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Click to view surfpsycho's profile Rookie 3 posts since
Apr 15, 2008

Apr 15, 2008 4:17 PM

do people ride mountain bikes in triathlons?


i am doing my first triathlon in a few weeks and don't want to drop money on a road bike. the ride is only 14 miles, but i don't want to be the only one riding a mountain bike. thanks for the help.


Click to view rmoir1005's profile Amateur 19 posts since
Aug 31, 2007
1. Apr 16, 2008 5:55 AM in response to: surfpsycho
Re: do people ride mountain bikes in triathlons?

I'm coming up on my first tri this Sunday (Kinetic Sprint in Virginia) as well...but everything I've read is that it isn't all that uncommon to see a mountain bike at a triathlon... I've also seen suggestions about swapping out your mountain bike wheels/tires for road wheels/tires, but you should probably talk to someone at your bike shop to get more details on that - I'm not too familiar with what would be needed for that. In the end - at least for your first one... I don't really think it matters what type of bike you ride as long as you're comfortable. I'm not aware of any rules against it either... nothing specific on the USA Triathlon website. More experienced racers might want to chime in on this one...

Additional thought: If your goal is just to finish - then your mtb is fine (I think)...

I did a local duathlon back in october and I saw a range of bikes - mountain bikes, recumbent bikes, road bikes - so drive on!

Good luck... what is your first race?

Click to view niemsco's profile Community Moderator 162 posts since
Sep 24, 2007
2. Apr 16, 2008 6:20 AM in response to: surfpsycho
Re: do people ride mountain bikes in triathlons?
Yes they do. Look into getting tires for your mtb with less rolling resistance, in other words slicks. Normal mtb tires will just produce a lot of drag which you don't need. You could check out tires from Continental. They have slicks for mtb, as probably most other major vendors do.
Click to view Anthony_All3's profile Community Moderator 238 posts since
Aug 8, 2007
3. Apr 17, 2008 4:09 AM in response to: niemsco
Re: do people ride mountain bikes in triathlons?
No shame in using MTN bikes, you can only do what your pocket book will let you in terms of high tech gear. In my first race I had a decent road bike and got passed by quit a few MTN bikes.
Click to view DavidM-CA's profile Rookie 1 posts since
Sep 26, 2007
4. May 3, 2008 11:21 AM in response to: surfpsycho
Re: do people ride mountain bikes in triathlons?

I have completed two sprint Triathlons (both with rides of about 14 miles using a mountain bike, there were a few others on mountain bikes but not many. Your time will be slower but you will still get the satisfaction of completing the event. If you continue to use the mountain bike and train you can track you improvement over time.

Use the mountain bike and have fun. :^0

Click to view roxygirl68's profile Rookie 5 posts since
May 2, 2008
5. May 5, 2008 8:33 AM in response to: DavidM-CA
Re: do people ride mountain bikes in triathlons?
Im competing in my first tri in about two months and my mtn bike feels better for me than getting a street bike. I look into what they accept first before signin up for a tri. One im doing says you can use any type bike you want. Im mostly doing this race to see if i can do it..and finish. Not looking to get a time record set.
Click to view rmoir1005's profile Amateur 19 posts since
Aug 31, 2007
7. May 5, 2008 12:45 PM in response to: surfpsycho
Re: do people ride mountain bikes in triathlons?

Congrats on the sprint! I had a blast at mine too... good luck training!\


Ross