Hi! I'm new to this site, and totally delighted to have found it! I have next-to-zero knowledge about biking, but lots of interest to learn! This summer my Dad and I trained together and competed in our first triathlon in Traverse City, MI. It was AWESOME! I'm totally hooked, and super proud of myself because this is something I never thought I'd be able to do - or want to do! My biggest goal was to complete each event without stopping, which I did. I ended up being pretty close to dead-last though, lol.

Where I lost most of my time was, surprisingly, on the bike. I have a 70's Schwinn Traveler, which I bought for $50 from a garage sale and thought it would at least be a step-up from my Magna mountain bike, lol. Well, I live in NW Ohio, and we do not have the hills that Northern MI has! I got passed by practically every single biker! It was so discouraging! I know I definitely need to train harder next summer, but I also think a lot has to do with the bike.

So my question is: I was reading some posts where people really seem to dig the steel bikes. Well, my bike is definitely steel! I was originally thinking I needed to just look for a used road bike so I could be more competitive, but now I'm wondering if maybe I could just put the money into my steel bike? New wheels, gears, etc? I want it to be fast, good on hills, and overall very competitive. (I need to improve my time on the bike because there's no saving my run - lol!)

Sorry if that's a really goofy question! Thanks for any responses!

~Chelsea