So my wife wants to do a triathlon. I did a few in my mid 20's. I'm 38 now, but I've running and mountain biking and going to the gym regulary since I was in college, so I'm am looking to be as competive as I can be, My wife just wants to finish, since it's her first. She is planing on riding her mountain bike, I'm trying to talk her into getting a road bike. Now I remember there were quite a few begingers riding mountain bikes back when I did a few sprint triathlons 14 years ago, when I was living in Rhode Island. We are in Colorado now, the triathlon we are doing is a sprint, 800m swim, 15mi bike 3.1 run (I think). Anyway, how out of place will she be on a mountain bike. Are there generally alot of beginers at these sprint triathlons. I've been looking to get back into doing triathlons for years and I plan to stay with it. I hope it's a good experience for my wife so she will stick with it also.

I have seen at least one mountain bike (usually several) in every sprint I have done. I have even seen them at the olympic distance race. With that said, I think your wife would be more inclined to get into the sport if she has the right equipment. Riding 16 miles on a tri/road bike is a lot more fun than being left by everyone else just because of equipment. If she is going to put the time into training then she should invest the money in a bike to make that training more productive. You may be better off going with a cheap road bike until she realizes that she likes the sport. She can always use it to go on rides with you even if she doesn't stay with triathlon.

Start by going to you LBS for a basic fitting (i.e. just to get the right sized frame) and see what the prices are for their bikes. Then check ebay for bikes of about the same size. You might be able to find something for just a few hundred dollars. My wife started last year with a mid-level bike (Felt S32). Her only previous athletic endeavors were equestrian riding and the occasional jog/trip to the gym. Now she is winning her age groups and stealing my bike. She was hooked on it right from the start and didn't have to put in much money to be on an even footing with her competitors.

I've seen a single speed, a folding bike, and numerous cruisers. One woman was on a beach cruiser.

A MTB with gears would be fine.

Put road tires on the MTN bike & off you go. Gear up later.

There are a number of mountainbikes at the sprint races I've participated in. Undoubtedly, a tri-bike or road bike would be the fastest, but not necessarily the most comfortable option if your wife doesn't ride a lot. If she's not ready to part with her MTB, at least exchange the knobby tires for slicks. That will make a substantial difference in speed.

Sprint triathlon i did in November had a number of mountain bikes. She'll be fine. Put some slick tires, and some clip on aero bars on it, and she can even be reasonably fast.

I did my first road sprint tri on an MTB (even with knobbies.) Still beat half of the people there, and saw a few others on an MTB. Although my time wasn't good (40 min 20k) I still had a ton of fun!

Next time I do a road tri I'll get at least a road bike. But for now, I'm sticking to off-road stuff.

Definately put slick tires on the MTB ... and yes .... I have also seen plenty of MTB at every Sprint distance TRI i have done .... she won't feel out of place, slow - compared to a road/tri bike, but not out of place

There are at least 5-10 mountain bikes in every race I do. They actually have their own category. Put some slicks on it and send her off. I wouldn't buy a road bike until I knew she would like it for good.

Hope this is in line with this thread - I am a 40 yr old woman and have decided the same thing - doing a sprint triathlon in August. I have a 15 yr old mountain bike and am considering buying a used roadbike just to see how i like it and make the 12mile bike leg less difficult. I've toyed with the idea of putting slick tires on (I have semi-slicks now), but I think I will actually enjoy riding on the road more if I have a bike built for it.

Hope this is in line with this thread - I am a 40 yr old woman and have decided the same thing - doing a sprint triathlon in August. I have a 15 yr old mountain bike and am considering buying a used roadbike just to see how i like it and make the 12mile bike leg less difficult. I've toyed with the idea of putting slick tires on (I have semi-slicks now), but I think I will actually enjoy riding on the road more if I have a bike built for it.
If you switch from a mountainbike to a road bike, you will probably increase your speed by quite a bit. When you are riding a bike, most of your energy is going towards propelling yourself through the wind. The lower body position you get with most road bikes will be more aerodynamic compared to your mountainbike.

Whether you will enjoy it more is questionable. Some people find the position on a roadbike to be uncomfortable. Others prefer a more "bent over" position. Of course, proper fitting is essential to comfort. If you have a few good bike shops in your area, try out a few models and see what you think.

for what it is worth (probably not much) I tried several bikes today because i didn't have to work. I really enjoyed the OCR 3 womens frame/bike for 2006 above the rest. it was a noticable improvement to me. i know we are all differnent,but now i really want my ocr 3 womens design bike!! hopefully in a week. it was a lot more fun on the road than my MB. :)