Best tri-bike for beginner in sprint triathlon?

Question

My buddies and I are going to start doing sprint triathlons and we all want to purchase good beginner bikes that can be customized in the future? Any suggestions with brand names and any other info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Answer 1

The question of course revolves around "doing" vs. "competing"

Getting on the podium is going to take a bike in the neighborhood of $2000.

Getting to the finish line of a sprint....  you can use whatever you've got now.    

My suggestion would be to do the first couple on whatever you have, or whatever you can borrow, to see if your initial enthusiasm for the sport continues.    Any low end bike you purchase now isn't going to be good enough  if you decide to stick with the sport, regardless of how you upgrade it.   My first two years, and maybe a dozen races I did on an ancient touring bike.   As I gained experience and talked to other racers, my perception of what I needed in a tri-bike changed a lot.   The bike I would have bought starting out would have been much different than the bike I ended up buying.  In other words, you're more likely to make a smart purchase after you get some racing under your belt.

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Edit:  David, you just made my point.

Answer 2

Assuming you don't own a road bike, buy a decent one that you will keep for awhile.  As for brand, get whatever fits the best.  

Don't let a bike shop sell you what's in stock that doesn't fit.  Do some research and find an excellent bike shop in your area with good fitting services

Proper position on your road bike will save you more time than a tri bike will in a sprint.

You will still be able to use this bike in the future if you decide to buy a full tri bike. Road bikes are better for longer and slower recovery rides.

Answer 3

I started with a $2,500 Tri Bike right from the start.  I guess it's really a question of what you can afford.  If you start off with a K-Mart mountain bike your bike time splits will be horrible. You'll also expend loads of energy in this leg of the race - effecting your run.  

When I started (just 6 months ago) I started with a full carbon tri specific bike. I never regretted having good equipment right off the bat.  Now that I've progressed, I upgraded to a top of the line Tri Bike.  

I'm actually going to put my starter tri-bike on e-bay this weekend. I'll let it go for $1,500 to anyone in the group. I can do better on e-bay, but I thought I'd throw it out on this forum before I take all the pictures and write the ad.

The bike is a 2006 Quintana Roo Seduza. Frame is large. It is full carbon frame with vision aero-bars. Dura Ace rear & Ultegra Front. You can see a picture of it on Q-Roo's website at http://www.rooworld.com/bikes/2006/seduz...

This bike is good enough that you could really ride it for several years without needing to upgrade.

You can never go wrong buying good quality gear if you buy it right. If triathlon isn't your thing, you could throw it up on e-bay and probably make a few hundred bucks.

I'm going to list it on sunday.

Answer 4

If you're just starting either use your current bikes or buy 10-15 year old road bikes. They can be had for $100 or less.

Answer 5

Good brand names are Cervelo, Trek and Quintana Roo.  

First you really need to assess what you need.  will you be doing lots of triathlons, or mostly road riding? Depending on your needs, and training.  I'd suggest that you don't go all-in right now on $5000 bikes.  You may actually want to go to a low-end tri-bike (try an entry level Aquila) or go with a nice road bike like a Giant TCR2.  Both runs around $1200-1500 and can easily be equipped with aero bars($100-200).  You'll also get more use out of this for road rides as tri-bikes are not necessarily the best at hills.  They are designed mostly to cut into the wind easily and save your legs for the run.  This is done by having a steeper angle on the down tube.  You can buy some multi-position seat posts that may help better equip a road bike.

Best bet: go to a triathlon event and see what's in the racks.  Ask some of the local techs and vendors at the event.  Most will be very honest about your needs and will not pressure you into anything.

Best of luck!

Swim-bike-run, repeat!

Answer 6

Depends - how much is your budget? $100 or $6000?