Tri bike ..

StephenDart

Hi all,
After looking around forever on various sites and stores I have decided to buy a new road bike

I am looking to get into triathlons so would like something lightweight ideally full carbon, and from what I can understand about the rules for the bikes, if I wanted to enter a draft legal race then I need drop bars instead of the tri-bars?
I now have a few questions:

1. How many tri events have the restrictions on tri-bars?
2. Is it worth going for a tri specific geometry bike with tri-bars, which i could convert the bars to drop if needed?

As for bikes can you recommend or give pointers to the following few that I have found or any other I should look at:
Am looking to spend around £1300, dont mind if its secondhand or new.

2009 Cervelo R3 - DuraAce / Ultegra, DT swiss wheelset
2010/11 Boardman Road Pro Carbon Road - SRAM Force, Ritchey WCS Wheelset
2010 Giant TCR Advanced SL3 - Ultegra, Mavic Ksyrium Elite wheelset
2011 Trek Madonne 5.2 - Ultegra, Bontrager wheelset

or maybe something from Planet-X, or should i look at the tri specific?

thanks

cougie

If you're entering a draft legal triathlon then you'll probably be a sponsored athlete and get given a bike.
The vast majority of triathlons are non drafting. Its only the pros that can draft in their ITU events.

1. No triathlons unless you're elite.
2. What bike do you have now ? Ideally we'd all have road bikes and then a dedicated tri bike for racing. Depending on how much racing you do and how seriously you take it - this may not be an option.

I do the Ironman distance tri and mainly use my road bike. Sometimes with tribars on and sometimes without.
Tribars give you an extra 1mph speed if you can stay on them, but most people cant.

If its either/or - just get a road bike. Fit is the main thing - so get one that fits over one that might have slightly better groupset or something.

tigerben

+1 for getting a regular road bike - unless you are going to be totally awesome and boss the events you enter. I enter half a dozen sprint / olympic Tri's a year and just use my Madone without any Tribars or aero helmets or anything tri specific for the bike. But then my swimming / running is weak so I'm always going to come home in the middle of the pack so cannot justify the marginal gains specialist gear would give me. Nothing sadder then having all the gear and being soundly thrashed by a kid on a mtb.

Also IMHO Tri specific bikes are fugly.

meesterbond

As above, I guess it depends if you're already got a drop barred road bike. If you haven't then go down that route. Any of those you mentioned would do a job, really depends on what fits. Personally, I get on really well with the Cervelo sizing, you may well be different.

As for the Tri option... I've got a tri / TT bike which I got on a bit of a whim (despite the comment above, tri bikes are cool!) and it is noticably faster than my road bike when the course is really flat! As soon as you start going up any sort of hill, any aero advantage is quickly replaced with the pain of lugging a heavier, over-geared lump of Aluminium. Plus, it has taken many, many months to get used to holding the position on the aero bars and numerous tweaks to stop it being complete torture.

By all means go for the tri bike, but I guarantee you'll get more use out of a road bike and 90% of the time I doubt you'll be any quicker.

StephenDart

thanks all for the replies.
I currently have an old road bike, but its not race ready and I am going to replace it with the new bike.

I want to make sure that I am going to be able to use the bike I purchase at the events, for example I looked at the Big Cow sprint 2 in September http://www.big-cow.com/public/race.aspx?id=1981 it states that BTF rules apply, what does that mean in terms of bikes? it doesnt specifically say that its a drafting event and I wouldnt have thought it would be with on a 20k, but not having done this before I dont want to turn up with a tri bike with all the aero bars on etc and get told I cannot take part.
Is there a specific distance that draft is normal 'enabled' ?
Also can someone give me an idea of some of the sprint distance trialthon I would be able to enter on a drop-bar bike next year? I had a look at trifinder for around the london area, but dont really know what race rules each will have.

As for the bikes I think I have narrowed it down to the 2009 Cervelo R3, or 2010/11 Boardman Road Pro Carbon Road, does anyone have any experience of either? or think I should look at something else maybe new?

cougie

No drafting there either.

You wont be allowed on a fixed wheel bike (I checked).

Tri bikes are fine. Road bikes are fine. Usually even MTB or hybrids are fine.

Draft races are only for the elites. Mainly because they cant impose the no drafting rule as they all come out of the water together. Not like us normal people coming out in dribs and drabs.

ANY tri will let you enter with a drop bar bike.

Getting an old bike is fine - but you'll be more restricted on sizes. If you go new - then you should have your pick of sizes to get the right one.

meesterbond

At the last 'race' I entered (Duo rather than a Tri) the bike next to me had a shopping basket on it. The marshalls were more concerned about whether my bars had end plugs than anything else!

StephenDart

:-) maybe I need a shopping basket !

I am going to have a look at a light drop bar bike as it will get more use I think.
the ebay hunt will continue for now, but you are right in that I am restricted on sizes, maybe I will have to spend a bit more and go new.
Do people rate the boardman bikes?

cougie

The Brownlee brothers seem to do ok on them ? :-)

rowman

It all depends on the bike route. I've done several events where the boys on the TT bikes have struggled on undulating roads with tight bends. After all you will probably spend 95% of your training/commuting time on a road bike and will be more confident to push it around bends and sharp inclines?

shinyhelmut

You will struggle to find a tri which is draft legal in this country. Your best bet would be a regular road bike that fits you itu some tri bars for when you're racing.