Are Road bikes worth it and how much should I pay???

[emily_in_nc]

One way to get a better road bike for a lot less is to buy used. It can be difficult to find odd sizes (very small, very large) though, and you'd definitely want to be able to test ride any bike you're considering buying used as a newbie, since fit is so important. Once you know the size/geometry that you need, buying off eBay, TeamE For Sale/Wanted section, craigslist, etc. become possibilities - but I wouldn't do it as a newbie.

Good luck!
Emily

[Nanci]

If you only have one bike that you are going to ride on the road, it should probably be a road bike, not a tri-specific bike. I think it's nice to have both kinds- road and mountain. Even if you just ride easy trails, you can't do that with a road bike, and the mountain bike _can_ go on the road, but things will be so much easier and more fun if you have a skinny tire bike.

You do see mountain bikes at triathlons, but infrequently. But if that's what you have, and you want to do the tri- go for it!!

Nanci

[KSH]

Your situation is similar to mine.

Back in September 2004... I decided I want to start doing tri's. It was then that I realized that I needed a bike.

I went into the shop and looked at hybrid's and road bikes. A tri bike crossed my mind briefly, but they were out of my price range.

So, after looking at hybrid's and road bikes, I decided I would take the plunge and go with the road bike, as it seemed a bit more "serious" as far as competition in tri's goes.

I have not regretted that decision!

My budget pretty much dictated what bike I would get, so I ended up with a Trek 1000 ($600). 3,200 miles later... I am still riding that bike an average of 80 miles a week!

I *dream* of having a really nice road bike AND tri bike someday... and honestly, I hope get a tri bike to prepare for my Ironman (2010 is my year!).

But, a road bike is a great place to start... you will do just find in sprints and olympic distances with it... AND you can ride in groups and not get nasty looks.

To learn more about tri's and all the details about the equipment... check out the "triathlon" section on this board and check out: www.beginnertriathlete.com.

GOOD LUCK!

PS- What should you expect to pay? For a new road bike, the price will start around $600 and go UP from there! I wish I had been able to spend another $500 on my bike, so I could have gotten better gearing on it. My gearing is a pain!

[freshsushi]

I really don't know much about Triathelons, but since it's August and almost fall, mabey you could hold off on purchasing a bike until September - since cycling season is almost over, you can probably get a really good deal on a road/tri bike from your LBS. If you can still find a leftover model from last year, that will probably be a good deal too...

[Bikingmomof3]

Welcome to TE! I cannot be of a lot of help, since i am new to biking. I did however discover that one can indeed buy a very nice road bike for well under $1,000. I bought a Trek 1000 which I love (it was about $650). I looked at 3 other models and all were under $1,000. Yes, there are bikes I drool over, but my budget only allows me to drool, not actually buy.