Triathlon - Will this bike work for my triathlon?

I have a Kona Jake the Snake that I'm planning to use for my sprint triathlon coming up in July. It will be my first race. Right now I use this bike to commute (hence the rack and fenders...those will be removed).

Two questions....Does this bike fit me? I sometimes wonder if it is too small. I feel like there is a lot of weight on my hands when I'm on the horns. I have had some back pain that started before biking....that being said I get sore in the drops before too long.

If the bike fits, is this a decent option for a triathlon bike? I have a very limited budget. If I were to buy I'd sell this bike to fund most or all of whatever new purchase I decided on. Thanks!

Ride what you got.

That said, check Craigslist in your area. My sis-in-law is starting tri's too, and she found an older bike with drop bars, bought it, decided it wasn't quite what she wanted, sold that one, got a better Giant bike, decided it was too big, sold it, then finally found a newer Fuji her size. I guess my point is that if you buy a bike on CL and decide it's not for you, you can probably move up without losing too much (or maybe even making a little money) in the process.

My first reaction is that the bike does look a little small for you, but I am fairly new at this bike stuff myself.

I did my first time trial on my commuter, averaged just under 18 mph on a 5 mile course. Not great, but ya gotta start somewhere. I didn't even take the rack off!

When you do the sprint tris you'll see some crazy bikes you wouldn't expect. When I did my 1st tri there was a woman on a 2 speed beach cruiser. I heard someone say she had 2 speeds. Hard and F'n hard.

Mountain bikes, commuters, tri bikes, road cycles, and walmart bikes from the 80s will be out there. Only bikes I haven't seen are SS and BMX bikes. Though my buddy and I plan to do a sprint triathlon on St Simons Island in October and we want to do the bike ride on this...
http://www.wreckcarsonline.com/photos/1236_lg.jpg

No one is going to be able to tell you with any accuracy if your bike fits or not based on photos.
It might be worth your time to take it in to a local bike shop and have them at least give you a "quick fit". Since you mentioned back pain, I'd suggest paying a local shop to do a proper computerized fit.

As for the bike itself being appropriate for triathlon racing? Yes, it'll work. You aren't going to be the fastest rider out there, but I can almost guarantee that you won't be the slowest.

what MSU said. Also do you have bigger pictures? From what I can tell on the small bottom right one I think your leg is just about right at BDC (Bottom Dead Center). IIRC you want your leg to almost but not lock out.

Any decent local bike shop will let you get on some rollers and look at your body positioning even if yo have no intention of purchasing anything from their store. But if it doesn't fit right then they can shim you bars for you and tell you where to put your seat post. I'm not sure of the pricing on that.

Some riding gloves can make a huge difference too. You can get some very nice Pearl Izumi gloves for roughly $20-$30 and they work wonders.

Also do you know your height, inseam, weight, etc? Along with top tube length on your bicycle or any other dimensions you can grab.

Oh, also, even if we were able to tell you something from an online photo, the pictures are rather small, and hard to make out any detail.

Ride what you have. You are out TRIing for yourself and no one else. I have seen people on all types of bikes. Women with cruisers and baskets on the front to overgrown BMX bikes. If it is a sport you are really into then make the move and invest. Until then don't worry about it and have fun.

Ride what you have. You are out TRIing for yourself and no one else. I have seen people on all types of bikes. Women with cruisers and baskets on the front to overgrown BMX bikes. If it is a sport you are really into then make the move and invest. Until then don't worry about it and have fun.

That really is one of the coolest things about tri--much less equipment snobbery than among roadies, yet if you want to there's no limit to what you can spend on a Tri bike. :)

That really is one of the coolest things about tri--much less equipment snobbery than among roadies, yet if you want to there's no limit to what you can spend on a Tri bike. :)

I was amazed at what was out there at my 1st triathlon. My 1st was an Olympic and Sprint triathlon so you had people who probably had more money invested in a tri-suit and helmet than I had my bike. To people sporting Walmart cruisers from the 80s and beating people on road bikes.

This is from my 1st duathlon but you'll see bikes that range from this...
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3620/3353647113_9b1fc34825_b.jpg

To this
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3013/3353648117_2868ec6c8e_b.jpg