Can you give me one thousand bucks?

Road bikes ready for tri competition are so fricken expensive! I mean, I don’t need the best bike in the world. I just need something that is comfortable and at the very least, capable of any type of Triathlon at a beginner level. I’ve come across two that I have to decide on. A Specialized Allez Elite Duo or a Giant OCR 2. The price… get this… $1000 for the Specialized and $750 for the Giant. WHAT THE F?!?

And these are considered ‘starter’. It only moves up in price from there.

My dilemma is this. A Triathlon is hard enough. Why ride a $500 bike and suffer when a $1000 can make your ride more comfortable and eventually easier and ultimately faster? Yeah, anyone can take a Mountain Bike and compete and finish a Tri event. There is no question about that. But it’s like running a 5K with a pair of K-Swiss instead of running of using running shoes like Brooks or my Asics! You can defiantly run with K-Swiss, but why not go with comfort and weight and eventually speed with a better running shoe?

Everywhere I’ve researched, from triathletes who have been into the sport less than a year to those who are seasoned vets have all said, spend more on a bike than you’re comfortable with. I’m comfortable, in a way, in spending $750 for a bike. Which means $1000 should be the price I should pay. But then I have to spend money on all the gear and equip as well.

Paintball was the same. Why not go for the $1000 gun and spend more than you’re comfortable with spending rather than be longing for a better, faster performing marker because you spent $500 bucks!?!? Same thing as my bike situation.

Problem is. I don’t have $1000 bucks!!!

The Specialized Allez Elite


And the Giant OCR 2