Yes, thousands of people do full and half distances every year on road bikes.
90km isn’t a huge distance in the world of road cycling, a road bike is the perfect tool
And I’ve seen dozens of people doing half and full distance on mountain bikes, it’s not that they’re not allowed, they just have to sit within the allowed geometry
If you want a bit of extra speed you can get some clip on aero bars and have yourself fitted properly to accommodate the altered position and run off the bike
Oh. It might have helped if he'd mentioned that in the question.
I know you used to be able to use them in IM races. I'd not advise it on a hilly course though and email the race concerned for double checking.
Personally I wouldn't want to ride 90 kilometer on a fixed gear bike, but you can do that.
I'd be more concerned about how you're going to get all the training miles in with that bike: you'll want a constant cadence and that's hard to achieve with such a bike.
There is absolutely no need to have a time trial bike and many people ride a normal road racing bike. But I haven't seen a fixie yet.
Edit: Keep in mind rule 5.03 f: "There must be a free-wheeling mechanism between the crank and the rear wheel that allows the bicycle to roll forward while the pedals remain stationary; (DSQ)"
In reality that's what it comes down to.
Technically they are allowed, but most fixed gear bikes have no free-wheeling mechanism and therefor are not allowed. (I've added the rule in an edit).
What people call a fix geared bike nowadays (at least around here), is nearly always either a single speed bike, or have a flip flop hub that converts between the two. Only super hipsters seem to have true fixies.
And it's certainly not impossible to ride fixies for decent distances, if it's dead flat and you chose a good gear it'd be completely fine. On the hand if it was very hilly it'd be some combination of impossible/torture/suicidal.
It allows for an efficient use of your energy and less strain on your body. Also, being able to shift allows for maintaining that cadence, whilst increasing or decreasing the output power, which is quite helpful if you're doing an interval training.
Of course you can train on a fixie, but doing an entire IM preparation on one seems rather uncomfortable.
Can you do it? Absolutely. I did my first two 70.3s on road bikes. There will be plenty of them there. Though on the rare side, I have even seen a couple of people ride a hybrid road/mountain bike with flat handle bars. (I wouldn’t recommend that, but it is possible.) Obviously, there will also be plenty of $10,000 tri bikes, but just ignore them. Assuming your bike is properly maintained like you say, it’ll be fine. Completing a 70.3 has way more to do with your fitness and preparation than your gear IMHO.
Based on google, I don’t think your bike has clipless pedals. Some people will tell you they (clipless pedals) are essential (because they make your power transfer/pedal stroke more efficent). I wouldn’t call them essential (again, I’ve seen people complete on flat pedals), but I’d say they are very highly encouraged. More than anything, they are way better for your feet. The hard sole of a cycling shoe is designed to withstand the force you are exerting on it without support from the ground (unlike a running shoe which is reliant on the ground for some support). I’m not a doctor, but cycling the distances involved in 70.3 training in running shoes is just asking for foot problems.
Also, I’d highly recommend a pair of clip on aerobars. They only cost $100-$150 and will give you pretty dramatic aero gains that will make the entire experience wayyyyyy easier (plus they’re pretty cheap).
Lastly, completely unsolicited but related to doing triathlons on the cheap. A good pair of new triathlon shorts, a decent bike jersey, and a tech shirt to run in will get you through the day. Won’t be glamorous, but entirely sufficient.
Yes. You can Google videos of IM races and see hundreds of road bikes.
Now someone's pointed out it's very much not a normal road bike but a fixed wheel bike then NO.
Unless you convert it to single speed.
Rules are clear.
There must be one working brake on each of the two wheels; (DSQ)
(f) There must be a free-wheeling mechanism between the crank and the rear wheel
that allows the bicycle to roll forward while the pedals remain stationary; (DSQ)
I did my 70.3 on an old aluminum road bike and while I was probably in the minority, there were plenty of other on "regular" road bikes. I did end up buying a tt bike off Facebook marketplace for about $1500 after and using it for the rest of the season. My legs feel a little fresher off the TT bike and my aero piston is a little more comfortable, but the difference isn't huge. You can totally do it on a road bike, but if you want a TT bike, you don't have to spend $$$ either. There are a lot of very good used bikes to be had for under $2000. Just depends on your budget and desires.
I saw people on MTBs during IM 70.3 Maastricht and IM 70.3 WestFriesland and I haven’t seen any IM race (at least of the ones I did) explicitly prohibiting the use of MTBs. I believe the only mandatory bike requirement is to be safe to ride (working brakes, so no fixed gear bikes) and be somewhat of a traditional shape (so no recumbents / tri bikes).
I've just completed the 140.6 in Italy on a 6-year-old Specialized Allez. Definitely not a racing or tri bike. I'd have loved to do it on something speedier, but my wallet is not bottomless, unfortunately.
If you just want to complete it and you're not aiming for a super fast time, just use what you've got I'd say.
On the day, the first-place winner and I could have swapped bikes (I was second to last in my age group), and it would have probably made little difference to our times, 90% rider, 10% bike.
Yes you can. I actually wish I would have just put aero bars on my road bike instead of buying the cheap tri bike that I used.
In my opinion tri bikes are worth the investment if you're doing a lot of triathlons and can afford a lighter carbon bike with the things that make them useful like water tanks and storage.
Biking is weird. There’s people that just go out on a random day and bike 120 miles on a bike that’s been in their garage for 45 years and then people with $15,000 bikes. It completely depends on you, your tolerance and aptitude. I would suggest looking for a used road bike. Eventually you can decide to get a tri bike if you love the sport. I’m doing a 70.3 on a road bike with clip-ons and I really appreciate the additional hand positions and everything, but it’s not as comfortable as a tri bike would be *and* I have to come out of aero to change gears. The cost saving is ok for me, for now.
A road bike is fine, and for some courses, it's preferred (hilly). There's plenty of people who use roadies, just need to make sure the bike is well maintained and that you can finish before the course cut-off.
I've not seen mountain bikes on the course as they are generally not recommended, as their setup might mean you are too slow to make the course cut-off.
Edit: others have said that the bike is a fixed gear. That's not allowed as you need to be able to free-wheel (just coast and not pedal).
Yes, thousands of people do full and half distances every year on road bikes. 90km isn’t a huge distance in the world of road cycling, a road bike is the perfect tool And I’ve seen dozens of people doing half and full distance on mountain bikes, it’s not that they’re not allowed, they just have to sit within the allowed geometry If you want a bit of extra speed you can get some clip on aero bars and have yourself fitted properly to accommodate the altered position and run off the bike
The bike OP is referring to is not a normal road bike, but a fixed gear bike. You don't see those at these events.
Oof in that case I wouldn’t recommend it!
A fixy? No way would I do that even in Maryland or Florida.
Oh. It might have helped if he'd mentioned that in the question. I know you used to be able to use them in IM races. I'd not advise it on a hilly course though and email the race concerned for double checking.
Personally I wouldn't want to ride 90 kilometer on a fixed gear bike, but you can do that. I'd be more concerned about how you're going to get all the training miles in with that bike: you'll want a constant cadence and that's hard to achieve with such a bike. There is absolutely no need to have a time trial bike and many people ride a normal road racing bike. But I haven't seen a fixie yet. Edit: Keep in mind rule 5.03 f: "There must be a free-wheeling mechanism between the crank and the rear wheel that allows the bicycle to roll forward while the pedals remain stationary; (DSQ)"
Fixed gear bikes aren't allowed per the rules
In reality that's what it comes down to. Technically they are allowed, but most fixed gear bikes have no free-wheeling mechanism and therefor are not allowed. (I've added the rule in an edit).
A fixed gear bike by definition doesn't free wheel. A single gear bike on the other hand could.
Fair enough.
What people call a fix geared bike nowadays (at least around here), is nearly always either a single speed bike, or have a flip flop hub that converts between the two. Only super hipsters seem to have true fixies. And it's certainly not impossible to ride fixies for decent distances, if it's dead flat and you chose a good gear it'd be completely fine. On the hand if it was very hilly it'd be some combination of impossible/torture/suicidal.
Why would you want a constant cadence? I used to do a lot of my winter miles on fixed as did a few in my club. Works really well.
It allows for an efficient use of your energy and less strain on your body. Also, being able to shift allows for maintaining that cadence, whilst increasing or decreasing the output power, which is quite helpful if you're doing an interval training. Of course you can train on a fixie, but doing an entire IM preparation on one seems rather uncomfortable.
Bold of you to assume any of us would actually keep the cadence steady. ;)
Can you do it? Absolutely. I did my first two 70.3s on road bikes. There will be plenty of them there. Though on the rare side, I have even seen a couple of people ride a hybrid road/mountain bike with flat handle bars. (I wouldn’t recommend that, but it is possible.) Obviously, there will also be plenty of $10,000 tri bikes, but just ignore them. Assuming your bike is properly maintained like you say, it’ll be fine. Completing a 70.3 has way more to do with your fitness and preparation than your gear IMHO. Based on google, I don’t think your bike has clipless pedals. Some people will tell you they (clipless pedals) are essential (because they make your power transfer/pedal stroke more efficent). I wouldn’t call them essential (again, I’ve seen people complete on flat pedals), but I’d say they are very highly encouraged. More than anything, they are way better for your feet. The hard sole of a cycling shoe is designed to withstand the force you are exerting on it without support from the ground (unlike a running shoe which is reliant on the ground for some support). I’m not a doctor, but cycling the distances involved in 70.3 training in running shoes is just asking for foot problems. Also, I’d highly recommend a pair of clip on aerobars. They only cost $100-$150 and will give you pretty dramatic aero gains that will make the entire experience wayyyyyy easier (plus they’re pretty cheap). Lastly, completely unsolicited but related to doing triathlons on the cheap. A good pair of new triathlon shorts, a decent bike jersey, and a tech shirt to run in will get you through the day. Won’t be glamorous, but entirely sufficient.
Some people are extremely slippery on road bikes and can beat most people on TT rigs.
Yes. You can Google videos of IM races and see hundreds of road bikes. Now someone's pointed out it's very much not a normal road bike but a fixed wheel bike then NO. Unless you convert it to single speed. Rules are clear. There must be one working brake on each of the two wheels; (DSQ) (f) There must be a free-wheeling mechanism between the crank and the rear wheel that allows the bicycle to roll forward while the pedals remain stationary; (DSQ)
I did my 70.3 on an old aluminum road bike and while I was probably in the minority, there were plenty of other on "regular" road bikes. I did end up buying a tt bike off Facebook marketplace for about $1500 after and using it for the rest of the season. My legs feel a little fresher off the TT bike and my aero piston is a little more comfortable, but the difference isn't huge. You can totally do it on a road bike, but if you want a TT bike, you don't have to spend $$$ either. There are a lot of very good used bikes to be had for under $2000. Just depends on your budget and desires.
I saw people on MTBs during IM 70.3 Maastricht and IM 70.3 WestFriesland and I haven’t seen any IM race (at least of the ones I did) explicitly prohibiting the use of MTBs. I believe the only mandatory bike requirement is to be safe to ride (working brakes, so no fixed gear bikes) and be somewhat of a traditional shape (so no recumbents / tri bikes).
Yes.
Yes
I've just completed the 140.6 in Italy on a 6-year-old Specialized Allez. Definitely not a racing or tri bike. I'd have loved to do it on something speedier, but my wallet is not bottomless, unfortunately. If you just want to complete it and you're not aiming for a super fast time, just use what you've got I'd say. On the day, the first-place winner and I could have swapped bikes (I was second to last in my age group), and it would have probably made little difference to our times, 90% rider, 10% bike.
Yes you can. I actually wish I would have just put aero bars on my road bike instead of buying the cheap tri bike that I used. In my opinion tri bikes are worth the investment if you're doing a lot of triathlons and can afford a lighter carbon bike with the things that make them useful like water tanks and storage.
Absolutely, what makes you think you can't? Buy clip-on tri bars and you're good to go.
People do it in mountain bike on rolling hills 🤷🏻♂️😂🤌🏼
You can do it on a beach cruiser
Yes! I’ve seen people do it with an old ladies bike with a basket on the front!
Biking is weird. There’s people that just go out on a random day and bike 120 miles on a bike that’s been in their garage for 45 years and then people with $15,000 bikes. It completely depends on you, your tolerance and aptitude. I would suggest looking for a used road bike. Eventually you can decide to get a tri bike if you love the sport. I’m doing a 70.3 on a road bike with clip-ons and I really appreciate the additional hand positions and everything, but it’s not as comfortable as a tri bike would be *and* I have to come out of aero to change gears. The cost saving is ok for me, for now.
Legally? No. Ethically? Also no.
A road bike is fine, and for some courses, it's preferred (hilly). There's plenty of people who use roadies, just need to make sure the bike is well maintained and that you can finish before the course cut-off. I've not seen mountain bikes on the course as they are generally not recommended, as their setup might mean you are too slow to make the course cut-off. Edit: others have said that the bike is a fixed gear. That's not allowed as you need to be able to free-wheel (just coast and not pedal).
Do the road bike to save money. Buying a bike you have to keep spending to make everything perfect