Road Bike and Tri questions...

[Jonny00GT]

My buddy is looking for a good entry level road bike in a 54-56. Is there a forum that cyclists frequent where he could find one for a decent price in good shape?

Also, which shoes do y'all who do tris like? I'll be doing my first one some time after June, once I get my first Marathon out of the way, just got my first bike last night (Thanks Matt!) and need to get some shoes.

Thanks, guys!
-Jonny

[Vertnut]

The fit of the bike is more important than anything else. If you're not comfy on the bike, then you start the run stiff (or sore, or both). Craigslist is full of bikes that will do. A "tri-bike" is not necessary, because you can add a few things to make a typical road bike pretty aerodynamic, especially with a little practice on your technique. A good stiff frame with a 105 or Ultegra group should be fine. I use Look Keo Carbon pedals, but there are others that will do. Clipless pedals of some kind are a must (to me). A well-fitting stiff soled cycling shoe will work, but it needs to have velcro closures for ease of getting in and out on the fly. I start unstrapping my last 1/2 mile or so going into T2. The thing about bikes and weight, is it starts getting expensive to be "light", and most guys can lose 10 lbs to begin with. You can only buy so much speed when it comes to bikes, because it's still 90% "motor".

[Jonny00GT]

We are on the same page. He's not looking for a $1000 bike. Entry level, about the size the shop told him to start with and he can narrow it from there. He's done one on his knobby tire mountain bike and he said he felt pretty out of place and out paced. He's just looking for a starting place to search.

I know the cycling breed is an upgrading sort, and most have a bike or 2 they don't ride anymore, but I don't know where they congregate.

Thanks for the response, Vert!
-Jonny

[Vertnut]

We are on the same page. He's not looking for a $1000 bike. Entry level, about the size the shop told him to start with and he can narrow it from there. He's done one on his knobby tire mountain bike and he said he felt pretty out of place and out paced. He's just looking for a starting place to search.

I know the cycling breed is an upgrading sort, and most have a bike or 2 they don't ride anymore, but I don't know where they congregate.

Thanks for the response, Vert!
-Jonny

Anytime, brother. PM me if I can help. I'm fairly new to the tri's myself, but after a few, it's addicting. My background is in cycling, but started running and swimming to cross-train. Tell your friend that its really easy to fall into that "buy speed" trap. I found my Ultegra equipped bike with less than 300 miles on it for $500. Something similar now would run near $2k!

Go to the "bike" section on Craigslist and search "54". Any bike with that advertised frame size will pop up.

[Jonny00GT]

Yeah, his Bro-In-Law is deep into them and has done a few Iron Mans and his Sister just did her first Iron Man in Jan. He's done a handfull of halfs and 2 full marathons and looking to just add to the fun. Seems like a lot of the McKinney Running Club is taking up biking and looking for a pool to get some laps in.(Wife and I included.)

Anyway, I think he'd be happy with a +/- $500 used bike worth the money. Matt cut me such a great deal, I think he gets to claim me on his taxes this year!!

I'm excited to get started and I'm sure I'll have questions! I gotta get the Marathon in June out in SanDiego under my belt first, but I think some miles on the bike will help keep my legs from being too beat up since almost all my long runs are double digits now...

-Jonny

[goofygrin]

http://www.planobicycle.org/ would be a good place to start. He can then ride with a group to build up his stamina.

[no4njnk]

I just went through the same thing and craigslist was the best place. Wife found a barely used Specialized Dolce for under $500 and I found a Trek 1500 for under $500 as well. If you are jumping into a true tri right away you may want to go for an actual tri bike. Cheapest decent one of those I found was $900 used. A tri bike has you sit a little different so the muscles needed for the run are not as fatigued.

Try Richardson Bike Mart too. I have been there a few times and hated it but decided to give it one last chance. The guy that helped us was awesome and while we were up there we met Lance Armstrong's old tri coach. I would say ask for the guy that we worked with but I think he just bought the store from the old owner so I don't know if he will be available much.

Texas Triple Threat is good to get involved in, especially their swims on Sunday. It is either open water or at a pool in the Colony where they have no lane markers and 40-50 people in the pool. Gets you used to spotting and they do drills to get you used to bumping into people. What I have been told by several people was focus most on the bike since that will be where you save the most time. 1/4mph faster over 55 or 110 miles is a lot of time.

My wife and I are doing our first sprint triathlon in May. After all the money we spent I am going to do a few more and may try a half Ironman later this year. I have always been a sprinter and weight lifter so it is taken some getting used to.

[goofygrin]

Rbm always made me feel out of place. I liked the guys at performance bicycle better. If you want to save money and want new bikesdirect.com has some good deals.... but you need to be ready to tinker. My bike from there was a good place to start.

[jfrog]

I got my trek off craigslist and had to get a full tune up and a new brake cable. It already had speedplay pedals so found some shoes also on craigslist. just be patient and look for something of good quality, someone will need some quick cash or in my case cleaning out their garage. Also you want something of decent brand so it doesnt fail you out on a race.
Ive only done a couple of practice duathlons and one official. theres one coming up april 14th here in waco

[Jonny00GT]

Thanks for the tips, guys! I'll pass it along.

[Vertnut]

I just went through the same thing and craigslist was the best place. Wife found a barely used Specialized Dolce for under $500 and I found a Trek 1500 for under $500 as well. If you are jumping into a true tri right away you may want to go for an actual tri bike. Cheapest decent one of those I found was $900 used. A tri bike has you sit a little different so the muscles needed for the run are not as fatigued.

Try Richardson Bike Mart too. I have been there a few times and hated it but decided to give it one last chance. The guy that helped us was awesome and while we were up there we met Lance Armstrong's old tri coach. I would say ask for the guy that we worked with but I think he just bought the store from the old owner so I don't know if he will be available much.

Texas Triple Threat is good to get involved in, especially their swims on Sunday. It is either open water or at a pool in the Colony where they have no lane markers and 40-50 people in the pool. Gets you used to spotting and they do drills to get you used to bumping into people. What I have been told by several people was focus most on the bike since that will be where you save the most time. 1/4mph faster over 55 or 110 miles is a lot of time.

My wife and I are doing our first sprint triathlon in May. After all the money we spent I am going to do a few more and may try a half Ironman later this year. I have always been a sprinter and weight lifter so it is taken some getting used to.

I focus on my strength, which is the bike. A "bad" swim can be made up a lot better than a "bad" bike or run, especially in the "sprint" distances. Good for you! You might want to try an Olympic distance before a 1/2 Iron. My God...going from a 300 meter swim to a 1.25 mile swim is huge, not to mention a 56 mile bike ride (from a 13) and a 13 mile run (from a 3 mile). A 300 meter swim is a warm up for the bike, whereas after I swim my mile, I can't imagine a 56 mile ride followed by 13 mile run.

[tribaltalon]

yeah.. most people dont go from doing a sprint triathlon for the first time to doing a half iron in the same year. I did, but i had swum, biked and run competitively in the past, just never all together. the half iron blew me out, more the training then the actual race. swimming 2000 meters every day and then riding 60-70 miles on a bike and fitting in getting a 15 mile run in several times a week is pretty damn hard, unless you're unemployed, single, without kids, etc. I did fine in swim, transition, bike, but going from the bike to run was where the wheels came off. i'd never actually tried to run any sort of distance after biking 56 miles. i had to walk several miles before my hips and knees felt ok enough to jog.

[Strychnine]

I did fine in swim, transition, bike, but going from the bike to run was where the wheels came off. i'd never actually tried to run any sort of distance after biking 56 miles. i had to walk several miles before my hips and knees felt ok enough to jog.

Enter: the brick workout...

[no4njnk]

Yup, and GPS watch. When you get off the bike your legs feel like jello and during the beginning part of the run you feel like you are not going anywhere. I need to find time to do another tri