Do you need an expensive bike for a triathlon?
Triathlon and road bikes are expensive, but
you do not need to buy a new one to train or race with
.
What is a reasonable amount to spend on a bike?
When buying new,
500-1,500 dollars
is the optimum range for a good commuter bike. Anything under 500 dollars won’t be suitable because it’s not durable enough. The quality of its components will be lower and it will be very heavy.
Why are tri bikes so expensive?
Triathlon bikes are expensive mainly
because of how small the market is
. So, the market economics causes manufacturers to establish high price ranges for these bikes. Triathletes tend to customize their bikes. So much effort has been put into manufacturing, quality control, research, and design.
Can you use a triathlon bike as a road bike?
So if you’ll be converting your triathlon bike into a road bike,
the first thing to buy is the handlebar
. Triathlon bikes use aero bars while road bikes use regular drop handlebars. Changing this puts your tri bike well on its way to becoming a road bike.
Do triathletes Pee on the bike?
Some riders have practiced urinating on the bike while others consider a different approach.
Most triathletes don’t need to pee a lot when riding unless they ride really slow
. In this case, they can always stop at the port-a-potty station and urinate.
Is a triathlon bike hard to ride?
Triathlon bikes are squirrelly aerodynamic beasts. They are great for speed, but frame geometry,
riding down on aerobars and weight distribution (especially with bento boxes and bar-mounted hydration systems) can make tri bikes especially difficult to handle as compared to road bikes
.
Do I really need a TT bike?
Let’s get something out of the way straight away:
you don’t need a tri bike unless you are a triathlete
. It might not be obvious and some of you might even get swayed by the cool looks of TT bikes but unless you need one for triathlon racing, you shouldn’t get one.
Can I do an Ironman with a road bike?
Road bikes are comfortable to ride as long as you get the right fit
. They handle better and give a rider more confidence. They also give the rider multiple positions on the handlebars, which is important when riding 112 miles in an Ironman.
Are tri bikes comfortable?
A triathlon or time trial bike demands a fundamental change in body posture as compared to other styles of bikes.
With the increase in aerodynamics comes a decrease in comfortability
.
Why are triathlons so expensive?
Most U.S. Ironmans are running $725 these days, before the despised reg fee. So far, that leaves us with this: Traveling to races in the U.S. is expensive
because it takes more time and more hotel nights should you venture across the country or up a mountain
.
Is an expensive bike worth it?
Generally speaking,
they offer stronger, stiffer frames with drastically lower weight, which improves the overall efficiency of the ride
. On a more granular level, more expensive frames also have more consistency from unit to unit.
How long do bikes usually last?
You should expect
at least 4-5 years
, but it’s just not that simple. Frames and forks may last a lifetime, but some components only withstand 6-12 months of daily use. It depends on quality, conditions, maintenance, and the individual rider.
How much difference does a lighter bike make?
Even at the steepest grade he tested (7 percent),
a one-pound difference between bikes only saves about 2.5 seconds
—and the lightest bike only reaches the top 7.5 seconds faster than the heaviest one.
Are triathlons expensive?
During your first year into triathlon, you can realistically expect to spend around $700
. This amount covers all the basic gears you will need before your first race. The second year is actually the most expensive one with a total cost of $5,600, mainly due to a couple of one-time purchases (bike, wetsuit).
Why is bike racing so expensive?
Because everything is expensive
. Registration site charges a buck each, credit card processor another couple bucks, land owner another couple bucks, insurance up to 5-7 bucks per rider. Then you have awards, prizes, annoucers, timers, course setup, the list goes on.
How much quicker is a TT bike?
In general you will see a
1.5 mph – 2 mph
boost in speed between a TT and a road bike… assuming the rider is using regular shorts, jersey and helmet along with no aero wheels. Most of that is due to the differing rider position (i.e. more aero).
Can you put normal handlebars on a TT bike?
Altered Geometry
TT bikes are not designed for drop bars by default
. By putting a set of drop bars on a TT bike, the riding position of the rider is very likely to become uncomfortable and inefficient.
How much faster is tri bike vs road bike?
The BikeRadar website claims the advantage a TT bike gives you is 60-70 watts at 40 km/h, that is, it takes 270-280 watts to ride a road bike at that speed and 220 watts to ride a TT bike. Translated into seconds, a TT bike gives you
9 seconds per kilometre advantage
. This is six minutes in a 40 km time trial. Insane.
Do cyclists poop themselves?
So What Do They Do Now? Today,
elite athletes will just poop their pants and continue on
. And the best part is that most serious athletes (while knowing its a little icky) will understand the motivation behind not stopping.
Do you eat during an Ironman?
As a general rule of thumb, endurance athletes should aim to eat
60-90 grams of carbohydrate per hour
during IRONMAN events, with athletes typically able to consume more calories and fluids during the bike leg and fewer calories during the run portion of the event. What and how much should you drink?
Why do triathletes not wear socks?
How often should I ride my TT bike?
Some athletes can ride the tri bike just
once per week
and feel just fine on race day, while others need to spend nearly all of their time on it as race day nears. If you feel good on the tri bike and want to just perform one key workout each week on it, then that should be sufficient.
Can you train on a TT bike?
Time trial bikes are also not good for group rides because of the potential for clipping someone else’s back wheel and causing a pile up when you’re in your aero bars. So
training on your TT bike can be a solitary pursuit
. With all these issues it’s easy to use all this as a barrier to stop you riding your TT bike.
