Road Bike or Tri Bike

sbrnewbie

I'm a newbie on a budget.  Right now I'm riding on my old 1992 Schwann CrossCut.  I'm saving up for a new bike, but I don't know what kind of bike to buy.  I'm looking at Tri bikes and at road bikes.  But there are so many choices!

My goals are two Sprints and an Olympic this summer, a 70.3 next summer.  Then maybe, just maybe, an Ironman in 2018.  I want something that's going to grow with me, but that doesn't cost $7,500.  Maybe around $2,000-$2,500?

I know this is probably well-trod territory, but any advice would be welcome.

Paul Hough

Having dumped thousands on bikes, I have come full circle and think that you can capture most of the aero benefits with the following: 1) road bike with Red Shift seatpost and clip-ons, 2) top notch front wheel, 3) aero helmet and 4) decent rear wheel with disc cover.

An aero road bike can now provide a lot of the benefits of both types of bikes but if it has an integrated seat post (most certainly will) then it could not accept a Red Shift seat post which allows you to change on the fly while biking. Or you could just get a road bike with a reversible seat post and flip it for your triathlons so that you are in the correct position. Whatever you do, if you aren't in the aero bars then it really doesn't matter. Your position is what drives drag.

JeremyBehler

Welcome Howard!

You have a fun situation. Coming from a '92 CrossCut you will see a huge technological improvement even well below your budget.

I think you need to ask yourself the question of what type of riding you will be doing and want to do. If you want to participate in group/social rides you would want a road bike but if you will be focusing on and training for triathlon solely you definitely want to go for a triathlon bike.

You could do a road bike with aerobars which for a sprint or even Olympic is doable but once you get up to long course (70.3 and IM) you will most certainly want a triathlon specific bike.

At $2-2.5 you have plenty of options. My recommendation would be to look for a good, used bike that has (or gives you room in the budget to buy) a powermeter. The powermeter will be key to getting the most from your training. I've had very good luck on eBay. If you are patient for the right bike and price you can get great value.

Here are a few examples that fall well within your budget

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Trek-Speed-Concept-TT-Triathlon-Bike-with-Stages-Power-Meter-UPGRADES-/281957909990?hash=item41a60045e6:g:nsYAAOSwAuNW3f2b

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Specialized-Transition-S-Works-Triathlon-Bike-Stages-Power-Sz-Medium-/131770800754?hash=item1eae26da72:g:JB0AAOSwGOxXAVm9

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Felt-DA4-Bike-56cm-Bontrager-Aeolus-Wheels-Quarq-Power-Meter-Di2-Components-/191835780784?hash=item2caa4db6b0:g:5h8AAOSwzvlW9sNe

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cervelo-2006-P3C-Carbon-54cm-Triathlon-TT-Bike-/182112686438?hash=item2a66c31166:g:xv0AAOSwAvJXCSsW

rlh2000

It can definitely be done on a road bike- I bought a Trek 2.1 for a bit over $1k back in 2009 and that bike with clip on aerobats got me through a few 70.3s and my first Ironman. I did upgrade to a Cervelo P2 in 2014 and love it! Based on your budget I'd vote for Jeremy's option of a good used tri bike with powermeter.

KyleK

Hi Howard. I would for sure defer to the above more seasoned athletes, but wanted to give you my experience from last year (learn from my mistakes!) I was in your (somewhat) situation last spring, having decided to do some triathlons and start training. But, differently, I had never even ridden a road bike or TT bike. So, did my research at first and decided to buy a new Specialized Tarmac Sport. My rationale was that I was new to triathlon, TT bikes seemed more expensive, and was hoping to find others to ride with.

So, I ended up loving road riding, training and the bike. But, I never found that group of riders I was hoping for. Then, I did my first triathlon and loved it! I also could not help to notice that at that first race that the majority of podium finishers had a nice TT bike (podium may not be your goal, but it was mine). Knowing that I was training on my own most of the time (btw, you can for sure ride a TT bike with a few others around), and getting the triathlon bug (ended up doing 3 sprints, 1 Olympic and a 70.3 last year), I ended up buying a Cervelo P3 (with power meter) 2 months later.

The good news is that I have 2 bikes I really enjoy, the bad news is that for my purposes, I could have saved lots of coin just going with the TT bike first (especially since my goals seem like that of your currently).

In sum, I think the used TT bike with power meter is a great suggestion given your above situation.

Chris Ciannella

I was in your position when I started and I bought a road bike. 2 years later I bought a tri bike. My road bike is pretty much idle (winter) or on my trainer (summer). The only regret I have is spending $2k on a road bike that I basically use on my trainer. I love the flexibilty that affords me, but I didn't need to spend $2k for a bike that sits on a trainer either.

If you go with a road bike, no need to go all out. If you love the sport and want to cotinue, get a tri bike. If you find out that you only do tri's for a year or 2, you have a road bike

Scott Giljum

Like many, I was in your shoes not long ago. I did ride socially, and decided to go with a road bike. After I truly caught the bug, I ended up buying a tri bike. Now when I ride, I will use my roadie for most of the year, and the tri bike for about 3 months leading up to my race. If I could only have one of them, I would probably want the roadie because it is a more enjoyable ride and I can use it for more events and the like. If you are the typical type A though, like most folks here, riding for fun won't cut it and you will start looking for any advantage you can get, which leads you to the tri bike. If you think you want to do this for a few years (it sounds like it) and you know deep down you are going to want to compete on some level, I would say tri bike. And you can find some good ones in your budget. Shop around and see what fits you the best. Good luck!

Nemo Brauch

This is one of those areas where the right answer for each person is pretty individual.

You are starting from a hybrid/commuter type bike. That's exactly how I started, doing my first few races (sprint and oly) on an old steel hybrid. I jumped from that to an aluminum low end TT bike. The change was pretty significant. I remember feeling like the TT bike was "twitchy" compared to the big heavy hybrid. But it wasn't long before I wanted a road bike because I started riding with other "roadies" and the TT just isn't as safe in group rides. Plus- the road bike is a lot easier to handle. If I had it to do over again, I'd go from the hybrid to the road bike first for the first few races. Then after I've got some skills and experience I'd add the TT bike. As you know, the right # of bikes is N+1. Right now I have 3 bikes, the TT gets used exclusively during tri training season and then it gets stuck on the trainer in winter and I ride the cyclocross and road bike all winter long.

John Withrow

I vote Tri bike. I have a bunch of bikes, but if I could only have 1 it would be a tri bike. I spend a ton more time on it than on my road bike and frankly, I'm more comfortable on my tri bike. I do occasional group rides with my local bike shop and it's really with a triathlon club, so about half of the people are on tri bikes and the other half are on road bikes. Tri bikes are more "twitchy", but if that's the only bike you ride, it will just feel "normal" for you. I also suggest the eBay route. I've helped dozens of people buy bikes on eBay with tons of success. You can get a sick bike for $2k. And I agree that for that $2,000-2,500 range, you can get a great bike AND a Powermeter. The main difference between a couple yr old used bike and a brand new one is the paint job. They depreciate a LOT faster than cars which is why you can get a couple yr old one for half the price of a new one. But it's generally just the price that depreciates, but if it's a well maintained bike, it will be great for 5+ yrs (as you know with your current bike).

How tall are you? Do you have normal proportions? What is your timeframe. Generally on eBay, you can get a really good deal or get a bike quickly. It's rare that you get both.