vespasianus

But it is par for the course on these boards....

vespasianus

There are lots of people who do triathlons to say they did one and brag about it, but they are not fast or competitive in any way. But those that are competitive and are finishing in respectable time (people that qualify for nationals, etc), are very good cyclists for the most part and have the appropriate kit.

That is an old, cheap aero bike. Modern tri-bikes are wild looking, with crazy steep seat angles stiff as crap.

rosefarts

I think you crash too much to ride a time trial / tri bike.

I think you need to spend a lot of time on a road bike and get really comfortable with it. Then get a pair of clip on aerobars. If after several races with that set up, you feel that a tri bike will help, then you can start shopping for something.

Trakhak

To save VegasJen some redundant typing: she crashed three times when she first tried her clipless pedals. (My guess is that the spring tension on the pedals was either too high or too low, either of which could result in crashing, particularly for someone new to clipless.) Then, after giving up on the clipless pedals, temporarily or otherwise, she crashed one other time, quite a while later.

She probably knows what she's doing, but she can always look to you and others here for friendly advice should the need arise.

3alarmer 

...the training regimen to run Ironman triathlons (as opposed to the shorter distances that are more common in competitions), seems to me that it would leave little time to focus on the bicycling aspect of the sport. Again, I'm only stating my impressions. But tri bicycle crashing is a major category on YouTube, and it's not a result of riding in a pack, or even drafting...which is, I think, illegal. I have never competed in one though. If you have, I happily yield to your expertise.

Bike racing, as opposed to triathlon bike legs, are completely different things. And given the non drafting nature of tri riding, I find it hard to understand how anyone can expect to make significantly better time on that leg of the competition.

Here' a link to the results page of the race here. Note that there is a 20 minute gap between the guy who finished first, and the guy who finished tenth. Here is the course link. I'm sure that the top finishers are probably decent bikers, and log a lot more miles annually than do I, just in training. Lance tried to make a comeback doing tri's, so there's that, and no one (certainly not me), is saying Dave Scott was a crappy cyclist. My statement was in reference to my overall impression of the vast majority of people who choose triathlon as their competitive niche.

There were 3000 people who registered for and competed in this race. It was quite a circus. I'm not saying some of them were not good cyclists, just giving my overall impression of who competes. And how much potential there is to make time on the bike leg, when everyone has similar limitations on top speed.

3alarmer 

...

rosefarts

I did my last Ironman in 2002. I’ve done 2. Maybe 20 halfs, and maybe 100 of the shorter races.

I quit way back then to race my bike and when I did, I found myself to be in the middle of the pack of Cat 5. It took a couple years to really get it and put together enough points for some upgrades on my license.

I’ve seen a lot of cocky triathletes show up to the road race and get smoked. It’s not even close. They can be trained but tris are not road race training. I actually started riding with roadies to get faster and ended up liking just bikes a lot better.

Biking is probably where to make up the most time. Anyone who is fast enough running to make up time usually isn’t a strong cyclist so it levels out. Swimming barely matters unless you’re terrible at it.

vespasianus

Yeah, that probably came off wrong. If the OP wants to buy a tri-bike and ride it with flat pedals in a triathlon, he should go for it. There are definitely cyclists doing their own thing on these boards, and that is not a bad thing. But what other stated is true as well, that is not a bike I would want to be riding as my general road bike.

VegasJen

Yes.
Interesting take. I think, in a way, you're right about the run part though. Being able to finish with a strong run really separates the athletes out from, well, me. My swim time has improved dramatically over the summer. My bike time has always been respectable, at least for me (averaging around a 17mph pace), but by the time I get off the bike, my legs are like logs. In all fairness, they're only slightly better when all I do is a fun run. I've done a lot of self analysis in the last couple years, because I used to be much faster, and despite the fact that I weigh almost exactly the same as I did 30 years ago, the biggest difference is the spring in my foot. I mean that literally too. When my foot hits the ground, it hits like a sack of wet cement. Runners absorb and release that energy. I used to. Not now. My feet used to hit the ground with a "boing!" Now they hit the ground with a "splat!"
I am probably closer to one of those that you mentioned than a true triathlete. I've done several now, and hope to complete a half at some point in the next few years. But the reality is that I'm already on the wrong side of 50 so I'm a middle of the pack finisher at best and I'm just doing this for personal satisfaction/achievement.
Thanks. Those crashes weren't my first time with clipless, but it was my first time with Looks. I actually put about 300 miles on SPDs without a crash (fell over once in my driveway, but I digress). The point was just that, for me, I did not see enough benefit to outweigh potential risks. I've invested in several good flat pedals, and more specifically a slimmer athletic shoe that gets good traction on those flat pedals and I am quite happy with my set up.
I currently have four road bikes, all equipped with aero bars. But not so much for the aero as just comfort on long rides. Riding on the drop bars for 20+ miles is just too taxing on my arms. And yes, I will be doing my own thing with my flat pedals.

Eric F 

Your reason is just as valid as any other.

Trakhak

About VegasJen's legs "feeling like logs" after finishing the bike segment of a triathlon: after decades of road riding, as I age I'm finding myself having to remember to use lower gears than I used to and concentrate on spinning at a higher cadence.

Doing so is more taxing on the cardiovascular system, but I finish my rides with my legs feeling fresher, and I find that I'm now slightly faster than I was before for a given heart rate and wattage.

tempocyclist

As long as they are only clear coat damage style chips, I'd have no issues (although postage-stamp sounds quite big, chain drop perhaps?) and I would simply fill them in.

I very much doubt it would lead to catastrophic failure. Then again, I'm no CF engineer.

Eric F 

Here’s a thought…Instead of spending your money on an older tri bike with a mediocre build, that probably won’t make much difference in your performance, maybe spend that money on some aero wheels. Even if you need to save a little longer to get there, it’s still a better choice than the bike (IMO).

Koyote

Some people have this weird tendency to buy a whole bunch of cheap nasty things instead of a few truly good things. I've never understood that. In the long run, it's probably cheaper to buy one or two great bikes than it is to keep buying a bunch of ****** bikes.

Eric F 

I had that pattern with music gear. It took me a while to figure out that good gear was worth the money. Part of that was developing skills and awareness that could recognize the difference.

VegasJen

OK, I'm going to say this here and now. Your suggestion makes absolute sense. If this was all about speed/performance, I probably would gain more benefit from a high quality set of aero wheels. But it omits one slight but ever so crucial detail. I want a tri bike.

Carbonfiberboy 

IMO a tri bike would suffer the least loss of performance from being ridden with flat pedals. The flats are a good place to just stomp on the pedals. That's what the fast TT folks do. Hardly a thing to bring up at this point.

The very good thing about this bike for this rider is that's it's all set up for TT. One just gets on there and assumes the position, no futzing around with componentry for position changes. Just ride the thing, as is. Either it rides fine for her or it doesn't. Sounds like it rides fine. Make the owner an offer.

Aero wheels won't do squat compared with this position. In fact at the OP's current speed, aero wheels probably wouldn't be noticeable.

Koyote

So it’s about collecting toys rather than about performing well in a triathlon.

That gives us some clarity, moving forward.

Eric F 

This is an emotion I am very familiar with. It’s a big part of my recent gravel bike purchase.

VegasJen

Maybe if I was pushing a solid 20mph pace, then the aero would be a big deal. I seriously doubt at my age and level if I'll ever get there. But as stated above, I'm just in this for the fun and a sense of accomplishment.
I'm a big believer that, in this country, "because I want to" is as valid as any reason you can come up with.

Lombard

I thought it was "Because I can".

georges1

Personally,I am not much into carbon fiber bikes, because you don't know how well or bad they will age. Comfort is not the best with Carbon on long riding distances and not everybike shop can repair carbon,better get a steel or a titanium triathlon bike.

VegasJen

I'm good with that too.
Not so sure I would want steel, but I would be happy with aluminum or titanium. Just a matter of availability.

tomato coupe

Let's inject some reality into this: 1. You can get a comfortable, long-distance bike made out of any material. 2. No bike shops are going to be able to repair either titanium or carbon frames, and very, very few could even repair a steel frame. 3. The OP is having a hard time finding a used TT bike where she lives; the chances of her finding one made out of titanium or steel is practically zero.

VegasJen

Indeed. I've seen older aluminum frames, but anything made, say, within the last 15-20 years is CF. Not to mention I need a small frame, so that inherently narrows my available options, short of going in and dropping five grand or better (which I don't have) on a brand new bike. I've never been one that wanted or needed the latest and greatest thing. I would be quite happy with a 20 year old bike still running cables and mechanical shifters just so long as it was solid and the fit was right.