Help a newbie pick a bike for dual use? commuting and a triathlon

[jabberwocky]

Welcome to the forum!

For your situation, I’d recommend a road bike of some sort. Take a few hours on a saturday, hit up a few local shops and test ride everything in your price range. $1000 is plenty to get a non-fancy but nice quality road bike. For future tri-racing and weekend rides, I’d stay away from touring/cyclocross/comfort/whatever bikes. Look at an actual skinny-tire road bike.

Used bikes are a possibility, but its hard to recommend for a new rider unless they have a friend who can help the selection and such. You can get a good deal, but you kinda need to know what you’re looking for (size and components) and also be able to judge the condition of any bikes you’re interested in.

[DismalScientist]

Well, this is going to be a tough one. For commuting you will see recommendations for either a cross or touring bike. See this thread: http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?4891-Funding-a-new-commuter.

If you want racing, you will want a racy road bike.

Bikes that are good for commuting generally have heavier frames, more relaxed and upright geometry, and heavier wheels with wider tires that can take bad road surfaces better. That said, some folks do commute on racy road bikes and, given your likely size, heavier wheels might not be needed for commuting uses.

[Greenbelt]

Felt F85 is $999 I think. http://www.feltbicycles.com/USA/2013/Road/F-Series-Road-Bike/F85.aspx

See this review of a pretty good setup with aftermarket aerobars: http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/gear/review.asp?reviewid=1479

Fast, aggressively positioned bike — a lot of the savings is that it comes with rugged (but not too racy) Shimano Tiagra components I think. (I’m not a component nerd, so others may correct me, but I’m pretty sure the 2013 has Tiagra.)

Disclosure — my wife owns a bike shop and sells these to entry tri folks on a budget, or just people who want a fast road bike on a budget, for that matter. -Jeff

[dasgeh]

First of all, welcome.

If you’re really only going to bike to work occasionally, just get a road bike. But be forewarned, there’s a high probability that you’ll LOVE riding to work, then you’ll want to do it all the time.

I’ve done a handful of tris, Olympic and sprint, on my aluminum road bike (Felt ZW 35). It’s great. The biggest thing is you want it to fit well. Any LBS (local bike shop) will let you take bikes out for a long test ride, and will help you with fit. Plus buying new from an LBS means you’ll have the support you want for the bike. You could buy used, and save a pretty penny, but you probably won’t get the long test ride, and you definitely won’t get the fitting and the support. Unless you’re sure about what you need, I would HIGHLY recommend going the LBS route. It’s hard to figure out if a bike will really fit you in less than 5 miles. If you aren’t sure about fit, you will hate those last 10-12 miles of the tri.

The downside of a road bike for commuting is that most don’t have places to attach a rack and fenders to the frame. They make racks and fenders that will work even without those places, but you can’t haul as much stuff. Not a deal breaker for commuting.

Once at the LBS, you can ask whether they have a road bike with eyelets for the fenders and rack. $1000 is on the low end for a road bike, but you can ask.

Good luck,
G

[jabberwocky]

Just as a point of comparison, I commute 14 miles round trip every day on my full carbon, sub 15lb Ibis Silk. I pack my stuff in a messenger bag. When I started commuting in 2005, I did panniers and racks, but I found that I prefer the messenger anyway.

If you really want to use a rack, your choices will definitely be more limited (actual road bikes rarely have eyelets for racks). It isn’t impossible, but its a lot less common.

[Tim Kelley]

Find a shop that you like, that has good customer interactions and is close by. Then check out what bikes they offer and see if you like any of them!

[lancito brazofuerte]

Comfort level is going to be key above all else. Finding a road bike that will work for both commuting/tri will be a challenge. You are going to have to compromise between comfort/performance. Most entry level road bikes will have rack/fender mounts, but tt/tri bikes will not. A comfort bike/hybrid will be more comfy, but you will sacrifice performance.

My suggestion would be this- find a decent used bike for commuting and buy either an entry level road/TT bike.

If your budget limits you to a “do it all” bike, an entry level road bike will be your best bet.

I would also suggest when you purchase the bike, also purchase another saddle, seatpost, and clip-on aerobars. Then have your shop fit you to the bike in road/commute position, mark your seatpost, and then fit you with the second saddle/seatpost/aerobar combo. Then mark that seatpost. I’ve seen way too many roadbikes set up for triathlons that absolutely do not work for group rides/casual rides/commuting.

Also remember, that clip-on aerobars are only arm rests. All your controls are still in the shifter/brake levers. So if you do ride around on the aerobars you will be much more unstable at low speeds and will have to change position to shift/brake.

The good thing is that clip-on aerobars are removable. Put ’em on when you train/race, take ’em off when you commute.

[dasgeh]

@lancito brazofuerte 51539 wrote:

Finding a road bike that will work for both commuting/tri will be a challenge.

I really disagree with this. I commute on a road bike, and have commuted on hybrids and dutch style bikes. For errands, dutch style is the way to go. Around here, we have CaBi. For commuting (i.e. going for a while, major up hills), I prefer the road bike set up. If she were going to commute full time, then she’d definitely want the option for racks, fenders, etc. You can do all that with a road bike, just not as elegantly.

If you really get into tris, you probably will want a more aggressive positioning for them. But as a beginer doing a sprint, I really think you’ll be happiest with one set up that just works. Cycling doesn’t have to be complicated. Just find something that fits and you’re happy with and roll on.

I will point out that if you purchase your bike from an LBS, they should include a fitting. If that fitting indicates that you’ll be more comfortable on a different saddle or with a different stem, etc, get them.

Personally, I don’t like aerobars and have done long and short tris without them. I wouldn’t buy anything until you get comfortable on the bike, and maybe borrow from someone else to see if you like them.

[ebubar]

I’m a new cyclist, so take all my “advice” with a grain of salt. I’m talking the really heavy, big rock salt type too…

I suspect I have more hills and a longer commute, so I’m looking more into cyclocross/touring style with three big rings in the front (more gears for when mah legs be sleepy!).

You might be good to look into some of the road/cross bikes that they sell at places like Performance? The gurus here know better than I, but my naive self would look at
an entry Fuji road or cross bike with two rings in the front (a compact double, if I understand the terminology right…). These can be had at Performance for around 600-700 with
Tiagra or 105 shifters, which I think are middle of the road/decent components. This leaves you will another 300-400 which i’m guessing would be enough to get another set of
wheels/tires to switch between comfortable commuting and speedy training?

As for shop recommendations, there’s no shortage of them around here. My basic breakdown of who i’ve actually had experience with:

1) Performance is all over the place. Their prices are low, you get lifetime maintenance (I think) but i’m
not sure about their staff. I’ve been into the store in Rockville a few times and was never offered help. Maybe they were just really busy.

2) Revolution Cycles. This is where I bought my hybrid. I can only describe it as “corporate-ish”. They seem fine. They fit me okay on my hybrid. Though oddly, they
sold my wife a new bike that had a poorly patched tube and she blew out her wheel at the beach because of it. That being said, they replaced tube and tire for no cost.
I don’t think they’re bad, but I don’t get that “cool and friendly bike shop vibe” from this place (I visited the Rockville branch).

2) City Bikes. I’ve visited the one in Chevy Chase. They’re very relaxed and chill. I think they know a lot about bikes, depending on who helps you.
I’ve test-ridden bikes in the middle of my commute home. They sell a lot and would probably be pretty helpful. Almost got my first “real bike” from them
because they were very honest with me and didn’t pressure to upsell me. I told them I just wanted to ride around on weekends with my wife and they
suggested an entry level hybrid. That’s before I knew I’d love commuting the 30 mile roundtrip!

3) Big Wheel Bikes. I’ve visited the one in Arlington. They were very friendly and let me test ride what I asked for. However, I don’t know that I’d recommend them as they
seem more intent on selling than fitting. They tried to sell me a 2012 Kona Jake at 59 cm which obviously would not fit me well (i’m more of a size 53-55). Furthermore, they were selling it for a high price
and made no mention that it was last year’s model. I also noticed they had some bike models/years listed wrong. Selling last years model for this years prices is not cool.
I don’t think they’re bad, but I don’t think they’d be my first choice.

5) Bikenetic. If you’re in Virginia, i’ve heard good things about these folks. Gave them a call yesterday in my hunt for a 2013 Kona Jake to test ride and they responded quickly.
Told me that they had it (field trip this weekend!) and suggested a few other cross bikes that were right in the similar price range. Their recommendations matched those of Proteus (below).
From what i’ve read of them, they will make sure you get fitted to a bike that is a good size for you and really just want more people to ride! My gut says this would be a great option.

4) Proteus. If you’re in Maryland around College Park, this place is great. Very relaxed store. They carry bikes that they know and like. Definitely a quality shop.
The owner, I believe, is on these forums and she helped fit me when I went in for some testing. I told them what I was looking for. Their recommendations matched
my own research with a surprise suggestion that I’d never considered. They took the time to make sure my seat was well adjusted and that I was comfortable on each bike.
Gave me a variety of options (aluminum, steel, three rings, two rings, shimano shifters, sram shifters, disc brakes, cantilever brakes!) and encouraged me to test ride each
one as long as I wanted/needed to. Didn’t pressure me to buy anything and were just genuinely great people. If you want good recommendations and want a good fit to your bike,
I think they are a great option!

Rambling done. Keep us posted on your hunt!

[henverde]

Thank you all so much for the feedback. It really is giving me a starting point to know what I should be looking for and considering. Sorry I can’t really respond to each on individually, because really it would be just a lot of thank you’s and that get’s boring So just know that I appreciate and did read what all of you had to say. every one of your comments has given me something to think about! It sounds like I’ll probably be looking for a road bike??!! (anxious feelings when making a decision ahhh). My commute right now is a wimpy 6 miles (total!) so I guess I’m not so worried about the bumpy roads I will encounter. I think I’ll be heading to a shop tomorrow since I’ve got the day off so I’ll let you all know how that goes!

ebubar – thanks for all the shop reviews. I actually live near TkPk too. Just checked out Proteus’ website and it looks like my kind of place. Plus some stuff about getting us ladies more involved in biking!

Thanks again everyone and of course still open for more thoughts!

p.s. dasgeh, i think you might be right. I would love to commute more but just hate my current bike so much that it’s made me think I won’t do it often…. but once I upgrade I don’t think I’ll ever drive to work (unless of course there’s rain… rain makes me melt like the wicked witch)

[DismalScientist]

I wholeheartedly endorse the used bicycle for a commuter. If space is not a constraint, buy the racy road bike you desire and check this thread for hot deals on a less racy bike for commuting: http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?3585-quot-I-saw-this-deal-and-thought-someone-might-like-it-quot-thread

[PotomacCyclist]

Capital Bikeshare is coming to Takoma Park, possibly this summer or fall. You could use CaBi for occasional commutes. Then for your own bike, you can focus on the triathlon and weekend rides. (There are issues with empty/full stations on CaBi during rush hour. You can use the Spotcycle smartphone app to check on bike/dock availability at various bike stations, in near-real time. You can also check the Capital Bikeshare map at their website for bike/dock updates.)

D.C. will also add stations near Takoma Park and Silver Spring, providing better connections for bike commuters and people running errands on CaBi.

This is a map showing the preliminary stations in Maryland as well as proposed stations in Virginia.

https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&gl=us&ptab=2&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=209109927891733107407.0004c0ca247d7af97d5d3

The map is out of date. Some of the proposed locations now have stations, while some proposed locations were replaced with nearby locations.

[Author]

Posts