Bike for triathletes?

Question

ok so I am getting into the whole triathlon thing. What is a good bike? not just for a beginner, but will be good for a bit? And what size bike will I need? I am 5'9'' so am i looking at a 57cm or smaller... bigger? Any help would be great. Thanks

Answer 1

Both of my teenagers wanted to do tri's but being unwilling to drop two large each on bikes for a sport that they may not stick with, I had to find a way to do it on the cheap.

I bought a pair of older Cannondale bikes on ebay, and made sure they had the high-end components.  Old C'dales have stiff aluminum frames.  What sold me on C'dale was the story of the tri who was run over by a car, but her frame was just fine thank you.  

Pitched the wheels, and bought real racing stuff -- five-spoke fiber and sixteen-spoke aluminum.  Wheels make the biggest noticeable difference in speed and ease of riding.  Bought clones of look pedals made in taiwan for some Italian outfit.

New tires, re-wrapped the bars, added aeros off ebay, new seat, four cans of reflective fluorescent green spraypaint for one bike (with yellow seat, tires, cables, and tape, man is it ugly), and a major overhaul at the bike shop for each and was under twelve all-in.  

Boys are competitive, ending up high in their age groups, one winning his.

New bikes require less effort to get going but need some long green, old bikes and sweat equity can save you some.  The other posters have some very good advice on new bikes; old bikes worked for me.

As the man says, "your money, your choice."

Answer 2

I have a 2001 QR Tequila that I bought when I first got started and it has been great.  I have lived at the beach ever since and it's still in decent shape - I have not had any major problems with it at all.

Be sure to get fitted for the bike by a bike shop.  People will tell you that's one of the most important things when buying a bike.

I agree with the previous response (although the carbons are sweet!).   I would say get something entry level ($1,500 - $2,000) which will last you several years.

I use a coach, who placed in the top 40 in Kona, 2nd lake placid, etc... who recommended a high grade aluminum as opposed to carbon when I asked him about a new bike.  He's really big on Elite's since they are custom made to fit.

I think alot of it is preference, so make sure you test ride several before deciding.

Answer 3

Don't be afraid to check craigslist.org for a tri-bike...especially if you live in or near a town where a lot of serious riders live.  I just bought a tri-bike that new would go for $1500-$2000 (carbon fork, aero bars, hand made frame, the works) for $400.  I'm just getting in to doing tri's so I didn't want to thrown down huge money if I turn out to not like the sport...buying used and for so little compared to new, if I don't like it, I can turn around and relist and get my money right back out (not that I think I'll ever do that, this bike ROCKS!)

Answer 4

First off, stick with an aluminum bike, the couple pounds isn't enough of a difference unless you're super serious. The way it was explained to me is that if you are at the point that you need a carbon bike, someone else will probably pick up the tab.

I race a Cervelo Dual and usually end up passing a bunch of guys on carbon tri bikes. I would highly recommend the Dual for you, but 2007 was the last year they made them, now Cervelo's entry level tri bike is the P2-SL, another aluminum frame/carbon fork bike that's just a tad more aerodynamic with different aero bars and runs about $1500-1600.

I think Felt also makes a couple of good entry level tri-bikes, the S32 is around $1400 and the S22 is about $2000.

As far as size goes, I would guess a 56 or maybe even a 54, atleast if you go with Cervelo. You want your arms to make right angles when you're down on the aero bars. I know I usually would need a 60 or 62 cm road bike, but my Dual's a 58 and I'm still looking for a shorter stem to put on it.

Go to your LBS and see what they have in your price range and get a preliminary fitting done.

Remember that there is a huge difference between an entry level tri-bike and an entry level road bike. Tri-bike's are made to race and even at "entry level" will have the same or better components than most upper mid-range road bikes.

Also don't let anyone tell you that a tri-bike is a specialty bike and that you should get a road bike first. They'll say that you won't be able to do group rides, or ride recreationally with one, which is complete bull. I ride every wednesday with a group of rec riders, we average about 15 MPH for 14-25 miles. They love having me ride with them and I like it because it forces me to slow down and have a recovery day. It's also really good for spinning. If you need to know anything else, shoot me an email