Newbie questions

If you've never done any cycling can you borrow a bike for a bit of
training and a first race to see if you like it before you part with a
lot of cash? Even a mountain bike with some slicks on would get you
round.

If you want to pile in and buy something then certainly don't buy the
biggest frame. There aren't many specialist road bike shops in the UK
and most of them won't sell much around the £500 mark so you will
probably have to go to Evans or similar but make sure you find somebody
there that rides and knows about road bikes and can size you up
properly. I'm 6'2" and I ride a 55cm frame - the size you need will
vary depending on the geometry of the bike and your proportions. My
advice would be to go for the smallest frame you feel comfortable on as
it will handle better and be more aerodynamic, am sure there are lots
of people who would disagree with that however.

You probably do need to spend £500 - doubt you'll get much for less
than that. Only other essential at this point is a helmet. You'll
probably want to get some cycle shorts with a bit of padding but
tri-suit and clipless cycling shoes are definitely not essential if
you're just starting out. If you're racing in the UK you're also going
to need a wetsuit for the swim.

Bob Smith said:

I'm thinking of taking up the sport - my weakest part will be the cycling -
I have no clue!

Without learning too much (I really don't want have to know about groupsets
and wheel types etc), how much do I have to spend to get a reasonable bike?
Can I get away with £300 or do I have to go up to £500 ish? Also, I'm just
under 6'2'', what size frame would I need (the biggest?)? What else do I
need - shoes/helmet/tri-suit?

TIA!

There was a chap who wrote a book with the title "Its not about the bike"...
I started tri's last year with a £425 Giant OCR2 (reduced from £625),
I completed 4 sprints, 2 Olys and a half IM (the Vitruvian) on it
last year, this year I have done 2 sprints and an Oly and have planned
an Ironman (IMUK) on which I will use the same bike.

So you don't have to spend a huge amount on a bike.

BTA rules mean that you will need a helmet, and if you are planning on
an open water swim in the UK you will probably need a wetsuit
(they can be hired relatively cheaply).

As far as sizing goes, each manufacturer uses slightly different
sizing, you would be best going to a good bike shop and either
getting properly measured up or at least trying the bike out for size.

For UK related tri info I'd suggest looking at www.tritalk.co.uk,
there are a lot of helpful folks hanging around there...

Doug

In article <[email hidden]>,

Douglas Steel said:

Bob Smith said:

I'm thinking of taking up the sport - my weakest part will be the cycling -
I have no clue!

Without learning too much (I really don't want have to know about groupsets
and wheel types etc), how much do I have to spend to get a reasonable bike?
Can I get away with £300 or do I have to go up to £500 ish? Also, I'm just
under 6'2'', what size frame would I need (the biggest?)? What else do I
need - shoes/helmet/tri-suit?

TIA!

There was a chap who wrote a book with the title "Its not about the bike"...

And yet, he has a fleet of bikes, all worth more than my new minvan, so
he's a bit of a hypocrite, don't you think?

--Harold Buck

"I used to rock and roll all night,
and party every day.
Then it was every other day. . . ."
-Homer J. Simpson

"Harold Buck" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Douglas Steel said:

Bob Smith said:

I'm thinking of taking up the sport - my weakest part will be the
cycling -
I have no clue!

Without learning too much (I really don't want have to know about
groupsets
and wheel types etc), how much do I have to spend to get a reasonable
bike?
Can I get away with £300 or do I have to go up to £500 ish? Also, I'm
just
under 6'2'', what size frame would I need (the biggest?)? What else do
I
need - shoes/helmet/tri-suit?

TIA!

There was a chap who wrote a book with the title "Its not about the
bike"...

And yet, he has a fleet of bikes, all worth more than my new minvan, so
he's a bit of a hypocrite, don't you think?

you'd be suprised how few bikes LA actually has.. he donates almost every
one to his foundation, they use them for fund raisers..

JPW
Austin, Tx