Triathlon on a hybrid?
Discussion
Hi Guys,
I'm just about to sign up for a super sprint tri in May, just to ease myself in.
I've just purchased a Boardman Comp for commuting and some weeknight fitness work to complement my running.
Before i sign up. Am i going to be lagging far behind everyone on a racer? From what i've been told, the boardman is pretty much a road/race bike with straight bars. How much difference is it going to make? And am i going to look silly doing a tri on it?
cheers guys!!
I'm just about to sign up for a super sprint tri in May, just to ease myself in.
I've just purchased a Boardman Comp for commuting and some weeknight fitness work to complement my running.
Before i sign up. Am i going to be lagging far behind everyone on a racer? From what i've been told, the boardman is pretty much a road/race bike with straight bars. How much difference is it going to make? And am i going to look silly doing a tri on it?
cheers guys!!
Very true!!! I would feel a righ plonker being slow on a 2k bike! I can hold 18-19mph on it on the flat anyway so shouldn't be too bad!
Just signed up. Let the training commence! Nervous now though!
I already have a decent level of fitness from running and cycling 4-5 times a week. So need to step it up a bit!
Just signed up. Let the training commence! Nervous now though!
I already have a decent level of fitness from running and cycling 4-5 times a week. So need to step it up a bit!
nick s said:
Very true!!! I would feel a righ plonker being slow on a 2k bike! I can hold 18-19mph on it on the flat anyway so shouldn't be too bad!
Just signed up. Let the training commence! Nervous now though!
I already have a decent level of fitness from running and cycling 4-5 times a week. So need to step it up a bit!
I'm sure pablo will be along in a minute, but I'm pretty sure it was him that posted up some excellent advice WRT bike set-up for Tri. In essence you set the bike up to use muscles that you won't during running so you're fresher when you get off the bike. It involves sitting further forward on the bike using a forward facing seat-post amongst other things. I'm an MTB'er so didn't really pay that much attention. It was about a month ago if it helps but I can't find it.Just signed up. Let the training commence! Nervous now though!
I already have a decent level of fitness from running and cycling 4-5 times a week. So need to step it up a bit!
rhinochopig said:
I'm sure pablo will be along in a minute, but I'm pretty sure it was him that posted up some excellent advice WRT bike set-up for Tri. In essence you set the bike up to use muscles that you won't during running so you're fresher when you get off the bike. It involves sitting further forward on the bike using a forward facing seat-post amongst other things. I'm an MTB'er so didn't really pay that much attention. It was about a month ago if it helps but I can't find it.
Sounds like just the advice i need! Did a bit of practice last night with a 15k ride then a 4k run, just to try and get my legs used to running whilst tired from a cycle. Pretty hard!! Was about 20 secs per mile off my normal pace! practice practice practice!!nick s said:
rhinochopig said:
I'm sure pablo will be along in a minute, but I'm pretty sure it was him that posted up some excellent advice WRT bike set-up for Tri. In essence you set the bike up to use muscles that you won't during running so you're fresher when you get off the bike. It involves sitting further forward on the bike using a forward facing seat-post amongst other things. I'm an MTB'er so didn't really pay that much attention. It was about a month ago if it helps but I can't find it.
Sounds like just the advice i need! Did a bit of practice last night with a 15k ride then a 4k run, just to try and get my legs used to running whilst tired from a cycle. Pretty hard!! Was about 20 secs per mile off my normal pace! practice practice practice!!How to alter a road bike for Triathlons. Basically the mods allow you to sit further forward (as on a proper Tri bike), which means you use your quads more than your hamstrings; unlike on a standard road bike. The benefit is when you come off the bike for the run, your 'running' muscles - hamstrings and glutes - are less fatigued so you should be quicker.
A link to some more specific information.
http://beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.a...
rhinochopig said:
No you won't look silly. You'll look more silly on 4k worth of TT bike and have your arse handed to you on a plate by those fitter with more meagre budgets. Better to be fast on a budget than slow and all the gear no idea. IMO obviously.
This.rhinochopig said:
In essence you set the bike up to use muscles that you won't during running so you're fresher when you get off the bike. It involves sitting further forward on the bike using a forward facing seat-post amongst other things..
And this.Have fun and good luck.
i have some old profile century extension bars if you want them to try and get comfy. i bought them for a tenner off fleabay but didnt get on with them. they look like this. http://www.triworld.co.uk/Cycle/Handlebars/Tribars... pm me if you are interested.
i cant believe i have ever given excellent advice but i'll take the credit! essentially its all been said though, turn the seat post round 180 degrees and adjust the saddle to suit. this pitches you further forwards and works the quads leaving the hamstrings free for the run leg. other advice i was given included spinning a lower gear in the final 400m or so and someone els said stop taking on fluids with about 2km to go as its common to get pains and cramps as you start the run leg. the worst feeling is the first km after the bike, your legs are like jelly and you dont really know how much they are hurting so you have a tendancy ot come off the bike and be running faster than your intended pace... just go for it, sprint distance isnt enough to cause anyone any concerns really, hammer the run and take loads of satisfaction as you overtake people.
i cant believe i have ever given excellent advice but i'll take the credit! essentially its all been said though, turn the seat post round 180 degrees and adjust the saddle to suit. this pitches you further forwards and works the quads leaving the hamstrings free for the run leg. other advice i was given included spinning a lower gear in the final 400m or so and someone els said stop taking on fluids with about 2km to go as its common to get pains and cramps as you start the run leg. the worst feeling is the first km after the bike, your legs are like jelly and you dont really know how much they are hurting so you have a tendancy ot come off the bike and be running faster than your intended pace... just go for it, sprint distance isnt enough to cause anyone any concerns really, hammer the run and take loads of satisfaction as you overtake people.
pablo said:
i have some old profile century extension bars if you want them to try and get comfy. i bought them for a tenner off fleabay but didnt get on with them. they look like this. http://www.triworld.co.uk/Cycle/Handlebars/Tribars... pm me if you are interested.
i cant believe i have ever given excellent advice but i'll take the credit! essentially its all been said though, turn the seat post round 180 degrees and adjust the saddle to suit. this pitches you further forwards and works the quads leaving the hamstrings free for the run leg. other advice i was given included spinning a lower gear in the final 400m or so and someone els said stop taking on fluids with about 2km to go as its common to get pains and cramps as you start the run leg. the worst feeling is the first km after the bike, your legs are like jelly and you dont really know how much they are hurting so you have a tendancy ot come off the bike and be running faster than your intended pace... just go for it, sprint distance isnt enough to cause anyone any concerns really, hammer the run and take loads of satisfaction as you overtake people.
Will they go on my bike no problem? If so i'm very interested!i cant believe i have ever given excellent advice but i'll take the credit! essentially its all been said though, turn the seat post round 180 degrees and adjust the saddle to suit. this pitches you further forwards and works the quads leaving the hamstrings free for the run leg. other advice i was given included spinning a lower gear in the final 400m or so and someone els said stop taking on fluids with about 2km to go as its common to get pains and cramps as you start the run leg. the worst feeling is the first km after the bike, your legs are like jelly and you dont really know how much they are hurting so you have a tendancy ot come off the bike and be running faster than your intended pace... just go for it, sprint distance isnt enough to cause anyone any concerns really, hammer the run and take loads of satisfaction as you overtake people.
Brilliant piece of advice though. My legs were on fire trying to run after a hard cycle the other day. So i'll try changing the saddle like suggested tonight and report back!
also, that's somethnig to think about changing down a gear before the end of the cycle.
I was also thinking, I'll be wearing my running shoes for the cycle as i don't have all the clip in pedals etc. So in theory my Transition time will only be say 20 seconds instead of the normal 2 mins? Is it worth waiting for a minute to let my legs flush out some lactic acid or shall i just go straight into the run?
nick s said:
Will they go on my bike no problem? If so i'm very interested!
Brilliant piece of advice though. My legs were on fire trying to run after a hard cycle the other day. So i'll try changing the saddle like suggested tonight and report back!
also, that's somethnig to think about changing down a gear before the end of the cycle.
I was also thinking, I'll be wearing my running shoes for the cycle as i don't have all the clip in pedals etc. So in theory my Transition time will only be say 20 seconds instead of the normal 2 mins? Is it worth waiting for a minute to let my legs flush out some lactic acid or shall i just go straight into the run?
they should fit, i think they are designed to fit 31.8mm bars but they did have adaptors for smaller bars, i'll see if i have still them but loads of duct tape does the same job of padding out the gap! make sure your tyres are at the highest recommended pressure too, this can make a noticeable difference.Brilliant piece of advice though. My legs were on fire trying to run after a hard cycle the other day. So i'll try changing the saddle like suggested tonight and report back!
also, that's somethnig to think about changing down a gear before the end of the cycle.
I was also thinking, I'll be wearing my running shoes for the cycle as i don't have all the clip in pedals etc. So in theory my Transition time will only be say 20 seconds instead of the normal 2 mins? Is it worth waiting for a minute to let my legs flush out some lactic acid or shall i just go straight into the run?
transitions are really hard, as soon as you are off the bike, your legs want to stop moving so you have to ignore your body and push on, anything else is an invitation for cramp to set in... remember the tranistion time starts at the time beams where you have to dismount and dependant upon where your bike is, could be anything up to a 20 seconds just to get to your bike, especially at the large events where there is loads of racking. make a mental note of where the bike is and whats near you, if you can, park at the end of a rack and not in the middle. clip your helmet to the bars and your bars facing out. you can be penalised if you touch your bike or mount it before putting on your helmet.
someone once said to me to rack your bike next to the most expensive ones you can find. the faster looking bikes will (most often) belong to the front runners, thus when you get to the bike leg, they will have already gone and yours is left on its own and you dont wste time looking for it amongst the others. you will get funny looks for sure but stupid little things like this can really help us tail-enders!
XitUp said:
rhinochopig said:
No you won't look silly. You'll look more silly on 4k worth of TT bike and have your arse handed to you on a plate by those fitter with more meagre budgets. Better to be fast on a budget than slow and all the gear no idea. IMO obviously.
This.rhinochopig said:
In essence you set the bike up to use muscles that you won't during running so you're fresher when you get off the bike. It involves sitting further forward on the bike using a forward facing seat-post amongst other things..
And this.Have fun and good luck.
Sprints are a great intro and you will see people on all sorts, from first timers using 20yr old mtbs with nobblie tyres, through to wannabe pro's using Cervelo's with Zipp disc wheels and aero helmets. I swear that at the exe tri last year there were even people using shopping bikes!
If its your first time doing it you will be more comfortable on something non descript, lots of folk turn up with all the gear at these expecting it to make them super quick, and then get spanked by folk on something less exotic.
Tanks for all the advice guys! Def some handy tips there! I'll be donig it on my boardman comp, so probably perfect for looking like a beginner but having a little bit of speed aswell!
Looking forward to it now! Been spinning and then running home 3x a week to try and get my legs used to that weird sensation!
Looking forward to it now! Been spinning and then running home 3x a week to try and get my legs used to that weird sensation!
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