Starting Triathlon - It’s All About The Bike

Early this year, I wrote a series of posts for new triathletes. Some of the posts, such as Starting Triathlon - Inspiration and Motivation, really connected with readers. So, now that triathlon season is well under way, I’ve brought all of these articles together, along with some other gems for any triathlete interested in the bike, in one place. I hope you enjoy them.

Triathlon Posts

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Road Cycling Calls and Signals
Road Cycling Calls and Signals

Last week, I had the chance to ride with a new group. I had been getting a little bored solo road riding, so I jumped at the chance. What I didn’t realise was that most of them had no idea about group riding. This became abundantly clear when the wheel in front of me swerved to the left, and I plunged into the depths of some craterlike pothole…

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Starting Triathlon - Shoes
Starting Triathlon - Shoes

Earlier this year, I wrote about triathlon pedal choice and so it’s only natural that we now explore shoe choice. In this post, we explore your shoe choices and consider some of the benefits of each. 

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The Myth of the Bike Leg
The Myth of the Bike Leg

There’s a commonly held belief that, as a triathlete, you should focus your training on the bike if you want to achieve the fastest possible time. At the end of the day, the bike does form the longest leg of any triathlon, so surely the notion of ‘bike first’ makes sense. Of course, not every piece of conventional wisdom is true, take the Earth being flat or that eggs are bad for you. This week, we lift the lid on the issue and get to grips with where you should focus your training efforts.

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Starting Triathlon – Inspiration and Motivation
Starting Triathlon – Inspiration and Motivation

Sometimes it can be a struggle to train, right? Whether you’re a newbie to triathlon, or an old-hand, sometimes it is such a drag to get out there when the weather seems to be against you, and life gets in the way. In this sixth and final article in our Starting Triathlon series, we hope to inspire and motivate you by sharing a personal story and some handy tips.

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Starting Triathlon – Aerobars
Starting Triathlon – Aerobars

You don’t have to be following triathlon for long to realise that aerobars (tri-bars) are a hot topic. In this fifth article in our Starting Triathlon series, we’ll really get to grips with them, answering questions such as: what are they? Are they for me? Are they really faster? What should I buy?

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Starting Triathlon – What to Wear
Starting Triathlon – What to Wear

We all know that a triathlon involves swimming, cycling, and running. But have you thought about what you should wear for your event? Your choice will affect your transition times, your comfort, and your pocket. In this fourth in our Starting Triathlon series, we look at clothing for the novice or first-time triathlete.

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Starting Triathlon – Pedal Choice
Starting Triathlon – Pedal Choice

Pedals are one of your three contact points with the bike; the other two being handlebar and saddle. Your choice of pedal affects your power, endurance, and stability. As a triathlete, you have to keep in mind that you have a transition between run and bike where your pedal choice determines your shoe choice, and this in turn affects how you approach transition…

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Starting Triathlon - Starting to Train
Starting Triathlon - Starting to Train

It’s easy to imagine that training is something reserved for professional athletes or those at the peak of their abilities; not something for people starting out in a new sport. Far from it. Training is simply adopting a structured approach to activities with the aim of improving performance. Following a simple training plan, when starting triathlon, will help you complete your chosen distance to the best of your abilities…

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Starting Triathlon - Bike Choice
Starting Triathlon - Bike Choice

Congratulations on committing to your first triathlon! Of the three disciplines (swim, bike, and run), the bike has the potential to deliver the biggest time gains, but also cost you the most money. It’s a fact that high quality road bikes are expensive, and you may be wondering whether you have to spend hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds to take part in your first event. Don’t worry because in this article we take a practical look at how you complete the bike leg of your first event without breaking the bank.

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Whatever your experience on the bike, remember that you’ll gain great tips and advice that will accelerate your riding to the next level with our book Simply Road Cycling, which is available from online retailers including Amazon UK and Amazon US. That’s it for this week and until next time, pedal hard and have fun.

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Rox Ramblings Blog
Cycling’s Big Secret Revealed
Cycling’s Big Secret Revealed

Now, this might, or might not, come as a bit of a shock to you: in 361 days, I’ll turn 50. That’s almost eighteen thousand days I’ve been living, breathing, and learning here on this planet. So the big question is: what have I learned over these thousands of days. If you’ve been following this blog for a while, which I hope you have, you’ll know that I’ve learned that you can never lose those illusive seven pounds, that you should always wear sunscreen, and that you should never underestimate a wiry old rider. But there’s more.

A Tale From the Bike Shop: An Unwelcome Visitor
A Tale From the Bike Shop: An Unwelcome Visitor

Back when I was in the bike shop, the workshop was my domain. It was a narrow dog-legged room with a door at each end: one led to the shop floor, and the other to the attic come bike store come dumping ground for 100-years of shop history. From the ceiling, wheels in various states of construction or deconstruction hung, and along the walls there were countless tools and storage bins filled with parts old and new. Besides this, there was the timber bulk of a pre-war workbench, two workstands plastered with past mechanics’ names; and a cylindrical black bin: the kind they used for street collections when I was a kid. This bin is where my story starts.

Fitting the Big Dog a.k.a Can I Fit a Larger Chainring?
Fitting the Big Dog a.k.a Can I Fit a Larger Chainring?

The other day I was talking to my brother, and he was telling me that he wanted to up the size of the Big Dog (outer chainring) on his TT bike. He asked if there was anything he needed to consider. This got me thinking, and I realised there are several considerations, so I’ve written this piece in case you have the same question.

When to Buy a New Bike
When to Buy a New Bike

You’ve got a couple of grand burning a hole in your pocket, and you decide now is as good as a time as any to invest it in a new bike. So let’s go. No, stop! Knowing when to buy may save you a substantial amount of change, which you could splash on other shiny new toys. In this post, I offer you an insider’s view of when is the best time to grab a bargain.

How to Descend Fast While Drunk
How to Descend Fast While Drunk

One particular morning, the alarm went off at stupid o’clock. It was dark outside; the air was crisp; and the house was quiet. It was a day that neither of us were relishing: Em on account of his lack of pre-pre-season training, and myself because I have a near allergic reaction to early mornings and early rides…

A Boxing Day Tale
A Boxing Day Tale

When I was down south at the bike shop, I’d commute on my single-speed every day. And every day I would pass Roadie labouring his way up the hill; we would lift a finger from our bars to acknowledge one another. Then one morning, Roadie came into the bike shop…

Cycling in Europe Post Brexit
Cycling in Europe Post Brexit

Back in April last year, I wrote A Travesty Unfolds, which took a tongue-in-cheek look at older cyclists who pass their winters on the Costa Blanca. The upshot was that Brexit might curtail their winter sorties, and they would, once again, clog up the UK’s winter roads. Now that we’re on the eve of the end of the transition period, I unravel what the new year will bring for all of us who enjoy stretching our legs under the European sun.

How Not to Crash and Burn on Your Bike This Winter
How Not to Crash and Burn on Your Bike This Winter

Back when I was in the bike shop, there was always a steady stream of people gingerly carrying mangled bikes in for repair—or for last rites before I sent their bikes off to the great bike shop in the sky—as the result of the owner unsuccessfully wrestling with a car. None of us likes the idea of head-butting bonnets or eating gravel…

The Curious World of Gear Inches
The Curious World of Gear Inches

It’s the weekend and you’re out on the club ride when one of the old boys asks something like, “When I was your age, I’d climb that in a 91 inch gear; what you pushing?” Or, maybe, it’s the mid-week time-trial and one of the skinsuit clad wannabes boasts, “Yeh, anything less than 130 inches and I spin out!”.