All you bike people
 

hi diddely ho there neighbors, lookout has decided to tackle another hobby. or die tri-ing. *groan* Here's the deal, after a few years goading a couple of people have suckered me into the idea of triathlons. I'm going to give it a whirl in a sprint event in a few months. I've got my training plan in place and all that good stuff. What I don't have is a bike. I've got a regular crappy rider that is doing fine, but I'll need something better before I get to the starting line.

I don't know if I'll survive to ever do this again so I don't want to drop a ton of money on the top of the line gear but I also don't want to buy crap that won't make it up the first hill.

I went to the cycle shop here and after meeting the owner I said, "I need a road bike, I'm going to ride in XYZ race on the eleventy third of june. I have money to buy right now, but I know nothing about bikes. What can you tell me?" He sneered and replied, "what do you want a history of bikes?"

basically he told me he wouldn't give me the time of day even to tell me the differences between his $700 bikes and his $8000 bikes. So screw him. That's what the cellar is for, right?

I'm 5'8" and 150 lbs and I know size is important but I'm not going to drop $200 on a professional fitting when the assholes won't even tell me about the bikes first. What equipment do I need? What equipment is just nice to have? What equipment can I do without now, knowing that if I stick with cycling I'll upgrade/buy later?

I've read about Dawes bikes on some reviews and I know you can pick them up for a song on ebay because they are essentially mass produced knockoffs with cheaper components. I don't know the benefits of a shimano 105 v tiagra v ultegra but I know I need something. So what do I need?

I'm a complete novice. help.

Damn, LO...try another bike shop, one that wants to sell you a bike.

I am more of a mountain bike guy. I can't tell you much other than to be truely competitive in that kind of race you will eventually spend between $1000 and $2000. A co-worker who did his first one said that he felt like a third grader competing against high school students when they wizzed past him on their super light bikes, which is pretty much where I am going with this. The lighter the bike the faster you will go. So you need a super light (weight) bike to compete. Otherwise have fun and good luck on your endevor.

Oh, hell. Compete isn't even a goal, Complete is what I'm more worried about. If the bug takes hold then I'll worry about being able to keep up with these guys. Right now its just kind of an ego thing to see if I can do it.

complete? under your own steam or on a gurney? if A, then see the doctor first.

Why.

I know a tiny bit about mountain bikes, but that doesn't apply to triathalon / racing bikes.
But... what Pico said. In this economic situation, if you walk into a shop and say I have cash to spend, tell me about your bikes, you can reasonably expect damn good service, not snobbery. I hope that fool is on commission.

I cannot understand why anyone would want to do triathalions, though, but good luck.

Thanks. I'm not sure why anyone would want to do it either. I just want to know if I can do it. I may train and fail, but then at least I'll know. I don't have any problem seeing other people and knowing they are better than I am at some activity or skill, it just bugs me when I admire their skill and don't know if I have what it takes to do it.

Anyway, I picked up a Diamondback carbon fiber racing bike with ultegra components which from what I gather is good quality entry level stuff that will hold up under some racing. I spent more than I wanted but I also know if I stick with it I won't have much to upgrade for the next few years.

Today I woke up and had a very enjoyable 10 mile ride and was amazed to find I'd barely broken a sweat while averaging 85 RPM throughout the ride. It felt good even though it was a short distance.

The next major hurtle is I know my swim technique is inadequate to the challenge so I'll be taking some lessons this summer. or drown trying.

I have heard that triathalons are good for people who think they don't have enough suffereing in their lives. Suffer away!


There's a universal sufferage joke to be made here, but I doubt it would be funny.

I have a friend who decided to get into shape in her early 40's by training for a triathlon. She trained for a year and completed just fine.

I don't know what she rode, though. I think your best bet is to go to a meet and see what other folks are riding.

Well shit! I totally missed your original post, I apologise for not replying. Got any pics of your new toy pretty please?? Here is the bike and trainer I bought in '04. I didn't feel the need to buy a "Tri" bike right out of the gate for multiple reasons, although they are purrrrdy. To be perfectly frank, unless you are an elite athlete, the few oz. you save with this frame or that disc wheel aren't worth the $$ IMHO. There are other things that I definately would recommend because they actually do make a difference. I would be happy to share my :2cents: whenever I notice a post. :o

I belong to a tri club that includes people who are doing their very first sprint, to those who have completed multiple Ironman Tri's (including Hawaii!!) and other ultradistance events, so I have a wealth of knowledge I can tap for pretty much any question or concern. Most of them are happy to share their experience. I would recommend the same if you can find a club in your area. I would assume there are multiple ones considering your outdoor sport season is pretty much all year long as opposed to here. :)

I'm not a total tri-newb, but I'm not a "contender" either. (What I call someone who regularly places in their age group or is an overall top place finisher and is generally more competative about this sport than I am) I do finish in the top half of my age group though, (occasionally just out of awards) and am always competing against myself for Personal Bests.

Here's my thread where I have posted about my adventures in the sport of triathlon, we can chat there if you want. Here is the first tri I am doing this year, it's also in June. I haven't decided which others I am doing yet, but I am going to do at least one more later this year.

Train safe!!

Today's paper...

HA!!! Here is an exerpt from an email I sent to a friend telling them about the swim portion of my first tri:

LOL. That makes sense. When you're 1400 meters from shore and your body is tired, your breathing is getting harder, and the panic starts to set in... I can see the heart doing some funky things.

You have to make sure your brain stays in charge, not the adrenaline. The objective is to finish.

Yep. or so I've heard. It's going to be difficult though. I have a hard enough time deciding which of my two heads is in charge, so adding a third component may be tough.