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First Triathlon (abroad) ~ best buy advice


Noodleontheloose

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Posted

To start, I am a novice bike rider, South African expat living abroad in South Korea and preparing to take part in my first triathlon.

I am 6 foot tall, female, with an inseam of 84cm's.

Short and sweet~ bikes are expensive in Korea, I have a few options.

I deduced that a road bike would be best to start with as a novice, adding aerobars and lighter wheels if need be.

At the bike shop -

An new Orbea M305 carbon bike for ~R18 000 (recommended an L size)

A new Focus SL2.0 AG2R Aluminium bike for ~R16 000 (recommended an L size)
A 2nd hand Litespeed C1R carbon ~R35 000 which is seriously pushing the budget (seat to be cut down to size says the shop owner O_O) *pic attached
(this is what information I could glean from them through the language barrier.

Then -

A 2nd hand Velocite Geos Frame (XL) with saddle/bars for ~R10 000 *pic attached (my arms have to be straightened fully to reach the bars as seen in picture, I think it MIGHT be too big, but I am unsure how to size it)
link: http://www.velocite-bikes.com/geos-frameset.html#
Add wheels from shop- aluminium at R10 000; Carbon between R13 000 (American Eagle) upto R40 000.
Or get wheels in SA.

There are also Scott's, Cello's and Pinarello's at another shop, but I didn't investigate further as the guys didn't seem very knowledgable.

Are any of these options an obvious yes, or should I consider getting a bike in SA and taking it back in February?

I would greatly appreciate anyones feedback to help this fledgling triathletre get off her feet~ and into the saddle! TIA

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post-69573-0-07715900-1420128364_thumb.jpg

Posted

You need a large, an XL is too big.

In triathlons fit is more important than what the bike is so make sure that is right.

Are you going to be doing mainly sprints? if so the aero bars arent really that important.

Surely there must be a decent 2nd hand market there?

Also if you want carbon wheels then import some from China, they are cheap.

Posted

Welcome to the Hub

 

Road frame is a good choice to start with.

 

Those are all good brands, imo your priority would be to locate a shop that knows what they are doing when it comes to bike fitting (especially wrt to triathlon) making sure you get the correct size.

 

I would stay away from the Litespeed with the integrated seat post until / unless you are 1000% sure what your seat height will be, as a newby you will need to adjust the SH a few times before finding your sweet spot...integrated seat posts are not adjustment friendly especially when you need to raise your SH. 

 

If you are going to use the same wheels for training and racing then a good quality alu set will be better imo, carbon wheels don't brake (the things that slow you down) as well as alu wheels especially in the wet. Also carbon deep sections like those velocite's can be a bit heavy for every day use and tricky to ride with in cross winds.

 

Be very careful with well known name brands being offered by shops you don't know, make sure they are genuine frames and not some copy cat version. Look for a serial number on the frame (you can check by emailing the s/n to the specific manufacturer customer support), and compare the frame and decals very carefully with the original manufacturers pictures on their website.

Posted

Thank you for the advice~

 

I am in SA in February and think I should go to a bike shop there to be fitted and also buy gear (nothing large enough for me here).

 

I only know Linden Cycles in Johannesburg where I bought my MTB and cycling gear in 2013, is there a shop that specializes in road bikes in Gauteng?

 

I'm concerned that the big brands that are mass produced are not as good as a brand like Velocite in terms of the materials used and the weight. Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

I do also think the Litespeed is too pricy and the fixed seat undesirable for a novice. I think buying low end to begin is wise and if I get serious then upgrading.

Posted

Thank you for the advice~

 

I am in SA in February and think I should go to a bike shop there to be fitted and also buy gear (nothing large enough for me here).

 

I only know Linden Cycles in Johannesburg where I bought my MTB and cycling gear in 2013, is there a shop that specializes in road bikes in Gauteng?

 

I'm concerned that the big brands that are mass produced are not as good as a brand like Velocite in terms of the materials used and the weight. Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

I do also think the Litespeed is too pricy and the fixed seat undesirable for a novice. I think buying low end to begin is wise and if I get serious then upgrading.

 

Plenty of road bike shops in SA, generally you wont go wrong with a big brand mass produced bike as they have put in plenty research and development and got big for a reason. 

 

Sometimes the big brand chain store types can be iffy as the salesmen are not always in it for life...if u know what i mean.

 

Sometimes it pays to shop at the one off mom n pop type shops which have been around for a long time. Linden are good, also try Summit cycles in midrand.

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