Do I need a road bike?
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Hi EN peeps:
I need some help in deciding if I should buy a road bike. I only have tri bikes (one for the trainer and one I use for racing). The only reason I resisted in buying a road bike for so long is I wanted to focus on riding a tri bike (being new to riding). That being said, the reasons for buying a road bike now are: 1) I moved to NYC and a tri bike is not the best for navigating in these parts, not to mention the pot holes and bad roads; 2) Several people have told me that riding a road bike will make me a better and stronger cyclist, and 3) I want to be a better cyclist.
My only hesitation is that I'm concerned that riding a road bike will make me not as comfortable on my tri bike and may impact my race day performance. That being said, I am doing my 5th IM this year and except for my first tri season, I have only ridden exclusively on tri bikes. I am not experienced enough to know if a road bike will improve my bike performance and handling.
Any thoughts or comments are appreciated.
Thank you.
Joanna
IM MOO 2010
Comments
What a road bike will allow you to do is ride with a group which will help you become a better cyclist. I find riding with a group of roadies pretty fun and makes you work hard. You will find most people here ride road bikes during the beginning of the season and then switch to there tri bikes. You would want to be mostly on your tri bike during your race prep.
Finally- one of the best things I did was buy a road bike. It gives me more opportunities to ride with the roadies and that alone really makes me stronger. If you can afford it, I recommend getting one.
My motto- a gal can NEVER have too many shoes or bikes!!
I own 2 tri bikes and one road bike (Trek Madone 6.9). I plan on following the EN guidance and shifting to the tri bikes when I come out of the OS. But for now, it's mostly the road bike. I drove up to GA this weekend to ride the Azalea Century (yes, I know it's a leeeetle longer than the scheduled OS ride). I don't do many group rides other than organized centuries and it's definitely safer with a road bike. I trust ME on a tri-bike in a group but not others, and I'm sure most feel the same way. Fortunately, this weekend only one guy going the whole way showed up on a tri bike and the peloton dropped him about halfway. The road bike is just more responsive for this type of riding. And trust me, it was work! We had about 25 in the peloton at about 30 miles, and 9 at the end. The rest got spit out the back ... not always fun when you are pulling and sometimes even drafting depending on the strength of the person pulling.
Joanna
Make sure you post pictures when you do get it.
Good Luck
Having two bikes (road and tri) gives you much more training flexibility. While a road bike isn't necessary to ride with roadies, it does allow you blend in and be inviso. If you show up to a roadie ride on a tri bike you are instantly marked as a poor bike handler and general Fred until you prove otherwise.
A good friend of mine owns a bike rental biz. He says there are tons of good deals on used bikes to be had out there. I'd check that out first.
I love that I have two different ones.
I love the names of your bikes! I didn't even think of giving them female names. I've given my first two road bikes to my sons. First road bike was PIG...due to weight (KHS Flite 500 alloy bike). Second was FALCON (Cannondale Synapse). Current roadie is BLAZE (Trek Madone). My tri bikes are BLACK BEAUTY and DRAGON FIRE. I think Natasha is a badass name.
My sentiments exactly!
So, Joanne, what road bike are you going to get?!
It took me almost 40 weeks just to name my daughter so needless to say I have not come up with names for any of the bikes other... red, black, race bike, fixie, etc.