- Now buying your first dedicated triathlon bike
can be a pretty big step for any aspiring triathlete,
understandably, it's a pretty daunting task
given the potential cost that bikes have.
But you needn't be breaking the bank.
So to help you out, I've actually come along to
my local bike shop and actually,
my first sponsors doing a triathlon, Total Fitness,
but we're going to take a look at some of the typical
bikes that you may see when you're looking at
entry level bikes and searching for that
new bike for yourself, and I'm going to give you a few tips
and recommendations as to what to look for.
(electricity humming)
Okay, so coming into triathlon we always recommend
just riding whatever you have,
at least for your first triathlon or two,
even if that is simply a mountain bike,
just to test the water before spending
any of your hard earned cash.
But once you have got the bug,
which we no doubt you will do,
then you'll probably likely want to invest
in a dedicated triathlon bike.
Now personally, I'd always recommend
coming in to your local bike shop like this
where you can actually see the bikes in person,
and perhaps get some specialist advice
from the staff, and if you're lucky,
you might be able to jump on some of those bikes
and try them for size and make sure
they actually fit for you.
But we'll get into that a little bit later on.
But here now, I've got what you'll probably be
presented with yourself whether you're shopping online
or in your local bike shop.
We've got here a road bike,
and on this side, a TT, or triathlon bike.
And a road bike is a really versatile bike if you like it.
It's absolutely in its element on the road,
weaving down lanes, climbing, descending,
riding in a group, I've even actually taken mine off road
at times, but I'd probably advise against that.
But in all seriousness, their handling's fantastic,
which is why they're the bike of choice
for pure road cyclists.
So, if you're after all that I've just mentioned
and perhaps just want to take part in the odd triathlon,
maybe once a year or so,
then I'd really recommend this kind of bike.
It's not the fastest option, but you can improve on that
by clipping some aerobars onto the handlebars up there,
and that's going to improve their aerodynamics.
And yet I'd say this is a really good choice of bike
when you're starting out in triathlon.
This was actually my choice when I first got into things,
but then of course we have the dedicated triathlon bike.
And these come in all shapes and sizes
and all price points, but the entry level,
there's a few things that you really want to be
looking out for and focusing on to make sure that
you're getting the most value for your money.
The first, and probably the most important in my opinion,
is the fit, you can have the most amazing bike,
but if it doesn't fit you it will more or less be useless,
or at the very least, very uncomfortable.
And this actually backs up my suggestion for
coming into a bike shop like this and checking out the bike,
making sure it fits, and finding out which size is for you.
Particularly as a lot of brands have
slightly different sizing and geometry.
The 54 centimeter in one brand can be very different
to a 54 centimeter in another brand.
But now moving on to probably the biggest
determinant in a bike's pricing,
and that is the frame material.
Now you've likely got two options here,
carbon fiber or aluminum.
Now in my opinion, carbon fiber is the nicest
feel on the road, it's light, it's responsive,
it's what the pros are riding,
but with that comes a slightly higher price tag.
Aluminum, on the other hand, is slightly heavier,
it's a stronger material, it's less prone to being damaged,
and let's not forget, actually a lot of the pros
were riding on aluminum framed bikes
a little over a decade ago.
But let's focus on that weight thing for a second,
'cause this actually does tend to be a big concern
from a lot of people out there,
and I get a lot of questions about this.
Weight actually doesn't matter on the flat,
and won't affect your speed all that much.
In fact there's a lot of very good time trialists out there
faster than you and I that are riding on heavier bikes,
aluminum, and even steel framed bikes.
But of course when you get to the hills,
the weight does start to matter a little more.
Now I'm not going to bore you with the science and the
relationship between speed, weight, and aerodynamics,
but essentially there is a tipping point
where the weight does start to matter a little more
on the hills, so all I'm saying is,
if you are living in a fairly hilly area
or you have a race entered that is quite hilly,
then it's just something to bear in mind and be aware of.
But now moving on to another factor to consider,
and that is the components on the bike.
And these are parts like the cranks,
the chain rings, the cassette, the gears,
the brakes, the shifters, and so on.
And these can actually really change the feel
and the enjoyment of the bike and the ride.
And actually on an entry level bike like this one,
you'll normally find it will come fully equipped
with a fairly mid-range group set,
which is absolutely fine to start out with.
The nice thing with the components is that
you can actually just change them in and out
and upgrade them with time,
so don't feel like you need to go in with the
all singing all dancing top of the range group set
because you can change them as you go.
Now a question that I do get asked quite a lot
is actually which components have the biggest impact?
In other words, which components should you be spending
the money on to start out with?
And what I normally say is actually the parts
that are moving, things like the cranks, the chain rings,
the wheels, those are going to have the biggest impact.
The things like the gears, or the shifters, or the brakes,
those can stay, as long as they're working,
they're not drastically going to change the bike and the ride.
But a bit of a follow on to the components is the storage.
Now this is particularly important in triathlon
given the length of some of the races
and the need to store spares, fuel, and fluid.
Now we tend to see full integration within
some of the top end bikes where we'll have
a fully integrated hydration system between
the aerobars here and the bento box,
as this bike does here, and various other areas for storage.
And these have actually been much needed
in triathlon for years, so they're absolutely fantastic,
and as I mentioned already,
these tend to be integrated within
some of the top end bikes.
But we are starting to see that trickle down
into to some of the lower end and entry level bikes,
as we've got just here with the bento box example.
But if your bike that you're buying doesn't come
with this level of integration, don't worry,
because you can actually add some of this afterwards.
We've got brands like Profile Design, XLAB,
which do products that you can just attach on afterwards,
we've got a little bento box there,
or a hydration system there,
to really fill that need for that storage.
And my final point to consider is the condition of the bike,
and obviously this isn't relevant
for a new bike such as this,
if you're buying it from a store or online,
you kind of just hope they're in good nick.
But I do appreciate that there are some
really good second hand deals out there,
as other triathletes are starting to
pass on some of their old bikes.
But what I would say is just be wary and be cautious,
in particular with the frame.
If they're maybe damaged, they've got a dent, a crack,
or they're corroded, you probably don't want to be
taking on a problem bike like that.
But on the flip side, if the frame is fine
and the components are just a little bit worn out
and maybe need replacing, try and look past that.
You might be actually taking on an absolute bargain.
I know a lot of friends that have taken on second hand
bikes and turned them into top end racing machines.
As I mentioned earlier,
you can easily just change in and out
and upgrade your components nice and easily.
Now if you have enjoyed today's video
made sure you hit that thumbs up button,
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If you'd like to find out a little bit more
about what a triathlon bike is,
Phrase has done a great explainer on that just here,
if you'd like to see Phrase's bike fit,
you can see that by clicking just down here.