Bike

Some consider the bike portion of the most important discipline of a triathlon because you typically spend about half of the race on the bike. With this said, it is very important that you have a properly fit bike, you use the proper technique, and train correctly. Here are some tips that should help you do so.

Bike Fit

Having a properly fit bike is extremely important. The use of an improperly fit bike can lead to inefficiencies or injury. The best way to be properly fit for a bike is to have your bike fitted at local bike/triathlon store. However, if you are looking for general guidelines, please check out the link below:

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/sport/a/bikefit.htm

Road Bike vs. Tri Bike:

Many newcomers are unclear about the difference between a road bike and a triathlon bike. The link below explains the differences very well:

http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/bikes/difference.shtml

Pedaling form:

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=1030

Pedaling technique:

Example of smooth pedaling:

Heart rate zones info

During training, it is very important that all of your training have a purpose. Some rides may be for distance, some may be to increase your speed, while others may be recovery rides. While doing any of these types of rides, it is very important to ride in the appropriate heart rate zones.

Easy way to calculate your target heart rate zones:

http://www.brianmac.co.uk/hrm1.htm

For a more detailed option, we recommend setting up an account with BeginnerTriathlete.com (it’s free). Once you have logged in, there is a link to do so on the right hand side of your training log.

Calculate Lactate threshold

There are a few ways to calculate your lactate threshold on the bike. There are shops and training centers in the area that can help you determine this. However, it can be rather expensive. The cheapest way would be to do the test yourself. Use the link below for more details:

http://jorgepbmcoaching.blogspot.com/2008/11/30-min-time-trial-test-for-hr-users.html