The biggest step in figuring out what type of bike you should ride in for your triathlon is to determine what kind of money you have in your budget for the right bike. This is going to be absolutely the biggest factor in helping you to determine which bike is best going to meet your needs. Knowing that you are going to spend $1,000 or less, $2,000 or less, or anything you have to spend is going to narrow your options down considerably and very quickly, giving you a much more manageable pool of bikes to choose from so that you can make the right decision.
Once you have figured out the budget end of things, the main issue at hand is going to be to find the right fit and the right comfort of your ride. The most popular today is going to be carbon fiber when it comes to providing you with comfort of ride as well as solid power delivery between the foot and the pedals and right onto the wheels. You will find that aluminum is going to be slightly stiffer, and in theory this is going to offer a much more responsive feel when it comes to pedaling as well as handling, but there is a downside: There is less shock absorbing power coming from the frame when you are on a rough road, and there are plenty of rough roads involved in triathlon bicycling.
Steel is generally perceived to be the original standby, but steel is most often heavier than carbon fiber, aluminum and titanium. Still, with steel you will generally be looking at a much more palatable price. If you are going to attempt a much longer race, then you should be thinking about shock absorbing capabilities. If you only plan on doing short jaunts, then you might actually want to consider the tighter feel that aluminum and steel afford you. Even at its very worst, aluminum is more than capable of being an excellent bicycle material, so don’t discount it.
Next you are going to want to consider the fit, as this is really the most vitally important aspect of choosing your bike. The bike that you choose absolutely has to be able to fit your body. Some frames come like running shorts, in small size, medium size and large size, but these are extremely limited selections and they are not going to fit people that are long and lean or that have long and lean legs. At this point, it truly becomes a matter of choosing and relying on the right bicycle specialist to help you find a frame size and shape that is going to give you the characteristics that you need to meet your triathlon goals while not surpassing your budget.
Photo credits: KevinSaunders
Originally posted 2009-09-15 03:16:25. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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