In order to do anything other than a basic finish-the-course race in triathlon, you will need to become familiar with your local specialty bike shop. I will admit that this can be intimidating. Everyone there knows the lingo. They wear weird clothes and they all seem to know each other. You walk in, people stare at you and you have no idea what to say. You feel like an idiot. Yeah, sorry. I can’t really solve that problem for you. You are going to feel like a bit of an idiot at first.

Most bike shops will have a register near the front of the store. They will also have an extensive set of bikes set up along the edges of the store. These bikes are not really meant to be tried out, but you can look at them and see what you may be buying. The problem is that you probably have no idea what kind of bike you want unless you spend hours of time researching bikes in magazines beforehand. And even then, you will still want the advice of the bike experts who are there.

Other parts of the store will include specialized bike clothing. To men in particular these outfits may seem ridiculous. There will be tight fitting tops for triathlon made almost entirely of lycra. They will feel like big swimsuits with a little pad between your legs. Then there are the even more ridiculous looking bike shorts that have what looks like a diaper of padding between your legs. And bike shorts that have built in suspenders to keep them in place. Yeah, you will want these. If you don’t get good bike shorts, you will end up in serious pain. I have been doing heavy biking for a lot of years and I don’t often wear bike shorts anymore, but that is because I have decided to leave the padding on my seat and have a specialized butterfly seat with a cut out center to relieve pressure. Real bikers have much harder seats and they laugh at me. You can choose between the diaper and the cushier seat.

The bike tops have tons of pockets in different places. This may look weird to you, but bikers, unlike runners, are expected to carry their own food and water during most races and training. They put water bottles on their bikes, of course, but also in the pockets in the back of their shirts. Biking tops will also have sleeves, which provide more coverage for those who will be outside in the sun for hours on end. This makes a lot of sense.
Other things you will see in a biking store include bike pumps, either in the large variety to keep at home or the small variety to put on a pack on your bike. Also you will find canister of air to pump up your tires. Please ask for help in burying these. Don’t be one of those bikers who get a flat and have no idea how to change it. When I was training for my Ironman, I ended up hiring a coach the last 3 months because I was nervous about my training. The first thing he did after he heard about what I had been doing to myself was tell me to take 3 days off. No training allowed. That was when I spent three days learning how to take tires off and on my bike, back and front. Learn how to do this and carry your own supplies on your bike.

There are a lot of things you can buy to make it possible to bike in colder weather. Wool socks, booties, and heavier waterproof coats. I admit, I don’t often go out when it is cold. I don’t often go outside at all. I’m afraid of traffic. I tend to train indoors on a trainer on my bike, one with a video of the courses I want to ride. But if you’re going outside in the winter, get the right gear. You should have special biking socks. They will help you not get blisters. There are some people who do Ironman with no socks, but I am not one of them.
A helmet is another thing you will need to buy. A good one will cost you about $100. You don’t need one of the aero helmets to start with (those are the ones that look like inverted ice cream cones and are smooth). A good helmet for everyday use will have lots of vents in it and will feel comfortable. Ask for help to get fitted for the proper helmet.
If you already have a bike, you can take it to a bike shop to get it fixed, but if it is a cheap bike that you have bought at a store like Walmart, they will not want to fix it. It will cost more to try than the bike cost new, and they still won’t be able to make it right. It will frustrate them. They are like artists being asked to paint with fingerpaints. They are used to more expensive materials and the proper results.

Which leads me to the bike. This is the biggest purchase that you will make to do triathlon. An entry level triathlon or road bike will put you back about $1500. When you enter the store, catch the eye of one of the people at the register or go to the back where there are people working on repairs. Tell them what you want and ask them for advice. They like to be asked for advice. Trust me. Most of them are not triathletes. They are cyclists. But nonetheless, there is some crossover and they will usually be willing to talk about things like aerobars and disc wheels (though those are more advanced). A road bike will work for a triathlon, and you can add on aerobars if you want. There is some difference in the set up of a tri bike. They are designed to make it so that you can run after you get off them, using less of your hamstrings which you will need for running. But honestly, they are so similar it may not make any difference to you.

I can’t tell you what bike you should buy. I’m not an expert at that. I can say that I like my Quintana Roo and I also like my Cervelo. I think that Trek is a good brand, as well. Don’t stint on the components like your gear wheels and your derailleurs. You can upgrade with better wheels later if you’d like. I started with a beginner bike and then after about 4 years of racing, moved up to a more expensive bike. My nice Cervelo P2 cost more than most of our cars. Our kids joke around that we have to lock our cars only when our bikes are in them. We are far more afraid that our bikes will be stolen than that our cars will be. Matt has a P3 now, which is even nicer than my P2 though he doesn’t have the nice wheel set up that I do. The people at the bike shop now know me quite well. They’ve gained respect for me as they’ve realized how many miles per year I put on my bike (several thousand) so I have to replace my chain often.

The last piece of advice I have for buying a bike is to pay the extra money if you have to to get your bike properly fit. It is worth every penny. They will know how to move the seat precisely to get the most power out of your legs. They will measure everything. They will be able to tell you what size of frame to buy for you. If you are in between frame sizes, they can tell you what are the advantages of each one. I have to special order my bike frames because I use a very small one, 47, that looks almost like a child sized bike. I also have 650 cc wheels which are smaller than usual. If you end up buying a bike online (which I don’t recommend), then yes, pay $200 for a bike fit. Please don’t go into your bike store, get advice there for free and then go buy a bike on-line. If you keep doing that, the bike store will go out of business and you won’t have anyone to go to for help with bike fits, advice, and personal attention and repairs.