Hi there. I am new to this forum, but want to learn more from those of you with experience. I have biked off and on most of my life, but just recreationally. I have been running for a few years, and just recently got back into biking and then into triathlons. I love running, but I am loving biking more and more and am finding myself gravitating toward my bike more...plus now my oldest daughter is getting really into biking with me which motivates me more.
Here is my question. I recently participated in my first sprint triathlon. I followed the advice to hold off on buying a new bike until after completing my first race, to make sure competitive biking is something I enjoy. I rode my mountain bike, which is only a year old and I love, but I found that, like I had been told, my mountain bike was much slower than the road bikes, despite my thorough training. So, now I am thinking of looking for a road bike, although my budget will be limited to Craigslist, I'm afraid.
Well, I went to my mom's house and found that she still has my old 10 speed bike, and that it is still in great shape other than needing new tires. So...for someone who will probably only race a couple of times a year, I need some advice on which way to go. My friend bought a really nice and lightweight road bike. I don't think I can afford something like that. A few people have told me that my old 10-speed would be faster than my mountain bike due to the thinner tires. Unfortunately it is not a light weight bike, but I'm wanting to try it out. My husband asked me to do some research to find out if the old-school 10 speed would be a good choice for me, and if it will speed me up very much, as he doesn't want to put much money into new tires if I will end up wanting a road bike a few months down the road. So...I mostly enjoy logging 10-15 miles with friends or up to 7 miles with my daughter, but I do want to continue training for triathlons and maybe the occasional bike race.
What do y'all think? (keep in mind that my budget is small at this point in time)
Thanks a bunch for any help y'all can offer me!!
Mindy
Here is my question. I recently participated in my first sprint triathlon. I followed the advice to hold off on buying a new bike until after completing my first race, to make sure competitive biking is something I enjoy. I rode my mountain bike, which is only a year old and I love, but I found that, like I had been told, my mountain bike was much slower than the road bikes, despite my thorough training. So, now I am thinking of looking for a road bike, although my budget will be limited to Craigslist, I'm afraid.
Well, I went to my mom's house and found that she still has my old 10 speed bike, and that it is still in great shape other than needing new tires. So...for someone who will probably only race a couple of times a year, I need some advice on which way to go. My friend bought a really nice and lightweight road bike. I don't think I can afford something like that. A few people have told me that my old 10-speed would be faster than my mountain bike due to the thinner tires. Unfortunately it is not a light weight bike, but I'm wanting to try it out. My husband asked me to do some research to find out if the old-school 10 speed would be a good choice for me, and if it will speed me up very much, as he doesn't want to put much money into new tires if I will end up wanting a road bike a few months down the road. So...I mostly enjoy logging 10-15 miles with friends or up to 7 miles with my daughter, but I do want to continue training for triathlons and maybe the occasional bike race.
What do y'all think? (keep in mind that my budget is small at this point in time)
Thanks a bunch for any help y'all can offer me!!
Mindy