My Dilemma Tri or Road bike

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Moderators: k9car363, alicefoeller Reply
2011-09-09 7:58 PM


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Subject: My Dilemma Tri or Road bike



Hi Everyone,
I am a beginner tri-athlete and I am really confused about if I should buy a tri
or road bike. In the long run I want to do a 1/2 iron man by this time next
year. My current experience consists of running about 6 10 K's over the last 2
years. I currently do my biking on a mountain bike and have never been on a
road or tri bike. If I did invest in a tri bike I wonder if I would be able to
ride on or if they are too aggressively built for a starter. Does it make sense
to buy a basic road bike now and then competing in several sprint tri’s and
about 2-3 years later invest in a tri bike once I am accustomed to a more aggressive
style. Is there a very big difference for a starter such as myself in
performance between the two bikes? Is it practical to ride a road bike in a 1/2
iron man or will my legs be shot after the bike ride with nothing left for the
run? I guess the big difference is that a basic road bike would cost me about
600-700$ while a tri bike would be about 1800-2000.

2011-09-09 9:04 PM
in reply to: #3679948

New user
14

Subject: RE: My Dilemma Tri or Road bike
I just went thru this exact same dilemma a couple months ago.  In the end I ultimately decided on a tri specific bike.  I thought long and hard about it but decided that the tri was going to be the best for me.  Even though the initial out of pocket expense was higher, i think had I gone with a road bike i'd have eventually been upset that I didn't get what I wanted and that was a tri bike.  Do your research, go to a reputable bike fitter and go with your heart! Good luck and keep us posted!
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