Newbie looking for advice on first bike

[vince]

Hello everyone! Forgive me if this has been covered a thousand times already, but Im looking for a bike and wanted some help. The bike is actually for a friend who's just done her first sprint tri using a hybrid and wants to upgrade. Her budget is up to $1000, she's about 5"3 and she's looking for an entry level tri bike, does anyone have any good personal recommendations? Would a road bike be better? I've read a few other posts where people swear by tri bikes, even for training, is this a mistake? She's an excellent all rounder and is very dedicated so may out grow a road bike quickly but has only the money for one or the other. Any help appreciated!

[Nanci]

Hey Vince,

If you Google "road or tri bike" you will find a bunch of info on this. Basically, if your friend is ONLY going to do tri's, and has no interest in road riding at all, such as Centuries or group rides, then a tri bike is ok, but if she wants to do anything else, it's best to get a road bike and use it for tri's.

There are definitely nice entry level bikes of both types, especially in the $1200 range. Your friend can decide road or tri, then she should ride every bike in her size she can get her hands on, because what looks cool in a magazine isn't necessarily what feels good in real life.

Then, if the chosen bike is available at your local bike shop (and you may find great deals on 2005's now) then it's best to support them, but if not, you can look on eBay or use Froogle to find the cheapest price. I have bought two bikes by mail order, and couldn't have been happier with both of them.

Nanci

[RoadRaven]

Vince... what does she want to do... is she a triathelete or mutisporter as your mention of a tri-bike makes me wonder? Or does she just want to cycle?
What kind of riding does she have in mind?

That would be where to begin...