Choosing a Bike

I would agree. If someone is in the market for a new bike, the way to go is with a road bike. Your shoe analogy hits the nail right on the head.

I just went through the whole bike thing, culminating in a new bike purchase 3 weeks ago. I got lots of advice, most of it conflicting. To add to the confusion, I was buying a bike for a prepubescent girl who is expected to grow 6 to 8 inches in the next couple of years. Her first year of doing kid triathlons, I kept her on a mountain bike. With her inexperience and that of her competitors, I was concerned about her safety on the bike leg. Now that she is ready for her first sprint tri, we thought it was time to get a new bike. Several local triathletes that I spoke with recommended a tri specific bike, but I was not really comfortable with that because she is a novice cyclist. Others recommended a hybrid because it would be easier for her to adjust to. The bike store people all recommended a road bike. After many weeks of discussion and research, we decided on a road bike because it was the right tool for the job and she already has a mountain bike. Choosing the actual bike was a bit more difficult, given her size, just under 5 feet tall, our budget, and her expected growth curve. We finally settled on a Specialized Dolce Elite, a female specific bike that should accomodate her as she grows. We ended up spending more money than we had originally planned, quite a bit more, but I feel it was worth the extra bucks to get a bike that fits her well now and that she can continue to use, and be competitive with, as long as she wants. Plus, it is an investment in her future health and well-being. And if she sticks with triathlons and wants a tri bike in a few years, this bike will still be a great bike for training. And if she decides to stop doing triathlons, she will have a great road bike to have on!

hermom,
I think you made the right choice. Tri specific bikes are great if all you do is tri. However, you can get aero bars that clip on to your road bike and set up real nice while beginning. Now she has the versatility of a road bike that she can compete with.

Hermom, The Specialized Dolce Elite is an excellent choice for your daughter. It is light, women specific, has excellent components (mostly Ultegra which is just about bullet proof), and can be refitted to her size when she grows. This bike will last her for a very very long time and will be much more of a joy to ride than her present mount. As far as triathlon specific bikes are concerned, those are mainly for very serious triathletes because they are not particularly suited for riding outside of a controlled race environment. By the time she is ready for a tri specific bike, she will probably have one supplied by her sponsor!

Unfortunately I'm one of those that already has a mountain bike and *can't* spend any money right now on a new bike. There are many times, however, that I really wish I had a road bike. So, as Machiavelo says, if you're in the market for a new bike, buy the right tool for the job. (I can't complain too much - the bike I do have was free and it's in good condition.)

Thanks for the thumbs up on our new bike purchase! I was already pretty sure we had made a good choice, but it is nice to know that others, more knowledgable than I, agree. I sure hope that by the time she is ready for a tri bike she will have one supplied by her sponser, it might take me that long to replenish her savings account! She is very excited about her first sprint tri on the 22nd and we are in the process of planning our spring and summer. Between swim camp, swim meets and triathlons, we will have a busy season! I can't wait to see she does.

Just curious....
what, if any, is the difference between a road bike and a tri bike???

n

This user's post has been ignored.

A triathlon specific bike (tri-bike) is a road bike. The difference is between different types of road bikes, ie. road racers, touring, tri-bikes, etc. The main difference between a road racing bike and a tri-bike is as was pointed out, the geometry; the racer usually has about a 73degree angle on the seat tube, whereas the tri-bike usually has about 78 degrees. This changes the cockpit (area between saddle and handlebars). A true racing bike is light and comfortable for long distances and lengthy hill climbs. A tri-bike need only be aerodymic, hence the aero bars, because drafting in triathlons is illegal.

For visuals, just look at the Cervelo R1.5 at http://cervelo.com/bikes/R25.htmland compare it to the Cervelo P3 at http://cervelo.com/bikes/P3.html