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not about running, but biking (Read 761 times)

    alright, so i wanna get a road bike so i can do some triathlons this summer, plus its fun, so if anyone knows any good road bike companies, your input would be greatly appreciated -Holland

    "Our workouts are longer than our shorts" SHS XC 2008

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    rectumdamnnearkilledem

      My hubby LOVES his Specialized Roubaix Pro (all carbon frame), but I don't know how appropriate it would be for a tri. I think it's considered a touring bike, more than a racer. He has done some 100 mile rides on it. If you want I can get you in touch with him. Otherwise maybe someone at a higher-end bike shop or running specialty store could give you some help. k

      Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

      remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

           ~ Sarah Kay

        This is a big question. A few follow-up questions: - How much are you willing to spend? If it's under $600-700 or so, you might be better off looking for something used. - Do you have any bikes right now? - Do you definitely want a tri bike? If you don't have a road bike, you might just want to get a road bike and put aero bars on it for tris. - Are you just going to be using the bike for road riding, or are you going to commute to work and run errands and such on it? The MOST MOST MOST important thing is you buy a bike that fits you. Don't be overly tempted by discounts, pretty colors, brand names, etc. (I have a lot of bikes and used to work in a pretty high-end bike shop.)
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        rectumdamnnearkilledem

          The MOST MOST MOST important thing is you buy a bike that fits you. Don't be overly tempted by discounts, pretty colors, brand names, etc. (I have a lot of bikes and used to work in a pretty high-end bike shop.)
          That's a good point, just like with running shoes! When my hubby bought his bike he went to a really good store about an hour away. They did a bunch of computerized fit tests and they really knew what they were doing--he couldn't be happier.

          Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

          remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

               ~ Sarah Kay

            This is a big question. A few follow-up questions: - How much are you willing to spend? If it's under $600-700 or so, you might be better off looking for something used. - Do you have any bikes right now? - Do you definitely want a tri bike? If you don't have a road bike, you might just want to get a road bike and put aero bars on it for tris. - Are you just going to be using the bike for road riding, or are you going to commute to work and run errands and such on it? The MOST MOST MOST important thing is you buy a bike that fits you. Don't be overly tempted by discounts, pretty colors, brand names, etc. (I have a lot of bikes and used to work in a pretty high-end bike shop.)
            alright well starting with cost, i looked the other day and seeing as its the holiday season, i saw a couple bikes in the 400-1500$ range, which is perfectly fine with me no i do not have any experience with a lot of biking, i have just done it time to time with the tri bike road bike thing, i dont really know the difference yet seeing as im definately a rookie to the biking world, im assuming its the same way with running, that ill pick up pointers as i get more and more into it, so getting a road bike and switching handle bars is probably a good idea and yes, i would only be using the bike for road riding, maybe to a friends house or down to the store, but mostly itd be out on a route and just aorund, then back to my house lastly i agree with the picking a bike for me, like with running shoes, ive come accustomed to cushioned shoes, so i know that shoes arent just shoes, and that bikes arent just bikes last thing, what is the difference between a road bikes handle bars and a tri bikes handle bars, or even the difference between a road bike and a tri bike thanks for the help

            "Our workouts are longer than our shorts" SHS XC 2008

              Hm, okay. The first thing I would do is go to one or a few reputable local bike shops and just start test riding bikes and talking to the employees. Hopefully you can manage this as it looks like you're in New England and there might be snow on the ground... riding a bunch of different bikes will give you a feel for different frame materials and constructions and just what generally feels comfortable to you. A good bike shop employee will help you with a bike just like a good running store employee can help you with shoes. The main difference between a road bike and a tri bike is the positioning - the tri bike will put you much farther forward, where a road bike tends to put you in a more neutral riding position (you'll likely be sitting back more and be a little more upright). Tri bikes come with aerobars on them - if you look at pictures of triathletes, you'll see them crouched with their forearms horizontally resting on the aerobars. You can get separate aerobars and just clip them onto road bike handlebars. You can definitely do a triathlon without any aerobars and just on your road bike. I would tell the employee you'd like to get a road bike, but make sure you let him/her know you're thinking of doing tris. Also make sure you save enough cash to budget for a helmet, and possibly other things like padded shorts, gloves, a tire pump and some spare tubes, and maybe bike shoes. I'm just sort of writing off the top of my head (slow Friday at work), so once you start looking and have some more specific questions I'll be glad to help answer.
              JakeKnight


                Sistinas: Since we have a bike-xpert here, how about a simple, short answer to something? (Yes, I know how ironic that sounds coming from me. Hush.) If I want to get into trying Tris ... what's the minimum I could spend on decent equipment? As in everything, bike, those pedal-shoe-thingies, helmet, whatever. And I mean minimum, as in bottom of the line, just barely decent. Thanks in advance.

                E-mail: eric.fuller.mail@gmail.com
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                  If I want to get into trying Tris ... what's the minimum I could spend on decent equipment? As in everything, bike, those pedal-shoe-thingies, helmet, whatever. And I mean minimum, as in bottom of the line, just barely decent.
                  A bottom-of-the-line but definitely decent NEW road bike will run you about $550-600, though maybe less on sale or closeout. It is certainly possible to find a used bike with a better frame and parts on Ebay or craigslist or bike classified sites for (sometimes much) less, though. Helmet - $20 for a pretty heavy one, $35-50-ish for something reasonably nice. Don't go anywhere without one. Random extra necessary things like a spare tube, tire levers, a pump, a bag to put things in, etc will probably be about $35. Shoes - $60-ish. If you have to buy pedals too (not all bikes come with them), about $40. Your ass will want bike shorts. They run about $30-40. You might want gloves too and those are like $15ish. You can get most of this stuff on sale from various internet sites for like 50% off the prices I listed if you know what you're looking for. If you decide to make the plunge let me know and I'll tell you where some good shopping can be had! Bikes are the most expensive parts of triathlons - a lot of people will do their first on a borrowed bike or an old mountain bike or something along those lines. Man I tried to keep it short, I really did. ps. most male triathletes seem to shave their legs.
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                  rectumdamnnearkilledem

                    ps. most male triathletes seem to shave their legs.
                    My hubby just does really long rides at a good clip and he shaves his legs because the fast-moving air really annoys him as it would fluff through his leg hairs. The guy has some seriously shapely gams (and, yes, I AM jealous...queen of the cankles). I keep trying to get him to go in drag for Halloween, but he refuses. Hell, I'd just like to see him wearing a kilt. Guys in kilts are hot. Speaking of catalogs, we get Nashbar and Performance Bike. They seem to have some really excellent deals on stuff quite often. k

                    Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                    remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                         ~ Sarah Kay

                      what's the minimum I could spend on decent equipment?
                      I was very patient over the past several months and here's how I made out: First up, you have to know what size bike you need... saving money means nothing if the bike doesn't fit... There are plenty of options on Ebay... but I focused more on Craiglist .. less choices, but all local choices. In the end, I got a 10 year old Cannondale R600 -- ten years ago it was $1000, the same vintage goes for $300-350 on Ebay... I paid $125. It also came with LOOK pedals (worth $75). Shoes, gloves, helmet, etc... ran me $250. Took the bike to the shop for a tune-up, new brake cables, pads and chain.: $100 In the end, I've got a great setup with a bike that's under 20 lbs and everything I needed for less than $500 But patience was the key.... nearly drove me nuts many many times... and there were many bikes that were *almost* right. *** Look on ebay, craigslist over the winter... many cyclists can't handle the boredom of training indoors.***

                      Go to http://certainintelligence.blogspot.com for my blog.