Bikes Bikes and More Bikes.... Which Bike Should I Choose????

OK the top question I have been getting is “Which bike should I use for a triathlon/duathlon?” And my answer would be the best bike you can afford. That could be the bike you already have or a bike you are looking to purchase. For purposes of this document lets assume there are 4 types of bikes:

1. A stock standard Mountain bike. Fat tires, with or without suspension
2. A road bike. Like they ride in the Tour DeFrance
3. A hybrid bike. A cross between a road and mountain bike.
4. A triathlon or time trial bike. This bike puts the rider in the best position for slicing through the wind.

A Mountain Bike:

Somewhere along the way this bike became very popular with the general public. It's main goal is to get the rider through wooded trails with rocks, roots, streams, hills and dales (what is a dale anyway). However very few are actually ridden in the woods. Most people use these as an all around bike. i.e. commuting, fitness and pleasure. The riding position is upright and somewhat relaxed with a flat handle bar. Most people will be comfortable riding this bike in a short Triathlon or Duathlon. The main draw back would be the weight of the bike itself and the high rolling resistance of the large knobby tires (think friction). Also, if there is any suspension, then you will be losing some of the power transfer. To make a bike go you pedal the crank; and the most powerful portion of the pedal stroke is the downward phase. When you push the pedal down ward you will also compress the suspension. So, of the 100% you are pushing down only 90% to 80% transfers to the wheels to make your bike go forward. The rest of the power is lost to the compressing of the suspension. I totally made up those numbers, but you see my point??

Pros

Easy access. Most people have one or you can borrow one.

Easy Learning curve to ride

Cost effective

Cons

Heavy

Large knobby tires add to rolling resistance

Suspension takes away from power transfer

A Road Bike:

A road bike is a speed machine with narrow tires, drop bars (curvy handle bars), lightweight frame and a scary looking narrow saddle (seat). Here is your chance to be Lance Armstrong, hopefully with out the drugs. These bikes are made for cornering, quick sprint pick ups and long hours in the saddle. Road bikes range in price from $500 to $10,000 all based on the materials they are made out of and the components they are fit with. Components are the shifters, derailleurs, cranks, brakes, cassettes (gears) and etc. Each component can be entry level, pro level or various levels in between. Therefore you can mix and match to get a bike that is exactly in your price range. Let me just say this.... buy the best frame you can and then upgrade components as you go. A good frame will last you forever.

A road bike will have the rider in two basic positions; one where the rider's hands are up on the “hoods” somewhat relaxed and the other where the rider's hands are in the “drops” and more aerodynamic. Which brings up another point to consider when choosing a bike for Triathlon/Duathlon. First thing to overcome is the riders weight. Lose weight and it is easier to ride. Simple right????...... Second, wind resistance is huge when cycling. The more areo you can be the less effort it takes to move you through the wind. A road bike will help with both. With the more aggressive rider position there may be a slight learning curve to get comfortable and confident when out on the road. After the rider is sure of their skills there are a host of group rides available to safely explore the beauty of road cycling and share the time with other “Roadies”

Pros

light weight

aerodynamic

low rolling resistance

feasible cost of entry

Cons

slight learning curve to riding comfort

cost can quickly accumulate with add ons

A Hybrid Bike:

This is a bike whose mother was a road bike and father was a mountain bike. They met on match.com, enjoyed a fulfilling relationship, settled down and had a child. The child is a hybrid. It shares the father's flat handle bar and up right riding style of the mountain bike, and from it's mother received the narrow tires and slight frame build. Hybrid bikes are meant for roads, groomed gravel trails or fire roads. Where the terrain doesn't get too crazy. It is the best of both worlds. You shave some weight from the mountain bike, lose the knobby tires and reduce the rolling resistance, but you keep the upright and easy to ride geometry. The price on hybrids are relatively low and they can go on a wide range of terrain which increases their value for non race related actives.

Pros

easy to ride

able to go on various terrain

looks good with a handle bar basket and bell

Cons

not the most aerodynamic

weight can be heavy in some models

A Triathlon/Time Trial Bike:

A triathlon bike was designed from scratch to be the very best at one thing....the triathlon bike race. It's frame is sleek, lightweight and the very best in aerodynamics. The rider's position is such that you are low and out of the wind. The rider's hands are out in front on “extensions:” The geometry of the bike frame allows the rider to tilt their pelvis froward to allow the hip angle to stay open thus allowing the best power transfer to the pedal while holding an aggressive areo position. There will be much fine tuning of the riders position to find the balance between comfort, aerodynamics and power transfer. This position can also allow for the rider to run effectively off the bike in the final leg of the triathlon. The cost of theses bike is down right expensive, however if your passion is triathlon then the investment made here will payoff in spades on the race course. You can purchase entry level triathlon bike for a round $1800 and spend $15,000 on the top level bikes. Now if you are somewhat mechanically inclined and are willing to get your hands dirty you can source out frames, components and add ons to build yourself a very reasonably priced bike (that's what I do). In the end you get exactly what you want. Unfortunately due to the specificity of the bike there isn't much riding you are going to be doing other than training and racing. While they are not the most comfortable bike in the world most triathletes are known to spend several hours riding on them, at least at the Ironman distance of 112 miles.

Pros

the most aerodynamic

the best position to ride and then run off

Cons

expensive

high learning curve to ride comfortably

This was a very brief, very basic introduction to bike types and their relation to the sport of triathlon. If you would like to further discuss this topic feel free to comment or contact me.

Lastly we are not here to judge you on the bike you choose to ride. We are here to foster a spirit of camaraderie, and athletics. There is not a medal for the fastest looking bike. Just get out and ride!

*****All images where borrowed from the internet without permission from the owner. Please don't tell on me you tattle tails******