Need help… again!

**The ONLY reason to EVER by a triathlon or TT bike is because you actually want to race a Tri or TT. Full Stop.**

Actually even then, you should stick with a road bike unless you plan to race Olympic distance (25mi bike) or longer. And EVEN at Olympic distance, you should *probably* stick with a road bike if you’re just racing for the accomplishment or fitness. If you’re competitive, and trying to finish highly placed or podium in your age group, etc, then a tri bike is a consideration.

Here’s why: Triathlon / TT bikes with aero bars are just way too dangerous & unstable to ride on roads with auto traffic.

The riding position puts a lot of weight over the front wheel. With so much weight on the bars, you can’t react quickly to hazards. You’re more likely to go down hard.

Also, in the aero position, your hands are *not near the brakes*, you have to switch position to stop. Not great in an emergency braking situation.

The aero bars result in a “head down” riding position. Especially once your neck gets tired. This is bad for visibility and situational awareness.

Why are tri bikes like this? Because in triathlon, “Aero is Everything”. Most triathlon or time trial courses are flat, straight and on closed roads or lanes. Even still, every few years a pro is seriously hurt or killed in a TT crash, and people talk about banning them in pro cycling. They’re currently banned in draft-legal triathlon and junior tri and TT races.

Even when I was a competitive age-grouper I only rode my tri-bike on race days and a few times a year for fitment & flexibility check, and only on lonely roads way outside of town.

** I *actually* want to race competitively** Great! Buy a tri bike. But also buy a road bike to train on.

**But this triathlon bike is cheap, I’ll convert it to road shifters** Bad idea. The geometry still puts your butt further forward than a road bike, so conversions mostly suck. And it will be more expensive than you think, the integrated shifters are often the most expensive component on a road bike.

**I don’t want to buy a road bike, I’ll “ride” my tri bike on an indoor trainer** OK, but how’s your bike handling in general? When you’re going all out on race day, and mentally exhausted, are you going to be confident on the open road? or are you going to be tired and make a mistake because all your miles were on a supported trainer with the rear locked in place?

**OK, but this used tri bike is *so* cheap** Yep, low demand (see all above for the reasons why). Also, triathletes are often big dorks when it comes to gear; it makes them especially susceptible to marketing of the new “latest advances”. which leads to lots of new bikes and selling of old bikes. To be fair, triathlon is a really expensive hobby with race fees, airfare, hotel, bike shipping and just the *time* required to train 3 different endurance disciplines. So an “investment” of $12k on even a marginally faster bike isn’t that much in the grand scheme of things, especially if you’re chasing a good result or qualifying for a prestigious race. Triathletes only race like 6-7 times a year, so every result counts.

Yeah, used tri bikes are a good deal. Especially older rim brake bikes. A bike like this 2014 Cannondale slice offers 99% of the performance of a newer bike at 1/20th of the cost.

**used tri bike?!? They *PEE* on those** Yeah, but so what? Just throw away the saddle. The carbon fiber frame doesn’t care about a little tinkle. And all but the grimiest racers rinse their bikes off after. The urine-reeking tri bike is mostly a bike shop meme.

**OK, I’ll get a road bike, and then use clip on aero bars for triathlon race day** Actually…. This can work. Lots of beginners do this, and most analysis shows an improvement in times. Practice with them a bit before race day, and make sure you can stay in aero position for a long stretch of time.