Road Bike or Tri Bike?

sammm

Hi there,

I'm taking part in my first Trithalon this summer (Olympic length London Tri), and probably also donig a few Dualthons leading up to this. After doing the Tri I'm going to be cycling from London to Paris in September.

So I'm obviously in need of a new bike (my Scott offroad bike isn't ideal for all this!) and the question I keep running into is "Do I get a road bike or a triathlon bike?". My budget isnt massive probably looking at £800 max.

Obviously a triathlon style bike is going to be the best for the racing events, but will it be suited to Lon-Paris ride (I'll probably need to attach some panniers, if thats possible!?). And is it worth getting a tri bike over a road bike for my budget, or will I not notice the difference? Should I just scan on ebay for a decent 2nd hand bike?

I haven't look much into road bikes, but for a tri bike the 2010 Fuji Ahola 2.0 (http://www.evanscycles.com/products/fuj ... e-ec022180) caught my eye.

Also I'm not a 100% sure on the size I should get (guessing this is best done by just going to a shop and trying), I'm 5ft10 and about 77kg.

Thanks
Sam

Lillywhite

sammm wrote:

I'm taking part in my first Trithalon this summer (Olympic length London Tri), and probably also donig a few Dualthons leading up to this. After doing the Tri I'm going to be cycling from London to Paris in September.

From what I've seen of these events the way they chuck their bikes about at the transition stage and the numerous crashes that occur you'll end up wrecking your bike in any event.

Suggest you re-direct your question to tri-athletes.

Pokerface

Road bike with tri bars. You won't be able to do London-Paris on a tri bike.

But you can set up a road bike to suit your tri needs.

MrTapir

Sounds like you will be doing some normal road riding afterwards so I would advise to get a normal road bike. You can always fit clip on tri bars and flip the stem over to get a lower position.

I can't imagine that london to paris on a triathlon bike would be very comfortable!

hammerite

Lillywhite wrote:

From what I've seen of these events the way they chuck their bikes about at the transition stage and the numerous crashes that occur you'll end up wrecking your bike in any event.

Suggest you re-direct your question to tri-athletes.

I know your reply is tongue in cheek, but what crashes have you seen during triathlon? In about 20 races I've only seen evidence of a couple of crashes and they've been down to weather/road conditions than any collisions (apart from person/tarmac collision!).

Agree with the others though Sammm, road bike with tri bars. A TT/Tri bike isn't very practical to any kind of group riding, carrying stuff, or even getting out and training on all year round.

nochekmate

Cervelo S1 to satisfy both needs as a road bike and TT - may just squeeze in at your £800 budget.

Lillywhite

hammerite wrote:

I know your reply is tongue in cheek, but what crashes have you seen during triathlon? In about 20 races I've only seen evidence of a couple of crashes and they've been down to weather/road conditions than any collisions (apart from person/tarmac collision!).

Only ever seen it on the television and I've witnessed some pretty good stack ups. It seems to me that, although usually strong on a bike, tri-athletes have poor handling skills and little knowledge/etiquette of riding in a bunch. Stories I hear from the Hillingdon circuit races confirm this. I also think the use of tri-bars contributes to crashes and for that reason they have never been allowed under UCI and/or British Cycling racing rules. I seem to recall that in the early days of triathlons they did not allow drafting and effectively rode it as a time trial.
The way that they rack their bikes also makes me cringe and although my response was by and large tongue in cheek they do not seem to take much care of their equipment.

desweller

nochekmate wrote:

Cervelo S1 to satisfy both needs as a road bike and TT - may just squeeze in at your £800 budget.

That's just a frameset price is it not?