TXRunner78

I have my eyes on a couple of helmets on that VT list. They are on that $50-$75 range if I order online. $100 locally. I checked REI and another local bike shop and they didn't have any reasonably priced helmets in stock. One more shop to check, the one I will probably take the bike to for a tune up.

ArgoMan

I won't buy anything from REI. Always overpriced and you can always find the same products for less at other places.

VegasJen

I have that ARO3 helmet I use for actual triathlons. For training rides, I have a couple of cheaper ones I got from Amazon, Giro and Bolle. In the case of necessity, I wouldn't hesitate to use one of them for an event.

I don't want a total cheapie, but you have to figure that you bang your head in a crash and the helmet is spent. So, for me, it's a cost vs quality comparison. I have been known to crash from time to time.

TXRunner78

So looks like the seller of the Giant is a bit wishy washy. May be the reason why the bike has been on FB Marketplace for over two months. Been trying to meet up with him for two days now and he keeps having things pop up. Giving him one more shot. But I did find an other bike which is about 3 miles from me. But a little more than I want to spend. Asking $900.

ArgoMan

Looks like an aluminum frame with carbon seat stays? Can't really tell from the photos. It will come down to what type of groupset it has and the type of wheels. Can you tell me what the brand of wheels are?

TXRunner78

This is what is posted on the Facebook listing:

Felt Carbon Fiber/Aluminum 58cm Tri Bike. Shimano derailer. Micheline krylion carbon tires. Aksium race rims.

TXRunner78

Well, I now have a bike! The seller of the Giant came through in the end. Just got back from picking it up. Took a quick spin around the block on it. If I had a helmet I would have gone for a few miles, but helmet comes on Wednesday.

So now with a new used bike, what should I look to upgrade/replace on it? I will definitely take it to my local bike shop to inspect. One thing I definitely want to put on the bike is a computer. Any suggestions on those?

VegasJen

First rule, you must post pictures.

The computer is entirely a personal choice. I am not wired in to all the latest and greatest so I use a simple Velo Cateye on my bikes. I get them from Amazon for <$50. They give basics like average speed, max speed, total time and a couple others. That's plenty for me. Of course, you can go wild if you want and get the latest Garmin or whatever. It's entirely a matter of what you're looking to get out of it and what your budget will withstand.

TXRunner78

TXRunner78

Any suggestions on cage pedals? I don’t have any desire to do clip ins right now.

OldTryGuy

No suggestions for pedals but for the bike.

p.s. - looks like the chain is a bit stretched out. Your LBS should advise.

Good LUCK and ENJOY!!!

ArgoMan

That's a nice bike, Tex. Good on you! So funny about the pedals. I just switched out my 105 pedals on my main road bike for a pair of old school flat road pedals with clips. I have plantar fasciitis in my left foot and riding with sneakers really helps. I'll compete with the clipless. Try MKS Sylvan Road pedals. MKS sells a basic set for around $30. I have two sets. Very nice. They're actually a campagnolo reproduction. I put the steel toe clip on WITHOUT the straps and they work beautifully. Very stable.

TXRunner78

Thanks for the feedback all. Pretty excited to start riding. Since this is my first “competition” type bike, it blew me away how lite the bike is. When I took it for a test spin before buying, I was expecting something with a little bit more weight. When I went to get on, got a little surly. Lol. My buddy was even teasing me that if I blow a tube, it would be nothing to carry it home. Lol.

i am definitely going to be riding in running shoes for the near future. So looking for the best peddle set up for that. I will check out the above mentioned pedals.

I plan on taking a couple of short rides once my helmet and gear comes in. Then I will take it over to my LBS for the tune up.

VegasJen

I agree regarding the chain. Looks pretty much gone. You can buy a cheap "chain checker" tool on Amazon for about $10. Highly recommend. Also, if you're in a dryer environment like me, I suggest waxing instead of oil. It will keep the chain and cassette much cleaner and provide better wear protection. (see the chain waxing thread here on this forum, I think it's in the Road Bike section.)

I'm also a bit worried about those chain rings. The teeth look a bit pointy. That's also a good wear indicator. The top of the teeth should be pretty flat and there should be a distinct corner (for lack of a better term) from the sides to the flat on top. Fortunately, chain rings are pretty easy to replace and not terribly expensive.

As for the pedals, I run Venzo flats on all my bikes. I never clip in. Just a personal preference thing, and the flats can be had for under $50 on Amazon (bonus, if it matters to you, but they're not Chinesium.) The Venzos I run are flat on one side with studs for grip and SPD compatible on the other side. Since I know I'm not ever clipping in, I just remove the SPD part for that minute weight savings. I also prefer them because they're the only flats I've found with a smaller platform than most MTB flats on the market.

I like the aero bars. I prefer a bar that has an up-angle to it. I can't tolerate long periods with my wrists cranked forward like the straight bars. But I am curious as to what's going on with the two bars running between the aero bars. I haven't seen that before.

Overall, nice find. Assuming the frame is the right size for you, but that's something you have to determine.

One more thing, Youtube is your friend. Lots of good info there regarding maintenance and inspection. Not to steer you away from your LBS but replacing chains, chain rings and even cassettes are pretty easy DITY items. I do almost all my own maintenance, much of it I've learned from Youtube videos.

Bradleykd

Chainrings look fine. All uniform pockets for the chain roller to fit - no shark-tooth shape.

The crossbars on the aero-bars are for computer/aero bottle mounts.

Bradleykd

That's a really nice bike for the money! Congrats!

Bradleykd

Been lurking around. It's fun to see some activity in the tri forum! I mostly hang out on the road forum because that's where the bulk of activity on this site is, but the only racing I do is triathlons!

Welcome to the tri scene ArgoMan and TXRunner78 !

TXRunner78

VegasJen Are these the peddles you use?

https://www.amazon.com/Venzo-Multi-U...d_i=B084GHTFVX

VegasJen

Not exactly. Let's see if I can post up a link that works.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084GHVVFP...roduct_details

ArgoMan

Those are nice pedals. "Sticky". I must say that clipping in feels really good and you get a nice "connection" with the bike. But overall, it doesn't make a lick of difference in my times. And my foot (Plantar Fascistic) doesn't get painful when I wear flat sneakers in clipped pedals.

As an aside, I picked up a barely used set of DT Swiss 1400 Dicut Arc wheel (80mm and 62mm) with the 240 hubs for about $1,000. They're at least $2,300 new, typically higher. The point is, look at eBay and other sources for the deals.

TXRunner78

Well finally signed for 24 Hour Fitness today and went to the pool at 11pm tonight, Training for a marathon has nothing on swim training. Holy cow. I thought I had good lung capacity from running. Swimming tonight debunked that. I did about 20 laps with a minute rest in between. One thing I cannnot do right now is put my head down in the water to exhale during the freestyle swim. I tried it a couple of times and each time I felt like I was just making my breathing worse. So right now I am full face out of water all of the time. Now I know why Michael Phelps eats so much. When I got done I was starving.

Bradleykd

Man, I wish I had a 24 hour pool near me!

Great job on the swim! You worked much harder by keeping your face out of the water. Make sure you have some good googles, then focus on form. There are a ton of good swim form videos out there to try to emulate. Don't try too hard to go fast. Just focus on being smooth and just cruise along. You'll still get plenty of workout and still go faster. In swimming, your form during your stroke and posture in the water is what makes you go faster.

TXRunner78

Yea, I have to keep telling myself that it was my first swimming in many years. I actually surprised myself on how well I was actually going for each lap. I thought I would be worse. I think being a former baseball pitcher and still coaching baseball, doing a lot of throwing, helped out with the swimming. The muscles built up in my shoulders, arms, back, helped out a lot with the swim. I am hoping that the conditioning and strength built up in my legs from the swimming will help me PR on my next marathon. I definitely need to try to figure out the breathing technique. I just couldn't nail down the exhale portion of it.

Now for a dumb question. What bike racks to use to transport your bike? I have a Ford F150. I was looking at some racks to transport the bike in the bed of the truck. But also open to trailer hitch options also.

Bradleykd

When swimming, I always turn my head to take a breath, do 4 arm strokes (2 per arm) while exhaling and looking straight down, then on the 5th stroke turn my head to the other side and take a breath. In a race, this sometimes goes to 2 arm strokes on the exhale and turn my head to take a breath on the 3rd. Key thing is to get all your air out in those strokes so you can take another breath. If you are only comfortable turning your head to one side, you'll do 3/5 strokes and take your breath on the even stroke. If that makes sense... lol

I usually put my road bike in the back seat area of my tundra, or if that's taken, I'll lay it down on the non-drive side in the bed. I didn't used to want to do that, but convenience won out and the contact with the truck bed is always handlebars, pedals, tires - no frame contact, so no bike damage doing it that way. If you're carrying multiple bikes, you'll need a solution to keep them separated. For that, I have a PVC bike rack I made that I toss in and bungee cord the bikes in place. It's never let me down for how infrequently I do that. It stays in the garage with bikes parked in it most of the time.

https://www.instructables.com/Truckbed-Bike-Rack/
That's the rack I made. I use pipe insulation on it for a tighter fit on road bikes and can pull it off for mountain bikes. Also, I didn't glue it together, I put a tech screw in each joint. It was faster to build and I can take it apart if I need to.

TXRunner78

The bike rack is pretty cool. I don't need anything fancy and it will only be one bike. I may take a crack at doing a mini version of that for one bike.