Need Advice Re: Tri Bike...Brands, Dos, Donts, etc.. - Page 2

Are you planning on RACING these tris or just DOING them? Have you ran one at all so far? My first season of tris was spent renting various bikes, racing various course sets up, and eyebaling the whole thing in preperation for the next season. I would do the same if was you. Rent a few bikes. Try em out. Determine what you like.

Me, personally, got a tri bike. It fits me just fine. I only race tris, no road racing. All my riding is spent in preperation for tris. I have no problems with long distance rides on it. It DOES take a lot of getting used to. I also have the luxury of a 7 mile park loop close by and long road with bike lanes, as well, so the environment is conductive to riding only a tri bike. If i had to worry about traffic, I would say get the road bike so youre controls are all right there.

Also, in your budget, you can get lot nicer of a road bike than you can a tri bike. $1600 seems to be the min. for a decent tri bike.

Rent, rent, rent, then make up your own mind.

I agree with everyone here...if your not going to use the bike purely for triathlon your better off looking at a road bike in your price bracket. I race pretty seriously in triathlon and have a road bike...the only really difference between tri bike and a road bike is the geometry of the frame and aero bars (which arent really that much of an advantage unless doing long distance tri and some find it more comfortable). I spend alot of time on the road training and racing...I found a road bike to be more comfortable. Hope this helps and u find a bike! I have just spent months looking for the right bike dont rush it take your time and get the best bike for u and try lots of bikes dont get your heart set on a cartain brand or bike!

thanks arz and triguy

i too have been looking for a few months, trying to get info and pricing down b/f i spend a wad of $...

thanks for the input. BTW, i havent competed in a tri yet, but i am looking forward to it. i found a couple of beginners websites and a book on amazon that gave me some good advice regarding my training. im still at least 18 months out (if things go as planned) and have been hitting the weights hard for a few years, but close to a year ago decided to add cycling to my cardio regiment.....this led me to where i am today. i want to take it to the next level and mix it up a bit. running loses it luster after a while. i never realized how tough swimming could be.

im sure ill get flamed for this by some of the people in this thread, but the trek i have (MB) has the aero bars on it and i have been using that as my sole means (cycling) and that is why im in the market for a true road bike (or a tri bike)

i was assuming that if i am to compete in a tri eventually, why not go ahead and get the bike that i plan on using in a tri? that way i could be more comfortable with my equipment, rather than go from a road to tri to actual competition...

someone correct me if im wrong here

arz and triguy


a question:


what do you think about these two? prices, quality, etc...

The new 2005 Felt S32

http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/reviews/feltS32.shtml

Motobecane 2004 Nemesis Triathlon Bike

http://bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/nemesis.htm


if neither of these is a good buy for me, what would be a good beginner road bike from the www.bikesdirect.com website?

thanks again

Youre not looking to even start tri-ing for another 1 1/2? Are you in semi decent shape? If so, start looking at sprints. Do a couple mid to late season tris. Just 1 a month for a couple months. Rent a bike to race. I did all my training last season on a MTB. It worked, it wasnt exactly the best thing, but I def. didnt die on my bike leg and had lots of juice for the run, so theres nothing wrong with it. I read an article bout a pro who does the same thing.

If youre set on not doing a tri for that long, save up the coin and get a solid Ultrega bike. That bikesdirect site didnt exactl yhave bargains with road bikes. I've seen much better deals at my LBS on Ultrega bikes.

I had a motobecane once upon a time. It was a trail bike, full rigid. No complaints, but I cant comment on thier road bikes or current build quality. Cant really go wrong with Felt. I just dont have any dealers round these parts, so no personal experience. I've heard nuttin but good things, tho. IT looks like a decnt price, but if I'm buying a dedicated tri bike, I want it AERO.

I 2 was in the same predicament not long ago, and I ended up going for a road bike after much discusion with various people who are invovled in the sport of triathlon. I chose a Cannondale R1000, very sweet bike, anyway back to the point, for raceing purposes, I purchased another set of bars with the end shifters and just change them over when I want to race, might seem like a pain in the **** but it only takes about 20 mins to do after you've done it the first time and have the cable lengths correct. I havn't had any dramas with this yet. Also you could backwards face your seatpost to get a more aerodynamic stance if need be.

If you plan on training on your bike in a group of people I know that on some of the group rides around here they dont like people joining in if they have tri specific bikes as they are more dangerous. ( With respect to the position of the brakes in relation to where your hands are when in rideing position )

scotty

how much did that setup cost?

thanks

mb22

About $300 Aus so say $220 us

My $.02 is this: I have a good tri bike (Cervelo P3) it's great for races, but it's my only bike, and tri bikes have comfort issues. If I had to buy only one bike again, it would be a road bike. Why, comfort means you will ride more miles, and race better as a result. Besides, there is very little aero difference between the TT position and the bottom of the handlebars of a road bike IMHO.

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hashde

I have a road bike that I outfitted for use as both a road racer and tt bike. I have a set of Aero bars on my bike that allow me to get into the tt position when I am in that mode, although I am probably going to keep my current handlebar setup and will never consider bar-end shifters. I also have a 700cc Renn 575 disc that I use when I am in TT mode.

For all those who have never seen a triathlete roadie, here's a good example....

http://rennmultisport.com/photos/IMG_0046.jpg

This isn't me!

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*2007 Orbea Mitis
*Zeus FCM Full Carbon Fork
*Campy 9 Spd Chorus Drivetrain
*Campy Chorus 9 Spd Shifter/Brake Levers
*Campy Chorus Carbon Crank
*Easton EC70 Carbon Seatpost
*Fi'zi:k Arione Carbon Saddle
*Ritchey BioMax Pro Handlebar
*Origin 8 Pro-Fit Stem
*Speedplay X-3 Pedals
*2007 Rolf Prima Aspin Wheels
*Michelin Krylion Carbon Tires

That pic is exactly what I want to do with a Cervelo P3Carbon.

~A

did you even get a professional fitting on that P3C? It might be $20-300 dollars for a good FIST fitting, but worth its weight over and over again.

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'05 GF Cake DLX SRAM X-9, 'Zocchi MX Comp, Avid BB7
Trek Equinox 7: 105, all stock, all fast
'99 GT XCR5000: LX/XT, Avid SDs, Judy XC
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Life is short, ride hard. BONZAI!!!!

It should be noted that the Motobecanes sold today have no connection whatsoever with the Motobecanes of former glory.

The original French manufacturer Motobecane went into bancrupcy in the 80's. The Motobecanes made since then are Chinese and Taiwanese bikes with the "Motobecane" name pasted on them by Motobecane USA, a company with no connection to the old French company. The even have the guts to print "since 1923" on their logo, which is definately misleading!

I do both RR and Tri/Du and this bike seems to do the trick for me. The bars change out easily and it didn't break the bank.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-ROAD-RACING-...QQcmdZViewItem