It really is all about the bike!

**Tracy is a guest blogger for SilvermanOrBust.com. Tracy has a long background in fitness and has raced numerous Triathlons among other events. She is also a physical therapist completing a graduate degree. Tracy is going into her second year as a pro-triathlete. **

It’s time to start talking about the bike. For most of us, the bike will be the single longest leg of the triathlon, both in distance and in time. For that reason, it’s important to get the right bike. Triathlete Magazine has some good bike buying and first time tri tips in the latest issue, so I would encourage you to check it out.

At any triathlon, there is a dazzling amount of bike bling on display in the transition area. From full carbon triathlon specific bikes with disc wheels to uber light road machines with aero climbing wheels. The variety of bikes and equipment can be staggering. Add to that the high pressure ads on-line and in the magazines claiming that “these wheels are the fastest ever” and “this bike weighs nothing at all” and trying to find the right bike for your first and many other triathlons can be very challenging. It’s even more challenging if you have money to spend and a planned up-grade from the bike in the garage. There is a lot of information and many different styles and brands of bikes. I’ll start a series here discussing bikes – the differences between road and triathlon (and maybe mountain), the types of wheels available, and equipment, clothes, safety and basic maintenance.

As with any topic, some information might be new, some might be a good review or it might completely contradict what you have heard elsewhere. That’s okay! Bikes are such an important part of our event and represent the single greatest expense we have. But you don’t need the bells and whistles to complete a triathlon, even one as challenging as Silverman. All you need is a bike that fits comfortably and works well. The latest high tech bike won’t be as fast as the clunker in the garage if it’s not the right size or not comfortable for hours.