Triathlon bike - beginner, recommend me £600 budget

[Merp]

As the title says really.
I'm taking up triathlons this year, from a swimming background at a national level.
I've done a few running events last year but want to compete again. The only problem is I only have a gym bike to train on which is about as running on a tredmill.

Anyway....
I will be racing sprint triathlons so about 20km cycle leg.
For that money I know I will be second hand and not top quality, but what should I look for when searching??
Or does anyone have an old bike for sale (ahem)

[anonymous-user]

in terms of new bikes, you just cant go wrong with a boardman comp, very popular on the tri scene (no doubt thanks to one A.Brownlee!). the b'twin range is well reviewed in the mags too and have a look at orbea.

secondhand, try places like timetriallingforum or the usual tri websites tri247 and 220triathlon etc as you will most likely get a good bike already fitted with aero bars etc, a valuable piece of kit and quite expensive! dont be drawn in by groupset model, go for the bike with the best wheels you can find. you can also "make do" with regular pedals and toe clips rather than spd type clips and shoes, saves cash and a few seconds in transition!

good luck, my first tri will be swanage this year after a few seasons of duathlons....

[sjg]

Default new choice at that price seems to the Specialized Allez - a mate bought one about 6 months ago and they're great bikes for the money, you can see the trickle-down effect from the pricier bikes as they're now all hydroformed tubes, not "budget" looking at all. Pretty light too.

Don't worry about getting tri bars and stuff just yet - if you're not used to road bikes just get the miles in to start with and adjust to the more stretched-out riding position.

[whirlybird]

Hi, go to ebay, and type in Vanquish, Tri/TT Bike, you may be suprised !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well under your budget I build them.

[Parsnip]

sjg said:

Don't worry about getting tri bars and stuff just yet - if you're not used to road bikes just get the miles in to start with and adjust to the more stretched-out riding position.

Yup. This can't be stressed enough. Depending how much experience you have got with road bikes, it will be enough of a learning curve getting used to riding them, without throwing in the twitchyness and distance from the brakes that aerobars add.

If it is your only bike, you want a road bike, not a TT or tri bike.

pablo said:

you can also "make do" with regular pedals and toe clips rather than spd type clips and shoes, saves cash and a few seconds in transition!

Have to disagree - you will be putting your running shoes on with wet feet plus you will be bleeding time over the bike leg and you will be ruining your legs for the run - One of the single biggest and cheapest improvement you can make to a bike (especially if you need to run off of it) is to use proper shoes and clipless pedals.


What does your £600 have to cover - there are a lot of extras you will need - Helmet, shoes etc. Would definatley go second hand, ideally something with a tiagra groupset (Sora does the job, but is heavy, and the leap in quality to tiagra is huge) and bombproof wheels - frame isn't a big deal as long as it fits - something alloy with a carbon fork.

[Merp]

The 600 is all in but could stretch that to be just the biketo be honest. I've had a look at boardman on eBay but my lack of knowledge again does tell me alot. I was told that hiring bikes for a season and then buying it after is also a great choice?

I would be very grateful for some links to stuff in my price range, I'm 6ft if that matters, quite long legs 34" and obviously shaped like an upside down triangle (10 years of swimming through my teens means I can never find shirts that fit either) weigh about 13.5 stone but want to get down to 12ish ideally lose some muscle mass and a bit more lean (plus the extra Christmas pounds ha)

eta: like this for instance
http://wap.ebay.co.uk/Pages/ViewItem.aspx?aid=1704...
any good??

Edited by Merp on Monday 4th January 23:15

[dubbs]

Toe clips? Not going for SPD or similar - bah! SPD is a real benefit through the pedal stroke - don't worry about having shoes ready clipped in as that's difficult to get used to and easy to f** up (trust me on that, I've never done a tri with them clipped in ready for me as my practice proved painfully I can't get the hang of it!!)

Specialized Allez has served me well on a couple of triathlons, it's now my commuter and I'm getting something better this year.

I'd recommend the Allez as it's not too "tourer" i.e, your in a relatively compact position. It's not light but is a one of the more racy geometries at the price

At sprint distance you're not on the bike long so comfort isn't the most important thing.... keeping drag down, good position, max efficiency from pedalstroke and being able to refuel effectively are key. SAying that I can and have used the Allez on London to Brighton and it's comfy enough for that too.

To this end I'd say get the allez, get a double NOT a triple, get SPDs (SPD SLs preferrably but they are trickier to get used to) and get out and ride it for a bit to get used to it.

Then a few months before the first Tri get a set of Profile tribars and get familiar with getting on/off them - the trick is to be able to STAY on them as they provide a decent benefit if you can get yourself used to the position and how to ride a very twitchy bike with them When you're not using them they can unbolt and you have great bike for pure cycling too.

[sjg]

Boardman Team is a fine bike (they're about £800 new now) but 53cm frame will be too small for you.

And while 20k isn't far, and comfort doesn't matter much during the race itself (you won't be on the bike for more than 40 mins or so), a good time means lots of hours on the bike between now and then. This means getting a road bike that both fits you properly but is also comfortable for you to use for longer training rides - you won't just be doing 20k at a time.

So either find someone local and knowledgeable who'll be able to check out bikes for you, or if you don't know anyone, may be worth joining a tri club. The benefit of buying new is that if you go to a decent bike shop they'll be willing to do all the measurements, get the frame size right and adjust (change if necessary) parts like the stem so that the bike fits you. An ill-fitting bike will at best mean you want to change it sooner than you'd otherwise need, at worst it'll put you off riding at all.

Bear in mind triathlon attracts kit-fetishists and companies that love to sell it to them so keep some perspective on what you "need". Once you've done a few events you'll get a better feel for what you might buy to save some time.

[dubbs]

Yep - didn't mean an ill-fitting bike... just that the more aggressive geometry shouldn't put him off. For some it does as it obviously restricts the torso somewhat which makes it a little harder for breathing. Getting something too laid back would work to his detriment too.

I was going to get a Trek TTX this year (amazing piece of kit) but have decided against it for a madone instead.

Actually.... thinking about it a Focus Triathlon bike or a Triandrun bike might get in budget....

Try this...

http://www.triandrun.com/bike/1260.html

or a comparable spec as we discussed them:

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/al...

[Merp]

Thanks for all your replies, appretiate it all thanks.

Ive been looking at Specialized Allez today, thanks to dubbs and also a couple of boardmans, i didnt realise these were available from halfords aswell [I thought they just sold cheap tosh]

Ive got a 10% off at evans aswell and currently looking into the 50% off cycle to work scheme... as my employer did bang an email out a few months back

[Nick_F]

Cycle-to-work should turn your £600 into £1,000.

[Merp]

Right,

Im going to go and have a look at one of the 2010 Allez Sport 18 this week, from the company below.
I can get 10% discount, our work isnt participating in the cycle scheme

http://www.pitsfordcycles.co.uk/acatalog/Allez.htm...

[Nick_F]

I have a 2004 or 5 Allez Sport as my training bike, rebuilt with a full 105 groupset, nice wheels and a carbon seatpost.



In a previous life it was used for two Ironman events and it rides very nicely - the Allez frames have only got better since.

My only reservation would be the Sora shifters - I don't like the thumb levers - but they work reasonably well.

[Merp]

Nick_F said:

I have a 2004 or 5 Allez Sport as my training bike, rebuilt with a full 105 groupset, nice wheels and a carbon seatpost.



In a previous life it was used for two Ironman events and it rides very nicely - the Allez frames have only got better since.

My only reservation would be the Sora shifters - I don't like the thumb levers - but they work reasonably well.

One of the fellow engineers said its a great bike for me personally, but anything with Shimano Sora to steer clear of, but then again his bike is a fair few grand so that understandable from his point of view.

58 frame i think. Well 57 apparently but only 56/58 available in this model so rather slightly larger than small i guess ahem

[Nick_F]

Try both and see: opting for the slightly smaller one may pay dividends if/when you want to fit tri-bars as you won't need to use an especially short stem and therefore won't end up with an especially twitchy bike.

[dubbs]

Mine is an Allez sport I think... came with Tiagra shifters and 105 rear mech.

I wouldn't worry too much about it coming with Sora... you can use that more than adequately for a season then upgrade the next year - Ultegra/105/whatever available cheap on the net.

Run the Allez through 2009 and at the end of the year get great new/boxed bargain for 2010 ultegra kit on ebay when the 2011 stuff is announced

[anonymous-user]

i dont see how spending £75 on clipless pedals and shoes is value for money wise on a £600 bike, nor do i believe that a beginner will truly see a benefit in their pedal stroke when its an off the peg bike and the same people are suggesting clipless pedals and shoes over tri bars? how much can clipless pedals and shoes help benefit their pedal stroke when nothing else is changed
the best thing i did to improve comfort and position was turn my seat post round and fit some cheap profile century bars. i would agree that due to the nature of a triathlon and the different way the legs are used, position is far more important than pedal stroke for a beginner, especially over short cycle distances.

using toe clips WILL save time in T1 and although i agree, you are putting wet feet into shoes but they should dry off pretty quickly and you dont need to faff around at T2. i seriously doubt a beginner will "bleed time" using toe clips to such an extent that its an issue, its not about the bike some bloke once said..... transistions are very stressful and anything that can reduce time in there for a beginner is a good thing. thats why i have yellow tyres on my bike, i can spot it a mile away and for me that helps reduce my stress.

the allez is ok, its not as good as the boardman comp in my humble opinion, but people seem to think that anything with specialized on is good, and anything from halfords is bad, fools... their ignorance and snobbery is other peoples gain. serioulsy, the guy is a beginner spending £600 on a bike all in, lets keep it in perspective, pedal strokes and worrying about time lost by using toe clips are probably not the real issues here.

you can hire wetsuits from loads of places but make sure its tri specific as they are tighter round the neck. all the mags will have adverts from the usual suspects in 2010. enjoy it!

[Nick_F]

pablo said:

i dont see how spending £75 on clipless pedals and shoes is value for money wise on a £600 bike, nor do i believe that a beginner will truly see a benefit in their pedal stroke when its an off the peg bike and the same people are suggesting clipless pedals and shoes over tri bars? how much can clipless pedals and shoes help benefit their pedal stroke when nothing else is changed
the best thing i did to improve comfort and position was turn my seat post round and fit some cheap profile century bars. i would agree that due to the nature of a triathlon and the different way the legs are used, position is far more important than pedal stroke for a beginner, especially over short cycle distances.

using toe clips WILL save time in T1 and although i agree, you are putting wet feet into shoes but they should dry off pretty quickly and you dont need to faff around at T2. i seriously doubt a beginner will "bleed time" using toe clips to such an extent that its an issue, its not about the bike some bloke once said..... transistions are very stressful and anything that can reduce time in there for a beginner is a good thing. thats why i have yellow tyres on my bike, i can spot it a mile away and for me that helps reduce my stress.

the allez is ok, its not as good as the boardman comp in my humble opinion, but people seem to think that anything with specialized on is good, and anything from halfords is bad, fools... their ignorance and snobbery is other peoples gain. serioulsy, the guy is a beginner spending £600 on a bike all in, lets keep it in perspective, pedal strokes and worrying about time lost by using toe clips are probably not the real issues here.

you can hire wetsuits from loads of places but make sure its tri specific as they are tighter round the neck. all the mags will have adverts from the usual suspects in 2010. enjoy it!

Hang on, are you really suggesting that doing all your riding in soft-soled trainers with toeclips is a price worth paying for the difference that tri-bars will make over 20km?

I'd suggest that going clipless will be of benefit for any and all riding and racing, while a set of clip-ons might be made redundant by the choice of handlebars on your next bike, or the rules of the next race - and is a much more complex purchase and set-up to get right for a beginner.

Boardman, though, is better value than Specialised or pretty well any of the mainstream brands.

Edited by Nick_F on Wednesday 6th January 19:20

Edited by Nick_F on Wednesday 6th January 19:29

[Merp]

So is a boardman comp xl 2010 worth the extra £100 at £650 over an allez 2010 sport double at £550

I did originally look at it but being over budget it disregarded it.

[Parsnip]

pablo said:

i dont see how spending £75 on clipless pedals and shoes is value for money wise on a £600 bike, nor do i believe that a beginner will truly see a benefit in their pedal stroke when its an off the peg bike and the same people are suggesting clipless pedals and shoes over tri bars? how much can clipless pedals and shoes help benefit their pedal stroke when nothing else is changed
the best thing i did to improve comfort and position was turn my seat post round and fit some cheap profile century bars. i would agree that due to the nature of a triathlon and the different way the legs are used, position is far more important than pedal stroke for a beginner, especially over short cycle distances.

using toe clips WILL save time in T1 and although i agree, you are putting wet feet into shoes but they should dry off pretty quickly and you dont need to faff around at T2. i seriously doubt a beginner will "bleed time" using toe clips to such an extent that its an issue, its not about the bike some bloke once said..... transistions are very stressful and anything that can reduce time in there for a beginner is a good thing. thats why i have yellow tyres on my bike, i can spot it a mile away and for me that helps reduce my stress.

Sorry, but that is nonsense. SPDs make a huge difference (arguably the biggest bang for your buck purchase you can make), far moreso than tri bars will - especially for a beginner, where bike handling is going to be a weak point.

I don't see how you will have a faster T1, you will be putting running shoes on when wet - which is much harder than putting cycling shoes on, and you will need to do up the straps. It will save you a bit as your are running to the bike mount line in running shoes, rather than bike ones, but that is nothing compared to the time you will lose on the bike leg - moreso if it is hilly.

It isn't just about the pedal stroke - cycling in rigid bike shoes vs. running shoes designed to flex? Are you joking that you don't see the where you will lose time here?

Wheeling the Lance quote out is a weak and stupid argument - I am faster on my 15lb race bike than my winter bike - for tris (and TTs moreso) sadly a lot of it _is_ about the bike. If you arent familiar with power, it is hard to quantify, but to do a 40k TT (oly tri bike leg) in an hour, on a road bike would take about 400 watts (which i could not come close to doing) On a full TT set up, it would take around 290 watts (which i could do with some left in the tank) It is easy to say it is not about the bike when you are riding the best bikes money can buy, but a hell of a lot harder when you aren't.