What Kind of Bike Do You Need For a Triathlon?

Without a doubt you could spend more money on triathlon bikes than any other bit of triathlon gear.

So it helps if you know what you need, what to look for and what your options are before you set out to part with your cash. Before spending money on a triathlon bike, read on to find out everything you need to know about how to choose the right one.

If you are just starting out in triathlon, then any bike will do so long as it has two wheels and brakes that work!

Even a mountain bike will do, but generally people will compete on traditional-style racing bikes with drop handlebars.

There are many things to consider when choosing a bike, from the type of riding you do to the distances you will cover. Other things to add into the mix for you to think about are gears, wheels, bars, pedals, shows, saddles, tyres. And then once you've decided on all that, you need to make sure you get a bike that fits.

The more you pay, the lighter the bike becomes due to better quality (lighter and stronger) components.

How Much Difference Does The Cost Make?
This depends on how competitive you are. Generally the more expensive the bike, the lighter it is. If you're serious about improving times then a lighter bike will help.

A more expensive bike will last longer because of the higher quality components. This becomes more relevant the more you plan to ride your bike. Even a cheaper bike will last a long time if you look after it and don't ride it for hours every day!

How To Choose A Bike
The best way to choose the right bike is to go to a reputable bike shop and get advice.

The sort of questions they should be asking you, or information you should be giving them are:

What are you wanting to do on your bike (ie race fast vs complete course, race Ironman vs sprint triathlons)What distances will you coverHow much training do you plan to doWhat type of riding will you do - hilly or flatWhat is your budgetDo you have any back problems (this might restrict your mobility and therefore a smaller/shorter bike would suit you better so that you are more upright).

Our general advice is to buy at the upper end of your budget because you will notice the difference in quality.

Carbon Frame or Aluminium?

Carbon fibre is generally lighter, but cheaper carbons offer no advantage over a similarly priced aluminium frame and may even be heavier.

What you choose comes down to personal preference: do you like the look, and does it fit well are more important that whether the frame is carbon or aluminium.

Generally we would advise you go for an aluminium if you are going for the cheaper end of the price range. This is because when a carbon frame get damaged it is harder to spot because the damage is often internal. Also, if they fail they tend to fail spectacularly. If an aluminium frame gets damaged it is usually easy to spot.

Wheels
You could easily spend more on wheels than the rest of the bike in total. Once you have a bike that fits, the thing that will make the biggest difference to your performance is the wheels.

If you want to spend money on something, then spend it on wheels and tyres rather than an expensive carbon fibre seat post or static components.

Losing rotating mass (weight) on a bike makes a significant difference to performance So anywhere you can lose weight of things that rotate (so mainly the wheels, bit also the chain set) the better or faster you will go.

If you want your wheels to be multi-purpose - in other words you are going to use them every day and are going to be doing a variety of riding, both hilly and flat then you don't want anything to deep section (depth of the rim).

This is because the wind affects the wheels if they have deep rims, and they are also generally heavier, although expensive ones can still be light.

We would generally recommend aluminium wheels unless you have a lot of money to spend. Carbon wheels are expensive, and GOOD carbon wheels are VERY expensive.

Carbon wheels are also less reliable. They are more prone to fractures and control is less predictable in the wet than aluminium wheels.

If you just want a good set of racing wheels and can afford it then go for carbon ones.

So the bottom line is, spend as much as you can on wheels!

Tyres
Good quality tyres are a worthwhile investment. Better quality material gives you longer lasting tyres that are more puncture resistant and lighter than lower quality tyres.

A wheel is designed to have either clincher or tubular ('tubs') tyres. You can't change from clincher to tubs without changing the wheel. It is possible to change the rim of the wheel to enable you to change tyres but this is complicated and if you want to do this speak to a bike shop!

Clinchers are the most conventional tyres. They have a bead that hooks onto the rim of the wheel, with an inner tube inside.

Tubulars has an inner tube that is sewn into the tyre and then glued to the rim of the wheel. So you don't have a separate inner tube and tyre.

Once upon a time tubs were faster because they were lighter and better quality than clinchers. However advances in clinchers over the last 10 years means that there is now no real difference between the two types.

Clinchers tend to be much more convenient for most people. If you have top-end carbon wheels then tubs are better because the way the rims of the wheels are constructed means that the wheel can be lighter and stronger.

As with other bike parts, there are lots of different brands of both clinchers and tubs. Generally the more you pay the better the tyres are for their purpose.

If you only buy one set then don't get the lightest or the heaviest, choose something in the middle. This means you get the best for performance in terms of puncture resistance, weight, grip and rolling resistance.

Top Tips For Choosing A Triathlon Bike

Got to a specialist shopThe more you pay the better the quality bike you will getSpending money on good quality wheels and tyres can make all the difference to a cheaper bike frameTry the bike before you buy it to make sure it is the right size and get it set up to fit you properly

My name is Rhona Pearce.

I have a degree and postgraduate degree in sports science and exercise physiology, and 10 years experience of providing sports science support to triathletes. My husband is a triathlon coach for the British Olympic programme and together we have developed this website: http://www.intelligent-triathlon-training.com/

Visit it for lots of practical information and advice about all aspects of triathlon training, nutrition, triathlon gear, injury prevention and recovery.