I hate cycling

Sorry - I'm afraid I'm in the opposite camp. But I can see where you're coming from. It definitely is the most time/skill consuming and expensive portion of the sport.

The only thing I can think of is to find someone who throughly enjoys cycling and spend some time with them. Hopefully some of their enthusiasm for the sport will rub off on you, and they'll be able to help you with things like shifting, not falling, understanding geometry and sorts.

Find a good group at your level to cycle with, and you'll gain a WHOLE new appreciation for the sport. I know trifolks often are supposed to "train" alone due to the aerobar issue, but I think that's a suboptimal approach.

I'm primarily a runner, and originally hated cycling as well, as I felt lost on the roads, with no motivation and no passion to ride. I found a few good local groups at my level (both better and worse than me), and they opened my eyes to a fantastic new world of spectacularly scenice bike routes (you have NO idea what you're missing until someone shows you!), fast group riding, and the joy of working together for hours to make it a safer ride from cars, as well as drafting when necessary.

I was a pure runner, but I've since come to really, really love the bike - even more so than my running (blasphemy!) Finding a group that worked for me made all the difference. 

I'm primarily a cyclist. I love cycling.

Yet, I can sympathize with you.  Winter riding can be kind of a drag.  Doing training rides in single-digit weather dressed up like the Michelin man; sandy/icy roads that limit top speed for safety, frozen water bottles, washing muddy bikes on frozen ground.  Well, those things can suck some of the joy out of road biking.

Hang in there. Spring is just around the corner.  It's possible that you'll reconnect with what is fun in cycling again when the weather gets nice.

I come from a running background and it is certainly my favorite by far.  I have segued into cycling pretty easy, though it is taking me awhile to accumulate all the appropriate gear.  Swimming on the other hand is my nemesis.  When I am running or cycling I like to let my mind wander, when I do this while swimming I immediately feel as if I a have save myself from drowning.  I don't know what it is but as soon as i take my mind off of each stroke, everything goes awry.  I hope as long as i keep doing it I will begin to improve and perhaps even enjoy it a bit. 

So hang in there, with time (and the weather change) you may become an avid cyclist. 

I used to hate the bike, I dreaded any ride that would take me out on the road. It was hard, lonely, boring, and speeding cars freaked me out. But I wasn't going to let it beat me. I've liked triathlon from day 1 but the bike was the one part that was holding me back from really enjoying the sport. (and even those that love it find winter cycling tough!)

I started riding with other people. The social aspect of cycling is one reason why I like it. I also went out on some back roads and didn't think of it as a training ride - no HRM, no checking the bike computer... nada - and I let my bike and my legs take me out to the country and enjoy the view. I also had to consciously change my inner monologue - I can tackle that hill, I will clip out before the light, I will enjoy this ride....

Good luck with your journey and at Wildflower!

I totally understand your pain.  I used to HATE, HATE, HATE cycling!!!!!  Yes, with capital letters and lots of exclamation marks.  Swimming was great and running was fine, but cycling...........

I did an Ironman in 2007 and did not get back on my bike for 14 months.  I said I would NEVER ride again and therefore would never do triathlons again.  But after watching my friends do the 2008 IMSA I really wanted to do it again and thought what the heck let me just try my bike again.  If the first ride sucks as much as I think it is going to then I will know that IM and cycling are not for me. 

Well I got on my bike and it sucked, but not as much as I thought.  (The computer still said last ride was 180km).  I tried it again.  And I am not sure what the difference was, except that I was riding with people more on my level.   I was not constantly just trying to keep up and I ended up beginning to enjoy it.  Not so much that I thought I would become a cyclist or that it would be my favourite part, but I enjoyed it.  So much so that I ended up buying myself a tri bike in December and said that the time I would never ride for anything besides tri's so what was the point of getting an upgraded road bike.  I am now (almost) regretting that decision.  I am LOVING cycling.  It has gone from being the bain of my existance to the most enjoyable part (yes also the most expensive) but I am loving it.

I can't tell you what I did to bring about this change because I don't know.   All I do know is that for this IM I have cycled 2000 km more in the same time period than I did before my last one, and instead of being a chore I want to get out on the road.

 I hope you get to feel the same way eventually.

I don't love it. Wouldn't say I HATE it, but I don't love it. It's the vehicle that gets me from the swim to the run. Sometimes it's fun, esp. if I have a really nice flat or a teeny tiny decline and I can drop the hammer (well, as much as I can, anyway) and see how fast I can go. Thing that scares me the most - hills. Downhills. And being hit by cars. It freaks me out - and so I don't get out there and ride as much as I should.

But that doesn't sound like your problem - you've got a BIG old list there of stuff you hate about it. It's true, it's more of an "involved" sport in terms of all the crap you need to buy and all the crap you need to bring with you to go on a ride. Not sure what to tell you, but you need to find something you like about it. How long have you actually been cycling on the road? It took me awhile to figure out gear-shifting "strategy" - ie, all the times when I should shift. If you have access to a trainer, or better yet, a computrainer, ride them and practice shifting. My bike didn't seem to go into the big gear very easily. But I really just needed to do it more. And now it's like second nature.

Why not get rid of the clipless pedals for now.  Get some regular pedals with cages, or just not worry even about the cages and get out and get used to riding.  Once you have a better feel and appreciation for it, you can get back to worring about the pedals.  Having that one additional thing to worry about, something that can also be pretty embarrassing depending on where it happens, can add a lot of stess.

Get out and enjoy the bike first, then worry about making big gains in performance.

This is the key for the OP and many that share the view.  All too often, we look at our training as work to be done.  I used to do it with running all of the time, and thus I hated running.  I personally like to get on the bike and just ride.  Sure, there are times when you want to do intervals or stress something in your training, but it is more important to love being on the bike first.  IT'S NOT WORK.  Commune with your bike.  Develop a relationship.  There is no shame in talking to your bike. 

Once, I was on a ride by myself and I had gotten myself to an unfamiliar road.  It was a Saturday around noon and I didn't have anywhere I had to be, for once.  So I asked my bike, out loud.  I said, "What do you think Herschel, should we take a right and head back towards home or should we take a left and see if we can't find a town we've never been too?"

Well, I wasn't really paying that much attention, but another guy on a bike had pulled up behind me and started laughing.  He went right and said - "I do that too". 

I hate my bike. The hours it takes, the danger, etc. I used to love my mountain bike, but then it got stolen for the second time. Part of it, I know, is that my bike does not fit me. Hopefully my trip to the LBS and the adjustments we're going to make will help.

I still think I'm going to hate it.

Take two weeks off, then quit. Sell all your stuff on ebay and then get about enjoy your life doing what you like, not what you think you "should" do.

I understand how you feel, OP.  X2 on finding something you like about it and moving from there.  Maybe join some group rides, ditch the HRM or ride on the non-clipped side of your pedal (if possible) just to go out and enjoy it without all the analysis, tech-crap and fear of falling over because you're clipped in.  Best wishes to you.

How long have you been cycling?  What made you interested in triathlon in the first place? Do you enjoy being on the road once you get started? Do you feel good about your workouts afterwards?

I ask you these questions because my answers to those questions are what got me past my initial loathing of the bike. I thought I would love it but then I found out how HARD it was to someone like me, who had ZERO road bike experience...I thought, gasp, those tires are so skinny & I am SICK of those clipless pedals demoralizing me and I am scared to death over how little room I have on the road.  As far as the cost & maintenance well, that's just the way it is, I mean, triathlon is not a cheap lifestyle.  If anyone who knew a damn about our sport broke into our home, they'd make a killing on gear alone!