Triathlon - fitting for tri-bikes

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Calminian
08-03-08, 02:27 PM
I haven't ridden for 20 years. My last bike was a Centurion Ironman, 54cm (but was basically a road bike). I've been training on the stationary bikes at the gym and am ready now to purchase my first tri-bike. I always felt too big on my old bike, and some LBS people were telling me back then I'd probably fit better on a 56cm. Therefore was planing on moving up to a 56cm on this purchase. But then I heard some things about tri-bikes needing to be a little smaller? ...that generally my size on a road bike might be a little bigger than a tri-bike. All the measuring I've done on myself tell me to go with a 56cm, but those were road bike criteria. Any feedback would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

Rahzel
08-04-08, 01:00 AM
Go to a bike shop that can fit you to a bike you purchase from them. Buy the bike from them, and get fitted from them. There is a LOT more to fitting a tri bike than seat tube length. In fact, seattube length is one of the LEAST important fitting measurements that are taken when you get properly fitted to a tri bike.

To find out if a bike shop will give you a good fitting, ask if they are FIST certified. If they're not, go someplace else.

Again, fitting on a tri bike is COMPLETELY different than fitting on a road bike. You may fit on a road bike that has a 56cm seat tube, but in tri bikes you could be anywhere from a 51 to a 58, depending on the brand and your fit measurements. And, to compound the issue, many of these bikes don't have any tubes that are the length in centimeters that the size represents! So get fit by someone who knows what they're doing.