My wife decided she wanted to try her first mini triathlon coming up in june, it's the Danskin 12 mile ride 3 mile run and I believe half mile swim. We need to get her a bike as she doesn't have one currently. Can't afford to go right to a tri bike, plus she will be using this as a "fun" bike also. Right now we are looking at a KHS urban extreme, it is a chromoly reynolds frame with shimano sora parts and shimano 224 shifters etc...was thinking of adding tri bars and away she goes. Bike can be had from a local dealer here in Austin for 550$. Are we heading in the right direction or is this not a good choice. I have heard from a couple of dealers that a steel frame bike is the way to go for distance riding as it will handle the bumps better and be more comfortable overall. Please let me know if this is the right way to go, or maybe some of you out their have a used bike that would work or know of a better deal on a new one :D Don't really want to go over the 550$ dollar mark :( Thanks, Sean in Austin.

If you have any suggestions on just a pure road/tri bike for around that amount of money we would consider that also as we could just get her a cheap "fun" bike to ride any other time. Thanks for your responses :D

Well, when people consider buying a bike, most people will go with either a road or tri bike, but this bike looks like a hybrid with MTB bars and road tires. It sort of reminds me of my MTB when I put specialized fat boy slicks on them. If you had this bike already, I'd say use it to not spend any money, but to buy it, i'm not really sure.

It seems fine as a bike (steel is fine, more of a preference/parts are fine) but I don't really like this option for a triathlon. The reason is because she will be sitting up like on a MTB so she will be comfortable but not very aero at all. Adding aerobars to a MTB bar "may" work but it will look sort of frankensteinish. And I doubt it will be comfortable. Even when adding aero bars to a road bike, it's not as easy as just slapping them on. You still have to make some adjustments.

Why not just an entry level road bike? They have several brands out there for around the $600-$700 range. I personally like FELT as an entry level bike. http://www.feltracing.com/06/home.html They have two models at $699 in the road bike section, the f24 and f90. They retail for $699 but you can probably find them cheaper, last years model or used.

Thank you for your response, which brands do you think would be best to look at, or have the best parts for the money? Are you saying that the pure tri bike option is better because the rear wheel is bigger and puts you in a downward position, excuse my ignorance just getting started :o

Um...not really. The wheels are the same size. The bike above you are looking at has the same size as the most common tri/road bikes, the 700cc. And the front and rear are the same size also.

What I am saying is, both the road bike and tri bike will get you in a more aero position. The road bike because of the drop bars and the tri bike because of the aero bars. The MTB bars sort of make you sit straight up almost. The tri bike is the best option for triathlons in my opinion because of all the info about geometry (helps to save the hamstrings, more aerodynamic) but many opt for a converted road bike.

You aren't going to get a tri bike for $550 at least not new, and probably not even used.

I suggest a road bike not only because of price but also because she's probably not 100% sure she wants to do tris since it will be her first (she may not like it), so a road bike will give her the most options later for rec riding, etc. She can also add aero bars later to a road bike. The road bike is most versatile. It is more comfortable in the fact that it was more options for hand positions. The tri bike is a little more aggressive so it's not very comfortable to sit up for too long, it's just made to be in the aero position more. If she bought a tri bike now, and she ends up not liking it, it's not really a rec bike. The tri bike is more functional made primarily for triathlons.

I like FELT as a road bike maker.

Thanks for all your insight! I will look at the Felt 90. Sean

Being a Felt owner myself, I also think that as a brand, they have some really good values. If you want some other ideas, check out the Road Cycling forum here at BF. There is a stickied thread at the top where people have listed their choices for best road bikes under $700. Put some aerobars on some of these road bikes and you have a pretty good ride for a good price.

You might want to check out REI, if you have one near you. They sell road bikes starting at about $520. Depending on how your wife is built, you may want to look into some of the women-specific-design bikes... generally speaking they're made for longer-legs, shorter-torso.

Then again, it's a 12 mile ride. Maybe she could borrow a bike from somebody til she decides if she really likes it or not...?

I agree with H2OChick. I would borrow a bike to see if she likes it first. I borrowed bikes for my first three races.

check out most of the entry-level road bikes. giant ocr3, felt 90, specialized dolce, etc. if you want to make those more off-roady, thicker tires can go on them. but she'll be able to have speed without working super hard because she's sitting upright for 12 miles.

i've done my first sprint through a 1/2 IM on a giant ocr3 and profile century aero bars. not perfect, but my times have not sucked. paid $500.