Originally Posted by flip18436572
Yes, I have read some of the other posts, but would like to bring up multiple things. I actually was brought here from a motorcycle forum where I posted a question about doing a triathlon.
I am 43 years old and currently working hard at getting back into shape. And no, I really don't consider "round" to be the proper shape that I am talking about. I currently work out and pay close attention to my heart rate while running/jogging/lifting/elliptical and swimming at my local YMCA. I wear my heart rate monitor every time, except for the swim.
I have read the threads over and over, and I hear that I should buy a tri-specific bike for doing triathlons, but I don't plan on having a road bike and a tri bike, especially on my limited budget. My wife says to go and buy a Wal-Mart bike and train on that until I decide on whether I am going to do this or not. I have heard of a small bicycling club in our area, and I am going to try and find out what they are doing and what things they usually try and do as a group.
Why should I go to a tri specific bike?
Why not a hybrid like the Gary Fisher "Wingra"? This is really out of my price range, but it is the cheapest of the hybrids that I saw.
Do you always wear you heart rate monitors, even in the water? I know my heart rate monitor is not water proof.
What type of bike computer is needed for training purposes, or does everyone just buy a cheap GPS?
I talked to the salesman at the TREK store, and they wouldn't give me any details about buy used bikes. They only wanted to sell and sell right then. Other than craigslist, where can I find used bikes?
Another stupid question probably. Can you buy the bikes at the bike stores for under their listed price, or do they get mad when you suggest it? We used to be able to get better deals by asking, but the place I went, I really didn't feel comfortable in asking about getting a better price, other than their MFG asking price.
Personally, I disagree with the suggestion that you ought to buy a tri-specific bike. They are, duh, specific to triathlons. Which means that they are designed primarily to put you in an aerodynamic position to go fast and straight. If this is going to be your first bike, you may want to ride it for purposes other than tri-training: commuting, riding with the wife to the coffee shop, group rides. On the other hand, hybrids are heavy and slow. So my advice is to buy a good entry-level road bike and maybe some clip-on aero bars and a forward seat post. The Trek 1000 is often mentioned on this forum as a good starter bike.
Re HRM's: I'll wear mine during races under my wetsuit, but I have trouble keeping the chest strap in place during pool workouts so I skip it.
Re bike computers: I just have a basic one (Cateye Mity 8) and it suits me fine. There are other bells and whistles like cadence that are popular but I don't feel like I need it.
Re used bikes: Try another bike shop. Some refurbish them and resell them. Others will have a bulletin board. CL and eBay on-line.
Re deals on new bikes: I guess it couldn't hurt to ask but I get the feeling that LBSes are working on pretty thin margins as it is. I got a really good deal by buying a bike in the fall after the new models came in, but you probably don't want to wait that long.
Finally, re Wal-Mart bikes: They're assembled by stock boys not bike mechanics.
Hope this helps, and welcome to the madness!