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| *Vultures Knob>>>Road Bike |
I own a hybrid bike which is terrible in road races, but don't know what to buy? |
I can spend about $300. My fat tires and those rolling hills killed me in my 1st biathlon Sunday. 12 miles took me an hour and 40 minutes, including a 34 minute 5K. Help! Thanks! as i mentioned before, a winner can win even on a Huffy. Log lots of saddle time, get some thinner tires and save your money for a good road bike. At $300 you are looking at used. Nobody makes a new road bike for that. Do what hurts. If hills hurt, ride hills, tt hurts, tt, etc. I work at a bike shop and can tell you that you are not going to get a decent bike for road races for less that $600. Hey, Here are lots of options without actually buying a road bike... You might want to try some skinny, slick tires that you can inflate to a higher psi. if the rims are for 700cc tires, there should be lots of options. Bring the bike in, and see if you can use something like 700cc x 23 or 25. If you have a 26" wheel, then you can still get decent slicks. Bontrager road warriors, and Specialized Fatboys can both be inflated to 100 psi, and are 26 x 1.25 these will reduce friction and rolling resistance, and will probably give you a BIG improvement. If the bike is spec'd with a mountain cassette and crank, you could try switching to road gears to go faster. Clipless pedals and cycling shoes, if you don't use these already. These will put your efficiency through the roof!!! Profile bars might be good too, you can put them on flat bars... I've seen them lots on hybrids all of these options will help without actually buying a road or tri bike good luck, and fun racing! EDIT*** You don't in fact NEED a road bike to go out and compete in these events... You have 300 to spend - use it making upgrades, or save for a racing bike, but it isn't necessary. These improvements will come in less than 300, and will make it more enjoyable. Some elitists, which many roadies are (or try to be) insist that having the best of the best stuff is the only way to go, and turn their nose up on anyone who doesn't have the latest and greatest... Just make sure to have some fun too! work in a bike shop Racing on a hybrid? Are they 700c wheels? If yes, one possible way to improve efficiency is a lighter wheelset (alloy rims with fewer than 32 spokes) and thin 23c to 26c tires. $300 on a new bike will not help your cause. $300 on new wheels and tires is doable. But I don't know what level of hybrid you have or if it will even be worth the upgrade. Get a bike shop's opinion. Get some training on what gearing to use and how to train to be faster on a bike. I am sure your body can be "upgraded" a little farther than your hybrid. Do you warm up on a trainer before doing the biking leg? Good luck. I have a mtn bike with skinny wheels and a road bike with skinnier hi pressure wheels. The road bike is hands down the better one for longer rides and faster rides by 15 to 25%. Lot's of luck. Even used, I've never seen very many decent road bikes in that price range. There's a on-line only road bike called the Tammoso Imola, it sells for $400+. Not sure of it's quality though. I'd avoid those "racing bikes" that are sold on ebay for $200. |
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