Triathlon Bike

Author
Discussion

bigweb

Original Poster:

827 posts

230 months

Sunday 28th March 2010
quotequote all
I have decided to do a triathlon with a couple of friends in September. I have been training in the gym for a little while and now need to get out of the gym and outside. I don't really know anything about bikes or triathlons at all but trying to learn. I have been offered a bike which seems like a good deal by a friend but I'm not even sure its the right type of bike?

http://www.boardmanbikes.com/hybrid/hybrid_comp.ht...

Is it worth buying for £200? its in really good condition. and doesn't even seem used. or is this completely the wrong bike to be looking at.

Im not sure if I will ever do a triathlon so don't wanna spend a massive amount on something which will just end up in my parent garage!

anonymous-user

56 months

Sunday 28th March 2010
quotequote all
bigweb said:
I have decided to do a triathlon with a couple of friends in September. I have been training in the gym for a little while and now need to get out of the gym and outside. I don't really know anything about bikes or triathlons at all but trying to learn. I have been offered a bike which seems like a good deal by a friend but I'm not even sure its the right type of bike?

http://www.boardmanbikes.com/hybrid/hybrid_comp.ht...

Is it worth buying for £200? its in really good condition. and doesn't even seem used. or is this completely the wrong bike to be looking at.

Im not sure if I will ever do a triathlon so don't wanna spend a massive amount on something which will just end up in my parent garage!
there are two issues here really.

firstly for £200 the boardman hybrid comp is a steal, buy it. it will be great for general cycling, commuting etc

secondly, is it suitable for triathlons, well, no, not really but!........i have seen people ride far less suitable bikes and still perform well. primarily you will suffer from an inability to adopt much of an aero position and it will be a bit heavier than a dedicated tri bike but other than that, unless you are an ace runner and swimmer, the bike wont let you down too much and you should enjoy it. get the bike set up right to suit you and you should be ok. if you want get more involved you can spend up to £8k on a tri bike but a good drop bar bike and a set of aero bars can be found cheap second hand.

Randy Winkman

16,529 posts

191 months

Sunday 28th March 2010
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For your first Triathlon use whatever bike comes to hand that is the correct size and in a safe condition. Spending more money at this point is a waste.

cliff123

458 posts

244 months

Monday 29th March 2010
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As others have said, at this stage any bike will suffice. My first triathlon I used a mtb with slick tyres. Once you know you'll do it again you can spend money on bikes and equipment. With that said, buy that bike for £200. If you don't let me know the sellers details and I will. Enjoy it.

cliff123

458 posts

244 months

Monday 29th March 2010
quotequote all
As others have said, at this stage any bike will suffice. My first triathlon I used a mtb with slick tyres. Once you know you'll do it again you can spend money on bikes and equipment. With that said, buy that bike for £200. If you don't let me know the sellers details and I will. Enjoy it.

bigweb

Original Poster:

827 posts

230 months

Monday 29th March 2010
quotequote all
Bought It! Pick it up tomorrow. Really looking forward to it. I will report back. What other kit do I need to cycle on the road?

Nick_F

10,154 posts

248 months

Monday 29th March 2010
quotequote all
Helmet - not a legal requirement, but you won't find an event anywhere that will let you race without one, so you may as well get used to it in your training.
Gloves - Hnads more comfy on long rides, warmer, and a little less scraped if you fall off.
Shorts - Decent quality bib shorts - don't need a tight waistband to hold them up - are worth their weight in gold.

Pump, puncture repair kit, multi tool and you're away.

dubbs

1,588 posts

286 months

Tuesday 30th March 2010
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Aero bars help once you're quicker but for now a decent aero position can be obatined by a correct bike fitting and how you position yourself on the bike.

Main things are ensuring it's in good fettle, everything is running silky smooth and you're running clipless pedals (spd-sl or similar)

From their the BIGGEST advantage you can get is get miles under your wheels - no substitute for miles... smile

Enjoy, and if you have any tri related questions feel free to throw them up in here as there's a couple of us pretending to be athletes around here... wink

bigweb

Original Poster:

827 posts

230 months

Tuesday 30th March 2010
quotequote all
Picked up the bike today. It's excellent. Looks cool too! Im quite well on with my swimming in the pool. Im aware that open water will be different. Been doing all my cycling on the exercise bike up until now but will get outside as soon as the weather permits. Im really struggling with the running though. Cant run more than 2.5k without my lower back on my left side aching. Im not sure what this is.
Its not my weight as I am 6'1" and about 88kg (around 14 stone) but weight train 4 times a week and not got a lot of fat at all on me.
I used to be a pretty good runner until I stopped about 6 years ago 10K in about 42mins. I much lighter then though.
Any ideas on what could be wrong with my back?
Any good training regimes?
Am I doing too many weights?

Thanks

dubbs

1,588 posts

286 months

Tuesday 30th March 2010
quotequote all
Could be a number of things - you need to really see someone who can assess.

Many people get injuries like that through biomechanical imbalance and need to exercise certain muscles to regain a balance.

For example I have issues with my right ITB (it's quite common) but mine is due to alignment which in turn is down to undeveloped muscles in the glutes not supporting the hips properly when running.

It can be simple or complex - so I'd say ignore anyone on hear and invest in a visit to a sports injury/physio and get a proper look asap - sooner you're on a professional recovery/development/treatment the faster you can develop the base stamina you need before you start building on speed.

anonymous-user

56 months

Wednesday 31st March 2010
quotequote all
dubbs said:
Could be a number of things - you need to really see someone who can assess.

Many people get injuries like that through biomechanical imbalance and need to exercise certain muscles to regain a balance.

For example I have issues with my right ITB (it's quite common) but mine is due to alignment which in turn is down to undeveloped muscles in the glutes not supporting the hips properly when running.

It can be simple or complex - so I'd say ignore anyone on hear and invest in a visit to a sports injury/physio and get a proper look asap - sooner you're on a professional recovery/development/treatment the faster you can develop the base stamina you need before you start building on speed.
echo this, although we are, as group, pretty damn good at spending money we dont have on bikes, we are not doctors...

you should be near a local tri club with qualified coaches who can help assess all your techniques and they will be far cheaper than private consultants