Monday, May 23, 2011

Nishiki vs. GT

I am "officially" in Triathlon Training Mode. 

I'm surprised at the number of women I know who are doing their first triathlon this summer.  We had a birthday party this weekend for Luke and his friends at a local nature center, and during the pond dipping portion of the party, one Mom friend of mine told me she has her first Sprint coming up in just a couple of weeks.  I picked her brain about some of the things I've been curious about, what gear I need, and don't need.  I think I'm going to forego a wetsuit, the race is in August, and I think the temperatures might be too warm to wear one.  I'm used to cold Adirondack lakes, and the chilly Long Island Sound, so I think I can get away with wearing bike shorts and a sleeveless top to swim in, then bike in, then run in.  I still can't believe I'm doing this.


My biggest dilemma is the bike.  I've had my mountain bike for ages, I love it, but it's rather large and heavy, and not built for speed:




Please ignore my mess of a garage, it's still not back to normal since the garage sale.



A couple of years ago, my Dad in Law found this Nishiki at a garage sale.  It's even older than my mountain bike, but it's more of a racing bike, which is what I need for IronGirl.  Is it worth fixing up for training, and ultimately, the race?





Please ignore the creepy hand prints in this basement storage room.  They were already there when we bought the house. 




Well?  Should I stick with my GT?  Or give the Nishiki a try?

12 comments:

A Prelude To... said...

I did my whole first season and part of a second on a mountain/hybrid bike...it made me stronger!

Lisa said...

I have absolutely nothing to comment about your bike - I wouldn't know one thing from the other, BUT I can say I'm so super proud of you for setting a tri goal and going for it!!!!! Thanks for your comment on my blog - you're awesome! Ohh, and one thing about the wet suit - which, again, I know almost nothing about tri's - my friend did a tri and rented hers from a scuba store. She said it was great - they let her borrow it for a few hours a week before so she could "practice" in a pond with it. Just a suggestion. Also, if you want some super good and accurate advice about anything Tri - you could check out the Train with Lisa blog on my side bar - met her this weekend and all she does is train and coach tri athletes of every caliber - she is a wealth of knowledge. just a suggestion. And to quote Forest Gump "That's all I got to say about that!"

Anonymous said...

I did my first tri with my old mountain bike. I wanted to be sure I would do another tri before investing in a bike. It was heavy, but it got the job done.
You can't go wrong either way.

Caratunk Girl said...

I think that if you love your mtn bike you should stick with it but get some slicker tires on it - like see what the skinniest tire you can put on that rim. That is what I did with my hybrid when I first got started. The problem with mtn bike tires is that they are like suction cups on the pavement, so you want slick tires if you can get them. That is what I think anyway. Also, usually if I have a bike question, I ask BDD. See what he thinks.

Unknown said...

I think if I were you I would try to switch back and forth for a couple of rides and see which bike you feel most comfortable on.

If you go with the mountain bike, definitely go with road tires...the change will only cost around $60-70 and be totally worth it. You might also think about adding some cages to the pedals.

Susan Fobes said...

I'm thinking you are used to the mountain bike so stick with it, but can you put some money in regular tires? It will at least make your ride a lot smoother.

Hey, I can't believe there is another house with hand prints! When we bought ours, there were different size hand prints throughout the garage (um, well, they're still there to this day-creepy yes, but in the garage okay...)

Anonymous said...

I agree with mandy, if you love the mtb,stick with it but put some slicks on it. AND I also go to BDD for bike questions.

On the other hand, i love my MTB but went with a 25yr old road bike like the one above, down tube shifters and all, for my first race. I got it a tune up and new tubes and rode it until it was broken beyond repair. I think I had a better performance on it than I would have my MTB due to weight and tire surface area.

-LUKE (blogger won't let me sign on)

Erika said...

I so wish i wasn't terrified of lakes because i think a tri would be fun!!
Sorry, I'm of no help to your delima...good luck figuring it out!

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Johann said...

This is one area where I am of no use at all. My last bike ride was in 1992 and I hope I never have to ride again. All the best with your tri adventure! I'll be following you all the way.

BDD said...

I would train on the road bike for a week, see if you like it, you will feel faster on it, over the mountain bike, but it will not be as comfortbable. if you go with the road bike, its important to make sure its the right size and that you get fitted to it, the #1 thing any biker should do is get fitted to thier bike, its so you feel compfortable, riding on an unfitted bike will cause you alot of aches and pains and can injure yourself.

Also to fix up the road bike, it will probably need a tune up, maybe new cable housing (replace the brake and gear cables), your LBS will tell if you do or not, and a good cleaning, the tires "might" need to be replaced, cant tell from the pic, they might just be dirty.

If you dont like the road bike, you can swap out the off road tires for some road tires, shouldnt cost you alot, probably can get them for easily under $40, prob cheaper.

Cost comparison, it "might" cost you $100 to get the road bike ready compared to $0-$40 for the mountain bike to get it ready

Black Knight said...

Sorry I am not a bike expert.... But you will do the right choose, I am sure.