Should I look at road bikes or flat bar road bikes for sprint triathalon training?

Question

I've been training on my 12 year old Raleigh M-20 mountain bike with hybrid tires for the past 12 weeks. I'm new to this and i'm overwhelmed at how many different styles there are now. I want to get a new one in about a year, but i'm not sure if I need a road bike. I probably will not be going on 60 mile rides. I have been doing 15 and 20 mile rides though. Most importantly, I don't think I want to spend a lot...($400 - $700) Is that possible???

Answer 1

I would suggest you buy a roadbike (even second hand or low budget!)  the next thing I would recommend is a set of clip-on aero bars!  Practise riding on this as its a standard set up! And take it from there.

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Answer 2

do a few races before you commit to a tri specific bike. check out what others are riding. you may also change your budget (which is low for a tri specific rig). if you like doing triathalons, you'll pick up a lot more around the other racers, than you will here! we're all wise sages, but there is nothing like a little practical experience..