Forums » General Training » Triathlon

1. renfri
   Member

   I am a newbie to this and am going to start my training this week for my first triathlon.

   Can I use my mt bike for the cycling portion of a triathlon? It is a pretty nice bike that I already use for both road and offroad cycling.

   Posted 2 months ago #

2. Brad Hefta-Gaub
   Administrator

   YES! At most races you can use any bike you want. I've even heard of someone doing a triathlon on a BMX bike. At most sprint triathlons you will see bikes of all shapes, sizes, costs, states of repair or disrepair. Its all about having fun!

   Note: Technically, there are some rules about the configuration of the bike, that may or may not be enforced depending on how serious the race is. These rules will restrict the use of bikes that are considered to give you an unfair advantage: recumbent bikes (not allowed), or bikes that are considered to be dangerous (some old designs like "funny bikes" with smaller front wheels)... But any standard upright bike: road, triathlon, mountain bike, bmx bike, single speed, commuter, beach cruiser, touring bike, etc will be allowed.

   Posted 2 months ago #

3. renfri
   Member

   Thanks a lot for the info!

   Posted 2 months ago #

4. kbrides
   Member

   Does your mountain bike have the straight handlebars? I have a 10 year old Trek 800 that is great for me now, but I too am looking to start training for a half triathlon and was thinking new bike would be better. Maybe I could always just upgrade to more of a cross type tire instead of the standard large tread mountain bike and add some handlebar adjustments? Any thoughts/comments seeing you do a lot of road biking with your mountain bike?

   Posted 2 months ago #

5. Brad Hefta-Gaub
   Administrator

   One other thing to mention.

   I think if you are doing a longer distance race, one that has a bike leg of further than 30 miles, you will probably want a triathlon or a road bike.

   Although you can certainly ride further than 30 miles on all the bikes I mentioned above... you'll probably be much more comfortable in the long run (and on the longer run)... if you have an easy to ride, relatively light weight, and ergonomically appropriate long distance bike.

   Any road bike (even a cheap one) and any triathlon bike, will make a longer race more comfortable.

   Good luck!

   Posted 2 months ago #

6. boztris
   Member

   If you do plan on doing the race on a MTB you might consider putting some slick tires on it. I did my first few sprints on a MTB years ago. I eventually got tired of watching everyone fly by me and bought a road bike. It's worth the investment.

   Posted 2 months ago #

7. jus4me
   Member

   Thanks for the information! I was wondering the same thing!! The guy at the bike shop where I had my mountain bike repaired told me that you can go about 20 miles faster on a bike with the smaller tires ie: street bike or triathlon bike.

   Posted 2 months ago #

8. nutritionexpert
   Member

   I agree with the others in that, if you want to be faster, switch out your tires. I have a hybrid with skinny tires that I was using in Sprints and I was still pedaling like a bat out of hell. It's very frustrating to work harder than everyone else and still have them pass you! I'm saving up to buy a road bike, it really does make a difference.

   Posted 2 months ago #

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