New Bike & Seat

[Trixiee]

Hi,
I am new to riding. My goal is to do 2 or 3 duathlons this summer. Can someone provide me with some advise as to how to find a good bike for this purpose? I am hoping to get some money back when I do my income taxes, so for now, I'll continue to train using my touring bike. I don't think that heavy bike will be suitable tho' for duathlons...or am I assuming incorrectly?

After reading these boards, I'm having nightmares about choosing the correct seat for me. Could someone give me a "heart to heart", frank explanation of what exactly to be aware of when purchasing a bike?

How do I know which bike shop will be the most helpful? I have a choice of 2 shops in my town. One sells Giant bikes, the other Shimano. Any preferences between those two bikes among you women?

BTW...I'm 41, 5'3", and weigh about 150 lbs. (Hoping to trim off 10 lbs before my first Duathlon in June)

Any advise would be greatly appreciated!

[Trixiee]

Anybody else read this?....Just wondering!

[J**]

Trixiee--I'm not a duathlete or a triathlete, but since no one else has responded to your questions, I've got some suggestions.

First, educate yourself--which I realize is what you were trying to do by posting here. But there's another way. I recommend two useful books: A Woman's Guide to Cycling and The Female Cyclist. The first is packed with good info on bike buying and fitting along with lots of other stuff for a new rider. The second book is a little more advanced, so may be useful for your duathlon training.

As far as choosing a saddle, most shops will let you try one for a ride or two, then exchange it for another until you find the one that's right for you. Ask before you buy.

I hope some of this is helpful. Most of all, have fun cycling!
--J

[Trixiee]

thnx j!

I will try that suggestion!

trix

[debict]

Trixie,
I went to a local bike shop and went window shopping after I did some on line research. I wanted a red bike that was comfortable, at the time. Now I ride a road bike, not quite as comfy, but it is red .

When I went to the shops, I talked a lot to the folks there and if I didn't like one person, I tried on another day or went to a different shop. I looked at all of the different types of bikes, they have bikes just for road, bikes just for dirt, combination bikes, and what they're calling comfort bikes for the new casual riders. If you're racing for a long period of time, weight and comfort are important. Also, it must be fitted to you.

I researched www.trek.com just to see the different types of bikes that they have. They have a cool wizard that asks you a bunch of questions and then suggests a style of bike and several alternatives. That's how I knew what to look for at the shop.

I also looked at other web sites for bikes, I started by typing bicycles in my search engine and went from there. I was too impatient to wait for a book. Good luck. Let us know what you end up with.

By the way, what's a duathon?

[assassin__x]

A duathalon is like a triathalon without the swimming. As far as standard distances go for this I don't know what they are.

[debict]

So it's running and cycling only then, right?

[Trixiee]

Hi Debict and Assasin!

The Duathlon that I am thinking about trying is a 10K run, 40 K bike, and 5 k run.

I'm starting out slowly though. This weekend is my first 5 k run of the season. Next month I'm doing a 10 K run, and in June a 40K bike ride. If all goes well (and I'm still injury free), I'm going to do either this duathlon, or a Women's only Give it a tri... 300m swim, 10 k bike, 2 k run.
Thanks very much for the bike research info. I'm from a small city, and only have a choice of 2 stores.... Both were very freindly and helpful when I went in for an initial peek.

I'm off to visit that Trek site right now!

Thanks again!

[debict]

Thanks for the info. I look forward to hearing how you made out. I hope you keep us updated.

Personally, I'm just starting back up for the season and my husband and I joined a local club. We went for a short ride and it was pretty fun even though they road a lot slower than we usually do. Some day I'd like to ride accross Connecticut or do some low-end races. I'm not a runner at all and a very poor swimer so I'll just stick to my bike.

Good luck on your search and runs/rides/swims.
Deb

[ayermail2]

Trixiee - how'd the bike-picking go?
When's the duathlon? Wanted you to know that we're all rooting for you!!

[Trixiee]

Hi There!

Well, to keep you all abreast of my accomplishments (I'm so very proud of myself):

Did the National Capitol 10K in Ottawa, in a (for me) respectable time. Had a blast!

Bought a Giant OCR 1. Absolutely luv it! Have a pair of padded shorts, but my bum still hurts after 25- 30 K. (Any suggestions?) I'm thinking that:
a) I just need to get used to it, or b) that that extra 10-15 lbs. sitting on that little seat is just too much for my butt to bear!

Any how, I did the 40K on Sunday, with my Dad, who has always owned and raced a bike. We did it in 1 hour, 54 min. The ride had a choice of 40 or 100K, so being a newbie, we chose the 40K. Next year, the 100K!

So, the duathlon decision. I'm still very slow, as you can see by my time. But, I'm going to do one. The question is when. My dad is trying to convince me to do one next week, in Ohio. But I'm thinkinmg I still want to train a bit more. There's a womens only DU coming up in July. I promised my dad that FOR SURE, we would do one together in August.

So, my dilemma now: I know I can finish the du in Ohio, but I know I'll be very nervous and slow, or do I let my dad wait until August? (He is my biggest supporter, and my hubby thinks I'm a bit nuts to train the way I have been, although he luvs my new "firmness"!)

Thanks you guys, for "listening"!

Trixiee

[ayermail2]

CONGRATULATIONS on the runs and ride!


Maybe you could do the July women's, with Dad cheering, and that way you'd feel more confident for the August one WITH Dad... if he wants to do the first event with you, then you might want to wait til August...

If you start to feel like you've got a cold, you may be training too hard...otherwise, YOU GO GIRL!

As for your "bum"... Since you haven't been riding all that long, it could just be getting used to things... but, just in case, check that your seat isn't too narrow, or your sit bones will hang over the edge. (sit on a curb to feel your sit bones - that's what needs to be on the seat!)

[Trixiee]

Thanks a lot! I did not realize that that was how the determination was made! Something so simple, yet so very important!

I went for another beautiful ride tonite! Wow! This biking thing is for me!

Just wondering... how many of you have computers, and if so, which kind do you recommend? Do you also have a heart rate monitor? Am I getting way too serious?

Thanks again, for the pertinent advise!

Trixiee

[ayermail2]

Never too serious as long as you're still having fun!!!

My sister (coelura) had the same questions a little bit ago...you'll want to check out another post series on the discussion board in the general topics section - on cyclocomputers & heart rate monitors....

[lyndaj]

Congratulations on the new bike. As for your bum, you may have to spend some bucks and get a better saddle (not necessarily women specific). I bought a Trek WSD 2200 last year and the first thing to go was the Bontrager women's saddle. Replaced it with a Selle Italia Flite. Much better.