General Discussion Introduce Yourself!!! » I have no bike, am a new swimmer, and am doing a haf Ironman in 3 weeks Rss Feed  
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2012-07-12 4:29 PM

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Chicago, IL
Subject: I have no bike, am a new swimmer, and am doing a haf Ironman in 3 weeks
I know this is probably going to get some "WTF" responses. I've always been active, averaging 25-50 running miles/week, depending on the time of year for the past several years. I also ran XC and T&F throughout high school and college. This year I decided to redid ate myself to some form of training. Being a professional musician, my lifestyle has worked against healthy living and I wanted to change that. The healthy habits I developed from running in college are what saved me from completely destroying my body on tour during the first few years after college.I started doing CrossFit in January and found a great community and coaches to work with. I totally revamped my diet in February to cut out processed foods, sugars, white flours etc. I had been working out 6x week the first several months of the year. I've really stepped up for tri training over the past month or two though and am progressing nicely. Swimming is new to me, but I've been able to go 1200m in open water continuously after some scary first days of lap swimming (I couldn't do 100m my first day). My problem: I'm a starving artist and this stuff is expensive! Have a wetsuit on loan for the season, so that is one hurdle. I've been borrowing bikes though, and it's time for me to purchase one. $500-$600 is my max. I've been searching online and haven't found the right bike yet. A friend made an incredible offer to me of a Javelin tri bike with everything ready to go for $950, but that is too steep for my pockets. Currently I am testing out a friend's Cannondale R400. I have no idea what the size is, but it fits me ok. Not perfect, but it works. All the components were recently upgraded to SRAM force. New chain, shifters, brakes, etc. I figure that it's better to have a road bike now that I can use for other things like riding around town leisurely. Should I buy this bike and spend a few bucks making some adjustments for a tri? I'm thinking of going to my LBS and seeing about a shorter stem, new seat post, and aero bars. Could I find a better deal? This is a huge purchase for me so I'm a bit apprehensive. Would uploading some pics help?

Edited by Aapter 2012-07-12 4:44 PM


2012-07-12 5:49 PM
in reply to: #4308627

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Fayetteville/Fort Bragg
Subject: RE: I have no bike, am a new swimmer, and am doing a haf Ironman in 3 weeks
I'm new around here, but I'm pretty sure I know what the vets are going to tell you. The fit of the bike is the most important thing. If at all possible get yourself measured at your LBS. if not, at least reference one of the many online sizing charts for your height and make sure you get the right size bike. Getting best deal in the world on a bike doesn't matter if it's the wrong size. Trust me, I found out the hard way. I'm 5'9 and bought a 61cm Fuji because it was a 2k bike and I was getting it for $400. Turns out, not only was it way too big, but it was so far off that my LBS refused to sell me a new tire for it because they said there was no way I could ride the bike safely. Do you your research and shop around, there are plenty of used bike out there in your price range. Craigslist would be my first stop( after getting measured that is...) Good luck!

Edited by NBennett86 2012-07-12 5:50 PM
2012-07-12 5:58 PM
in reply to: #4308627

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Subject: RE: I have no bike, am a new swimmer, and am doing a haf Ironman in 3 weeks
I'm new here as well and am not even close to Ironman distance but I would recommend trying out a few local bike shops if you have some around you. I got my bike (not a tri specific bike, just a road bike) from a locally owned bike company and it's been wonderful. The owner himself was the one who fitted me and after getting to know me chose a bike he thought would work for me. I went out to the parking lot and rode around for almost 20 minutes before deciding. He actually gave me a little discount (I'm a semi-recent college grad who works for a non-profit so I know all about low cash). They also do things like a free first tune up and checking tires for free and stuff. Not a huge deal but those things add up. My bike plus a rack was around $430. Again, not a tri bike, just a road bike but it's working well for me so far. Good luck!
2012-07-12 7:06 PM
in reply to: #4308627

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Master
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Subject: RE: I have no bike, am a new swimmer, and am doing a haf Ironman in 3 weeks
You should move this thread to the Tri Talk General Discussion area. You will get more reaction there.
2012-07-12 7:16 PM
in reply to: #4308627

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Melon Presser
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Subject: RE: I have no bike, am a new swimmer, and am doing a haf Ironman in 3 weeks

^^^Agreed

This forum is mainly to welcome those new to the sport and you'll get far more and more specific answers in the main forum. So, welcome to BT and triathlon

That said ...

At this point I'd be a lot more worried about the swim than anything else. There's a big difference between 1200m and 1900m, and there's a HUGE difference when it's 1900m in unfavorable water/weather conditions while being banged around by a bunch of flailing bodies in close contact. Please read the following article and honestly ask yourself how much of it you could genuinely do before race day:

Open Water Swim: MAPS to Get Ready

If you can cover 56 miles in the time limit on the assorted bikes you've been training on (allowing time for mechanical problems, flats, etc.), then honestly you can probably do it with any bike. So you may want to just borrow or rent a bike for the race until you have the money to get a proper bike fitting and a bike that will actually work for you in the long term.

What's your nutrition plan for during the race?

2012-07-12 9:24 PM
in reply to: #4308894

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Chicago, IL
Subject: RE: I have no bike, am a new swimmer, and am doing a haf Ironman in 3 weeks
Thanks for al the great input. I set up an appointment at my LBS tomorrow. Went to a used bike store in the meantime and they were 100% unhelpful. The swimming is a bit of a concern, which is why I'm focusing more on that at the moment. I juts got back from swimming in Lake Michigan right off of Lake Shore drive in Chicago. I was experimenting with my stroke and swimming in chooy waters. It was really sloppy out there today, but I actually felt comfortable swimming a mile continuously. As far as nutrition, I'm still experimenting. I'm thinking mainly gu's and fizz?


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