Triathlon bike - beginner, recommend me £600 budget

[Merp]

I may sound like a complete noob here but im not going to buy clip in pedals yet, will i look like a complete amateur buying plastic pedals just to get used to it?!

[Mr Gear]

Nah, just use what you want. You may even find flat pedals with old-fashioned clips work well with for a Triathlon so you don't need to change shoes in transition. Depends on how seriously you're taking it.

[dubbs]

Don't start the toe clips versus clipless transition debate again!!

[Merp]

Here she is:



Cheeky little ST shot.



I went on my first ride last night. Just wearing in the brakes and getting used to roadie gear changes,traffic.

I DEFINATELY need to buy the followed:

Padded shorts : Words cannot describe how my anus feels this morning
Toe strap pedals : so i can just slot my running trainers in
A water bottle cage.
Maybe a mini computer

But yeah great fun!
Some epic hills wear i live and shows my gym training since jan has got me on my way atleast!

[dubbs]

That's a great colourscheme as well Nerp - good choice!!

Find a cheap pair of SPD cleats and grab some shoes to start learning clipping in and out asap - forget all that toe clip non sense as it's really so so easy to be clippinbg in and out once oyu're practiced a little - most get it by the 2nd outing and you're away.

So much better than trying to faff with toe clips - I still know people that have got caught with their toe clips and fallen off so I don't believe they hold any real benefit at all.

SPD-SL, TIME or LOOK cleats will be better than SPD in terms of power transfer but I'd suggest SPD cleats will be very cheap to buy and are much easier to get used to before progressing on to something more race-oriented.

[Merp]

dubbs said:

That's a great colourscheme as well Nerp - good choice!!

Find a cheap pair of SPD cleats and grab some shoes to start learning clipping in and out asap - forget all that toe clip non sense as it's really so so easy to be clippinbg in and out once oyu're practiced a little - most get it by the 2nd outing and you're away.

So much better than trying to faff with toe clips - I still know people that have got caught with their toe clips and fallen off so I don't believe they hold any real benefit at all.

SPD-SL, TIME or LOOK cleats will be better than SPD in terms of power transfer but I'd suggest SPD cleats will be very cheap to buy and are much easier to get used to before progressing on to something more race-oriented.

Thanks!

Well the toe clips were more for the triathlon purposes so i can just wear one pair!
But might get some clip ins purely for rides / training and other cycle events

[Parsnip]

Don't waste your money on a pair of toe clips - once you have tried clipless pedals and shoes designed for cycling, you will never want to use flexy trainers again.

There is a reason top ITU (where fast transitions are super important) guys use clipless and not toe straps - using toe straps is no faster and WILL hurt your bike and run time.

[dubbs]

Tis true.... best thing to do in my experience, get in to cleats asap and then simply practice switching shoes from one to another... it's so fast that I guarantee you there's not a person in trainers that will be off realistically any quicker... If I stayed in my shoes from cycle to run I reckon there's no more than 6 seconds in it if you have velcro fasteners on the bike shoes and elastic laces on the running shoes.

When is your tri? and where abouts are you?

[Merp]

Okay thanks for the tips.
Im looking into some clip in shoes anyway.
Ive not entered anything just yet, have so much uni work to do at the moment its a struggle to fit in as much training as im currently doing.

I was going to enter the Duston Sprint Tri, as im based in Northampton.
Wouldnt mind doing a few cycle events though

[outnumbered]

Definitely a good idea to go for proper pedals. For example something like:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?Mod...

plus a pair of SPD shoes from the same site could be had for under £50. As others have said, it makes a huge difference- you will ride faster for the same effort and feel more comfortable too.

[anonymous-user]

outnumbered said:

Definitely a good idea to go for proper pedals. For example something like:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?Mod...

plus a pair of SPD shoes from the same site could be had for under £50. As others have said, it makes a huge difference- you will ride faster for the same effort and feel more comfortable too.

but as others have also said, certainly for shorter distances like a sprint triathlon, its a hassle and adds time in t1 and t2 and its hard to quantify the difference bewtween clipless or toe clips regarding someones pedalling stroke without some form of analysis...

swings and roundabouts. i am happy with clipless but i know the time i lose in transition is easily made up on the bike leg regardless of the distance.

[Rich_W]

Quick question regarding Time Trial bikes. The message people always say is that they are really difficult to ride. And newbies to cycling, or more specifically road bikes, would be better to get a regular road bike with aero bars instead of a full on TT bike.

Is that accurate? Or is it just a little bit of caution. I've been riding, jumping, crashing, wheelie-ing MTBs and BMX's for 20ish years now. Granted there's a massive difference in body position. But is it likely to be that much of an impossible difference? They point out that the brakes are not on the aero bars and that can be an issue in traffic (which I can see) But I can't imagine anybody rides the whole way to work just on the extensions, and self preservation might make a rider cover the brakes when the situation requires it. (Filtering etc)

I'm talking sub £1500 btw. I get that some of the Cervelo stuff is sexual though

[Nick_F]

More efficient, but much more set-up sensitive - and not ideal for riding in traffic as you can't be close to the gears and close to the brakes. You need good core strength and it takes a fair bit of practice to control a bike properly with your arms so close together and so much weight over the front wheel.

They are also generally more expensive than the equivalent specification roadbike.

With a relatively conservative position, though, you can ride one all day once you're used to it. I'm more comfortable on mine over long distances than I am on either road bike or MTB.

[Muzzlehatch]

Rich_W said:

Quick question regarding Time Trial bikes... would be better to get a regular road bike with aero bars instead of a full on TT bike.

Whilst fitting clip-on aerobars to a road bike will make you more aerodynamic, you will also be making a tighter hip angle between your torso and legs, resulting in less efficient pedalling action. Therefore you might actually be slower.

TT bikes have the seatpost further forwards, so that your hip angle does not contract like it does in the above scenario. But then TT bikes don't handle so well.

If you require, and have the resources and space to have separate Road and TT bikes, then you should really do it.

[Rich_W]

Cheers to the last 2 posters. That all makes sense to me

Further question, I guess you could potentially move the seat forward, move things around on a regular road bike that would get you a very TT esque position, but would compromise the road bike too much. Seems no cake and eat it here

Saw a Blue Triad and a Spec Transition comp today in a local shop. They just look so good. WANT WANT WANT!

[Nick_F]

Except at the far top end, where things like bespoke back brakes come in to play, TT/Tri bikes don't use any specialist bits except for the shifters: there's no reason not to buy a frame/forks/seatpost and build it up like anything else - using the parts from your existing roadie.

This is my Stealth:

with added Dura-Ace and carbon brake levers since I took the pic.

and this is the Giant OCR2 I had before it:


You can more or less duplicate the riding position on a road frame: Cervelo make a frame with a reversible seatpost for that specific purpose, but the weight distribution and aero are better with a TT/Tri frame.

[Muzzlehatch]

Rich_W said:

Further question, I guess you could potentially move the seat forward, move things around on a regular road bike that would get you a very TT esque position, but would compromise the road bike too much. Seems no cake and eat it here

Actually, you can, as Nick F mentioned, the S series. It's not a perfect TT bike, but does the job very well. You can get a decent second hand one for under a grand.

http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/reviews/CerveloS1...

Here's mine in Road setup:



And in TT setup (with Reynolds DV46 wheels and carbon pads, seatpost, saddle, minus bottle cages, plus aerobars):



It takes about 20 minutes to swap everything over, which is no problem. In fact, it's the nice kind of therapeutic "tinkering in the shed" that blokes like to do.

You can also do this with the Kestrel Talon, but the frame isn't quite as aero or light. Alternatively, just buy a forward seatpost, but this could make the bike handle in a scary way.

[Rich_W]

Cheers for the help guys