Triathlon - Which bike?

Hi all! I've had my head spinning with all the new bikes out there, the prices, etc.

Background: Back in 1991 I did a Danskin triathlon (0.5/15/3.1 mile I seem to recall). Now 18 years older I've gotten roped into doing a sprint tri (.25/12.5/2) in September.

So my first thought was to dust off my "retro" Nishiki road bike, but the bike shop I brought it too all but laughed me out the door. :(

So I set off on my search for a bike. In my last tri I did -- by far -- the best in bike portion of the race. I'm looking to finish mostly -- turning 44 and not in great physical shape 20 weeks out.

I start thinking around $500, but have quickly learned there's not much out there in that range that trips my trigger. Then I happen across an Ironhorse (~2.5 hours away)-- it has Ultegra shifters among the components I've seen on the name brand bikes running 2-3X the $950 price. It's a men's compact frame that seems to fit me very well. As teetery as I am having not been on a bike in 18 years, it felt very comfortable. I've also tried a Giant Women's (this bike was just a little too small, wish they had the larger size to try), a Scott (fit well but seemed a bit heavy) and a Trek 1.2 WSD. The last one of these is available from a very nice local bike shop for $800. I'm quite impressed with this bike but wondering about the Sora components and shifting with them. Yes ... I've read many of the Tiagra / Sora / 105 threads here and in some ways I just get more confused. I like the weight of this bike, but I really wonder what a few pounds on a bike when I weigh 200 (don't look it but that's the truth) really does for me.

So couple of questions:

1. Ironhorse or Trek or some other recommendation? For $150 more the IH seems a good deal for the components. OTOH, the brand name? Then I just found [B] the Novara Carema Women's bike for <$700 that sounds pretty good. (http://www.rei.com/product/775743). Other recommendations and/or any constructive comments are welcomed!

2. How important is weight -- it's not a super long ride but I'm familiar with the course and there will be some uphills. The Trek seems to have quite the edge in that department on all but the Ironhorse

3. How important the shifters?

Even if this tri is my last hurrah, I plan to keep biking for fitness and pleasure (LOTS of bike paths in my area), so I'm trying to look at this as a longer term investment.

Thanks in advance :)

I can really only speak about bikes in general, since I'm doing my first tri this spring as well.

1) The Novara: Components are entry-level. Test ride it and see how responsive it is (shifting, etc) before considering it. You do want something that shifts smoothly. All considered, frame + carbon fork for that money isn't bad, though.

2) New Bikes/Bike shops: Try to find a last-season model close-out, your money will go further.
My first bike was a last year model Trek (equivalent to the 2.1) for $975 - MSRP was $1200. My second bike is a last season full carbon fuji for $1300, MSRP was $2300. Buying power is superb! (Btw, really liked my Trek).

3) Weight - I don't know about the weight weenies around the Tri forum, but IMHO until you are in a competitive stage of your "tri" career, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Just get a comfortable bike that you like and have fun!

4) Shifters - Shifters on my new bike are 105 compared to (whatever I had?) on my previous bike. I notice a huge difference, and its great! I don't know that you would need to go up to Ultegra to get something that is reliable, though.

5) Nishiki- is it fun to ride? is it comfortable? do you think you could do your tri on it? It might be just the tool you need to train for & complete a 12 mile ride!

How many miles a week/year do you think you will ride? The more you ride, the more you should spend to get a reliable machine. Don't forget to budget for things like shoes/pedals (if you go clipless), pump, bike/tri shorts, etc.

awwwwww. I'm riding a 1983 Nishiki for tri...

But anyway go for the best frame you can get because you can always swap out parts later. Get any old shifters as long as they go in a reachable place. (curse you downtube shifters!) As for weight lighter is always better but two pounds off the frame is the same as two pounds off your belly. I'd say go with what fits well, look at craigslist, and if all else fails a Cromoly Nishiki roadbike is still a great bike.

awwwwww. I'm riding a 1983 Nishiki for tri...
... and if all else fails a Cromoly Nishiki roadbike is still a great bike.

Well that sure is nice to hear! I went to a Cannondale dealer yesterday who steered me towards a Q4(?) with the upright handle bars. I must admit it was comfortable to ride.

But when I mentioned my Nishiki he suggested I bring it in. For around $100 it can be tuned up and fitted with new tubes & tires. That may well be worth it for me. The Tri is not until September so I can start with this and upgrade later. Heck ... it will help me take some pounds off the belly before I unload all those pounds from my wallet :p:p

I have two concerns: 1. The frame appears to be bent (one of the bars to the back wheel on the gear side), although I have no idea how that would have happened. If it is bent (as opposed to being part of the design?) it probably was bent back when I rode it just fine in '91. 2. It may well be too small for me. When I bought it I had not been on a bike in over 5 years and was very uncomfortable with any sort of middle bar. So I got the mixte frame as it was called at the time and a smaller bike ... the seat is jacked way up! Going to try to inflate the tires today just to see if I can ride it down the block (probably pop them LOL!) and get a better feel for if it is still comfy before I drop any $$ into it. I'm amazed that this time around (after significant weight gain and loss and eighteen years passed) I am feeling quite comfortable getting on and off even the men's frame bikes.

Thank you for the detailed response! It sure helps to get opinions.

On the beginner tri website they suggest just using basically "any old bike" until you have one or two sprint tris under your belt. While I agree with this in principle, at my age and fitness level, I'm willing to shell out a few $$ to give my body as much advantage as my wallet can handle. These new fangled shifters sure are nifty compared to what I have (I guess they are on the head set/tube?). The only reason I would go with the Ultegras is because that Ironhorse is a few years old model so it will be a great deal. Indeed I mentioned that bike to the salesman who encouraged me to refurb my Nishiki (rather than laughing at me ... BTW I walked out of that shop and will NEVER give them ANY business out of principle for that ... even if it is a highly rated shop that I could walk to from my home!), and he asked why I hadn't bought it! LOL I probably would own it now if it hadn't been the first shop I looked at bikes at! Also since the shop is far away & age of the model, I have to consider the warranty/service thing in the picture.

Now that I've tried out a few bikes I plan to call around to shops for '08 models. I've had pretty good luck finding the smaller men's frames, not so much on the women's frames ... and you are SO right about getting bang for the buck. I'm kinda partial to that Trek ... too bad the '08 in another shop is just too small for me :(

Two votes to not obsess about weight of the bike. That's good to hear!