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I can't swim and I can't afford a new bike
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 2005-01-23 9:17 PM |
Member 13 Syracuse, UT |  Subject: I can't swim and I can't afford a new bikeI can't swim and I can't afford a new bike but I am absolutely hooked on the idea of training for and one day trying to do a triathlon. I am so impressed by the triathletes I’ve read about in books and magazines that I want to "tri". The question is.... when I do learn to swim (I'm getting better) am I going to be embarrassed riding my mountain bike? It is geared pretty high and I use slicks instead of knobbies so it won’t be super slow but for some reason I am afraid I will feel like a bit of an outsider. What do the majority of the middle to back of the pack triathletes ride? |
| 2005-01-23 9:38 PM in reply to: #107513 |
Resident Curmudgeon 25290   The Road Back Gold member | Subject: RE: I can't swim and I can't afford a new bike Go (in person, get out of that easy chair!) to almost any triathlon and you'll see tri bikes, road bikes, old bikes, new bikes and plenty of mountain bikes. The only thing those people have on you is they're out there doing it, while you're only wishing. Go tomorrow, find a pool, maybe a masters swim group, and start swimming. Plenty of time to get up to speed (literally) before the tri season gets underway. |
| 2005-01-23 9:40 PM in reply to: #107513 |
Extreme Veteran 386 Fort Worth, TX | Subject: RE: I can't swim and I can't afford a new bike You'll be FINE on a mountain bike. There are a lot of people that do races on mountain bikes!! I did my first tri on one, then got the bug hard and slapped down the cash  As for the swimming, just keep after it...you'll do fine. Most triathletes struggle with the swim. See if you can find a masters class, or get some training to make sure you have an efficient stroke. Lots of people here SWEAR by Total Immersion. You have the most important part, and thats the drive & desire. The rest is just raining and semantics! Kristen |
| 2005-01-23 9:47 PM in reply to: #107513 |
Regular 123 St. Louis, Mo. | Subject: RE: I can't swim and I can't afford a new bike give swimming a chance. At the beginning I couldn't go 25y without wanting to die. I look at my training log from the beginning and I covered no distance at took zillions of breaks. 9 weeks later and I swam 2000y front crawl without stopping. The best advice I can give is it is not a race with swimming. slow down. take your time. Good luck. Oh yeah, about your bike. When you do get a road bike just think of how much stronger you'll be from riding that heavy mountain bike. good luck!!!!! |
| 2005-01-23 10:08 PM in reply to: #107513 |
Champion 11641  Fairport, NY | Subject: RE: I can't swim and I can't afford a new bike You won't look out of place at all. At the Finger Lakes Tri last Sept. I spoke with a guy who had done Ironman Wisconsin the previous week and he saw someone complete THAT on a mountain bike. The vast majority of the people at these races truly respect what it takes just to get to the starting line, especially for a beginner. |
| 2005-01-23 10:08 PM in reply to: #107523 |
Expert 1240 Columbia, MO | Subject: RE: I can't swim and I can't afford a new bike DaveG - 2005-01-23 8:47 PM Got to agree with this one, I just traded in a 45 pound Huffy MTB in this case MTB probably stood for Military Tank Bike it was just heavy for an aluminum frame road bike, cutting the weight in half. It is an absolute joy after riding that Tank for awhileOh yeah, about your bike. When you do get a road bike just think of how much stronger you'll be from riding that heavy mountain bike. good luck!!!!! |
| 2005-01-23 10:17 PM in reply to: #107530 |
| New user 166 Michigan | Subject: RE: I can't swim and I can't afford a new bike marmadaddy - 2005-01-23 10:08 PM You won't look out of place at all. At the Finger Lakes Tri last Sept. I spoke with a guy who had done Ironman Wisconsin the previous week and he saw someone complete THAT on a mountain bike. Even better - Two years ago I saw a picture of a guy who finished an Ironaman race on a banana seat bike. |
| 2005-01-23 11:45 PM in reply to: #107513 |
| Member 13 Syracuse, UT | Subject: RE: I can't swim and I can't afford a new bike Perfect. Thanks for the feedback! What a great web site and community! |
| 2005-01-23 11:55 PM in reply to: #107513 |
| Veteran 118 | Subject: RE: I can't swim and I can't afford a new bike To make a mountain bike go fast: Put high pressure slicks or street tires. Specialized fatboys or Nimbus EX is a good choice. Pump them up to 100+ psi. Buy some cheap clipless pedals and shoes from Performance Bike or Nashbar. You can put them on your new road bike when you get one. You can put on bar ends, and even aero bars on an MTB. These will make you go faster. Finally, fit the bike like you would a road bike. Measure your inseam. Multiply that number by .883. That should be the distance from the bottom bracket to the top of the seat. With enough training, you should fly past more than a few road bikes. Remember, you are the engine of your bicycle. |
| 2005-01-24 12:01 AM in reply to: #107513 |
| Subject: RE: I can't swim and I can't afford a new bike When I first got here there was a guy who posted a report from the NY triathlon - he did it on a BMX bike! Go do it! Triathletes are some of the most inclusive athletes I've run across. And the swim is most everyone's weak leg. Just get in the water and start swimming! Chris |
| 2005-01-24 1:33 AM in reply to: #107513 |
Pro 5153 Helena, MT | Subject: RE: I can't swim and I can't afford a new bike Hey Armchair! You truly have nothing to worry about! I did my first two tris on a mountain bike. I didn't feel out of place at all. I'm buying a road bike now just because I have the money and would rather spend it on that than a new clutch for my car. ;-) Most of the folks in the tris I've been in do ride road bikes, but there is no lack of MTBs at all. You won't feel like an outsider in the least. As far as swimming goes, stick around this site and you'll see soooo many posts from people saying that their first pool session covered less than 100 yds and now they're swimming over 10 times that without stopping at all! If you want to learn more about swimming technique, try master's swim classes or "Total Immersion" books/DVDs/classes. Go for it! |
| 2005-01-24 8:24 AM in reply to: #107513 |
Champion 4902 Ottawa, Ontario | Subject: RE: I can't swim and I can't afford a new bike For the swim, either take lessons or watch masters swimmers and learn the basic crawl technique. Concentrate wholly on technique when you train and you will get better ... that is guaranteed. And, of course adopt one of the triathlon training programs. As for cycling, remember that not all triathletes are rich; we do have other things that we need to spend our hard earned cash on. If all you have at the moment is a mountain bike then that is good enough...that is provide you do not intend to win the 2005 Kona IM! As has been pointed out, just make sure your tires are inflated as much as possible, get slick tires if you can afford them, adjust your seat a little higher and farther forward if you put aero bars on it and just generally ensure that all moving parts are well greased and functional. Good luck! :-) |
| 2005-01-24 9:28 AM in reply to: #107513 |
Veteran 225 Parsippany, New Jersey | Subject: RE: I can't swim and I can't afford a new bike Welcome. I was in your shoes about 15 months ago. Saw Tris, and had the bug to do one for the last 4 years. Equipment and Swimming was my excuses. Everyone's responses are great. My experiences, I had great slicks on my MTB and was starting to get the swimming 'Thing' about 3 months before my first tri. The day before my first tri, My wife found this 22 year old Raleigh marathon 12 speed at a Yard Sale. Flat front tire, Two frozen/rusty cables, but it looked very clean. $15 for the purchase, $35 for parts, and I road that bike avg. 15.5 mph the next day in my First Tri. Which was about 2-3 mph faster then my MTB with Slicks.. Since July, I have done lots of reading and discussing with people regarding Bikes, tires, pedals, etc... Over the last 3 months I have gotten Shoes, pedals, and seat and I am maintaining 17mph on my 22-mile loop. I am going to ride this Raleigh for 3 Sprint tris this summer and then make the decision if I am going to do more tris per year, or bigger distances. At the two Sprints I did in 04, I only got 2-3 strange looks from people when racking my bike, but plenty of smiles when crossing the finish line. |
| 2005-01-24 9:38 AM in reply to: #107513 |
Pro 4206 Los Angeles, CA | Subject: RE: I can't swim and I can't afford a new bike I'm doing my first tri in March and I'm going to use a mtb, and I couldn't swim more than a pool length a couple of months ago. Now, I've outfitted my mtb with slicks and I can swim about 12 laps now without stopping. If you follow the tips on this site, you will be fine. I have asked alot of questions and received great answers and I feel I'm ready. Good luck. |
| 2005-01-24 9:51 AM in reply to: #107513 |
| Veteran 303 SF soon! | Subject: RE: I can't swim and I can't afford a new bike If it makes you feel any better, when I signed up for my first tri in 2003, I had the following drawbacks: 1) I didn't know how to swim. I nearly drowned when I was a kid and never went back to the pool. I loved water sports but always engaged in them wearing a PFD. 2) I didn't have a bike. In fact, I hadn't ridden one in 20+ years. Later, my first trip out with my new ride involved a really horrible crash. 3) My running was slothlike, at best. So I guess I'll borrow that overused Nike slogan when I say, "Just Do It." Don't be intimidated. My first race consisted of people of all shapes, sizes, abilities, and gear. In fact, someone even showed up with a beach cruiser. Don't worry about the "toys" and instead work on your engine. Get to the pool as much as possible. Gotta work on your comfort level in the water first - that takes priority over endurance or technique. |
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