from a catalogue). If you like doing it yourself, then get good at doing Internet searches for things like "fitting a bicycle for triathlon training".
- Don't forget about your accessories when you sit down and think about your budget. Helmet, sunglasses, lock(s), pump, water bottle(s) & cage(s), toe clips or clipless pedals (and shoes?), cycling clothes (maybe eventually a tri-suit, tri-specific cycling shoes), aero bar, etc can all add up. They might even make more difference to your comfort and speed than new bicycle wheels or a new groupset. The worst time I ever recorded on a bike section was when I used a bicycle seat that was super-light, super-aerodynamic and super-uncomfortable.