Cheap bike for triathlon

trinewb

Hi guys,

Was wondering if anyone had opinions on good light weight bikes reliable bikes, that won't break the bank, specifically for a triathlon around the 500-600 mark?


Cheers
James

E@gle.

Ya wont get a specific tri bike for that price. You would just get a basic road bike for around that price

crashoveroid

You will want to spend more or think about buying maybe a second hand one 500 600 wont get you much

aodhu

Hey james, On that buget you're not going to get something specifically for triathlon. Your best bet is to try and a second hand road bike and put a set of Tri bars on it. Entry level for this kind of thing is a trek 1000 or there abouts....
What triathalons are you considering doing?

trinewb

Thanks for the responses,

Could any recommend a good road bike for around that price then,
I'm going to do the sprint triathlon in athy in kildare and hopefully the dublin city full one in september

Cheers
James

hunnymonster

take a wander over to the triathlon ireland fora. you might get lucky over there and someone could be off loading a bike. Be prepared to tell them how tall you are and maybe even your inside leg measurement.

Civilian_Target

Excuse my ignorance, what's the difference between a tri bike and a normal bike? I ask because I'm swimming and cycling anyway, and I live beside a huge park so I'm thinking - maybe if I start running I could do a triathalon....

hunnymonster

a tri bike is something akin to a time trial bike (but not exactly).
A good starter article is
http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/techctr/bikefit.html

hunnymonster

I use a bog standard road bike (specialized Ruby) for triathlon and don't think a tri bike would improve me at all. Most triathletes who are limited to one bike have a roadie.

daymobrew

hunnymonster wrote:

I use a bog standard road bike (specialized Ruby) for triathlon

I only have a standard road bike too (LaPierre Francais de Jeux replica) and added tri bars.
I use the bike for duathlons (I don't to triathlons - water too cold for me) and long distances.
For my first few short duathlons, I used my mtn bike - Specialized Rockhopper. I did reasonably okay, beating many on their road bikes. Changing to a road bike did help.

Ghost Rider

Why are tri bars different from regular road bike bars?

daymobrew wrote:

I only have a standard road bike too (LaPierre Francais de Jeux replica) and added tri bars.
I use the bike for duathlons (I don't to triathlons - water too cold for me) and long distances.
For my first few short duathlons, I used my mtn bike - Specialized Rockhopper. I did reasonably okay, beating many on their road bikes. Changing to a road bike did help.

hunnymonster

tri-bars allow you to extend out to the front and so get lower on the bike and more aerodynamic. If set up correctly it's also a comfy position to cycle in

This is an example of clip on bars
http://www.refriedcycles.com/profilebars.jpg
your elbows rest on the pads and you grip the front.

Mucco

I remember reading something about the forward position of a tri-bike allows you to save your legs for the run. The cycle is my strongest event in the tri, so I go all-out then and am completely wrecked for the run.

M

Ghost Rider

It looks more comfy alright. In fact, it looks as if you could read a paper while cycling, though I'd say that's rare enough in the average triathlon.

Thing is, if it's more aerodynamic, why don't non-triathlon racing cyclists use the same bars?

hunnymonster wrote:

tri-bars allow you to extend out to the front and so get lower on the bike and more aerodynamic. If set up correctly it's also a comfy position to cycle in

This is an example of clip on bars
http://www.refriedcycles.com/profilebars.jpg
your elbows rest on the pads and you grip the front.

Money Shot

Ghost Rider wrote:

It looks more comfy alright. In fact, it looks as if you could read a paper while cycling, though I'd say that's rare enough in the average triathlon.

Thing is, if it's more aerodynamic, why don't non-triathlon racing cyclists use the same bars?

It is much more aerodynamic, but can be very uncomfortable, especially over longer distances. You wouldn't see many people adopting the position to cycle to work. Standard race cyclists will have hills and longer distances to contend with and generally the extra weight of the bars would negate the benefits - they can get a decent tuck postion for the downhill without the bars.

In relation to the original post, a decent hybrid bike, or even mtb would even suffice if you only an occasional tri athalete or beginner. This way you can get the full value out of the bike and use it for commuting, training etc and will be a lot cheaper. If you get really big into it you can splash out a grand + on a decent road bike and tri bars.

cunnins4

Money Shot wrote:

In relation to the original post, a decent hybrid bike, or even mtb would even suffice if you only an occasional tri athalete or beginner. This way you can get the full value out of the bike and use it for commuting, training etc and will be a lot cheaper. If you get really big into it you can splash out a grand + on a decent road bike and tri bars.

I second that, i did my first triathlon on my hardrock with skinny tyres and i overtook LOADS of people on road bikes. It's the engine that wins the race, not the bike. There's always plenty of first timers with mountain bikes etc... so if you have one, use it.

hunnymonster

Ghost Rider wrote:

Thing is, if it's more aerodynamic, why don't non-triathlon racing cyclists use the same bars?

Two reasons, most triathlons are not draft legal i.e. you cycle within a certain distance of another cyclist whereas most cyclist races have a peleton. Tribars are not safe for group riding as you have less control and take longer to reach the brakes

secondly, cycling races are just that. You can happily die after the finish line. For triathlon you still need the legs to head off on the run.

hunnymonster

another alternative is to borrow a bike for the first few races. I did my first triathlon on a borrowed bike and it was great. I have a spare bike but I'm a teenchy lady so it would probably be too small for anyone of normal dimensions.

Ghost Rider

I see.

hunnymonster wrote:

Two reasons, most triathlons are not draft legal i.e. you cycle within a certain distance of another cyclist whereas most cyclist races have a peleton. Tribars are not safe for group riding as you have less control and take longer to reach the brakes

secondly, cycling races are just that. You can happily die after the finish line. For triathlon you still need the legs to head off on the run.

Civilian_Target

Ah - yeah, I know them now - there's a massive heavy looking bike with tri-bars in the shed I use...

hunnymonster

some people put them on a training bike for practise which I would hope is what they are doing on a heavy bike. They do take a bit of getting used to.