Originally Posted by
reverborama
I think I've mentioned this here before.... My wife started doing triathlons and duathlons (run, bike, run) a couple of years ago. I'd go and shoot some pictures and cheer. I saw lots and lots of women riding cross/comfort bikes. I just wanted to take them aside and say, "for under $200, I can make you 5 miles per hour faster!" Any 70 or 80's 10-speed is going to run circles around a comfort bike. If you go 5 miles per hour faster you are going to cut 15 minutes off your time! But I don't think they realize they don't have to spend $1000 to $5000 for a fast bike.
I know a guy in a nearby town who refurbs old 10-speeds. We're going to make up some cards and I am going to hand them out at the next couple of events to women riding inappropriate machines and see if I can drum him up some Tri business.
I am not sure it is the bikes that makes them ride like that. My neighbor does triathalons, so sometimes I see her ride past the house on a training ride. She recently got a new expensive tri bike, but she rides it just as slow as the women on the comfort bikes.