How much does your bike really matter?

I think it matters, at least to me.  Comfort is important. If I am going to be riding for 25 or 56 or 112 miles I want a comfortable bike. My tri-bike is very comfortable when I am in the aero bars. Speed is important. I want to be as fast as possible with the least amount of effort. My tri-bike is fast and aero, thus I am as fast as my motor is strong with the least amount of wind resistance. Plus its a cool, fun bike!

Buy a new bike!!!!  Does your bike have aero bars on it?  IT BETTER!

See that picture you have on as your avatar?  That's about how you will feel when you buy your tri bike!  And it doesn't have to be a LOAD of cash.  Well, I guess that's all relative, but you can score a sweet bike for less than $2000.

If that's the sole reason ("simply because") you will probably be disappointed. You can get just about the same gains by getting into a tri position on your roadie.

However, if you are committed to the sport and have the spare cash, by all means, the motivational aspect of an awesome new toy can definitely help exert that greater positive effect

In the end, though, it comes down to the engine.

A lot of factors go into this.  You're talking over $1500 typically for something you already have "one" of.  That kind of expense is a lot for some, not alot for others.  For me, that's alot so I'll keep working on the engine.

What might play into it is how your race performance is.  Again, I don't know what kind of "sell" you'll have to do with your SO to justify the $$.  To many of us, havng a TT bike is partly Hobby, partly competive sport.  To some just Hobby, to others just competitiveness.

As an example, I'm up to Oly distance now, cracking top 15% OA in local races.  With some more solid miles in the saddle and some improvements on running, swimming and transitions I think I can crack top 5 OA.  IF I get to that point, then I'll probably think about buying some speed, i.e. TT bike, fancy wheels etc.  So the argument with the SO can go something like "Hey, I can actually WIN one of these races, bla bla bla".

I've said it before though, nice wheels and TT bike are COOL!  Way cooler than my $800 road bike and $50 aerobars.

Whichever you decide, have fun, tear it up if you get those nice wheels

There's a couple points that have been spinning around in our discussion--A) To cough up anything over $1,000 is a huge commitment in our household. I am a stay at home mom (with a wonderfully supportive husband who, if I really felt I needed a new bike, would support the decision) so our income is always on a budget stance. And B), yes, I have aero bars on the roadie. I'm just curious to the upgrade in wheels and the switch from aluminum to carbon fiber on a new ride.

The key question that I'm seeking to answer is just how much could the equipment upgrade increase my performance versus just continually using that "engine"....is it really just the engine? 

Do you have aero bars and have had a specific tri fitting done? Just putting aerobars on there does not a tri position make.

The difference between a cycling position on a roadie and a tri bike, you're looking at (ballpark) 2-3mph. That could be a lot, especially over HIM or IM distance. The difference between a tri fit on a roadie and a tri bike, you're looking at 1mph. Max. That's not a lot, and especially not in short course.

I'm going to say that in your case, for now, it really is just the engine.

I just purchased a new tri bike and I love it. I feel I will be faster on it for HIM and IM's. My biggest question is what distance are you racing? Sprint's in my mind don't really need a tribike. Oly's are on the edge, I think either works great. HIM or IM a tri bike helps alot if you are comfortable. Is your bike aluminum? I have to say that carbon is nice to ride on, it smooths out the ride alot. If you are comfortable on your bike you will get good speed out of a set of wheels for less money then a new bike. Then save up and get you anice bike in a year or two then you will already have race wheels for it. Honest opinion it's what makes you happy at the end of the day.

Think about what you want to do going forward in this sport.  A tri bike will make you faster.  If you take the time to get a solid fitting you will love it, but it's tough to say if it'll be worth $1,000+ in your situation.  Can you wait for the current bike to wear down some more and then see about getting a tri bike for the next one?  I didn't see how used the current one is.  Waiting for a logical upgrade time because the current one is getting older is usually the best time for most people, especially on a tighter budget.  It also tends to work better if you can figure on getting the bike plus any options (like better wheels) together as a package (though not always).

When I upgraded, I got a couple minutes in a sprint.  I'll put up one of the fastest splits in small local sprints, but I put up pretty strong splits with the road + aerobar setup before I got one.  If I raced a Grand Tour Pro using a mountain bike, I wouldn't bet on myself winning.  The upgrade bug does NOT go away.  It only temporarily subsides.

I have a descent carbon/all Ultegra road bike.  I couldn't believe how much more comfortable it became when I put aero bars on it.  So, I can only imagine how much better it will be to have a tri bike where I can ride and shift more comfortably.

But, really, at the end of the day, it doesn't have to do with comfort. It's really about how uber cool we look in the aero position and how beautiful tri bikes are.  But no one would admit to that LOL

I went through this same decision process last year after my HIM.  Instead of getting a new road bike, I decided to upgrade the components on my 6 year old entry level road bike.  I was able to replace things that have normal wear like brake pads and tires, get a new crankset, rear cassette, chain and shifters (all upgrades) for under $500, including labor.  The crankset I got second hand and I shopped for deals on the rest.  If you're patient, there are good deals to be had out there.

The new components made a noticeable difference in weight and my shifting is smoother.  I'm not working as hard to get the same performance out of the bike.  I also learned a lot more about bike maintenance, gearing and how all the parts work together.  Going this route gave me another year to save money towards a tri bike and make sure I remained enthused about continuing to train for and participate in triathlons.

Sorry to call you out, but this is the only sentence that is correct in my book...  The rest is misinformation.

I haven't done alot of tri's but in the short distance of a spint that I have done I seen alot of biker's killing it on a road bike that they were very comfortable on. The top three guy's were on road bike's. I don't know how much time they would gain on a tt bike for 12 miles. They might gain some but enough to go out and drop $2000 on a new bike or $600  on a wheel set. Depending on the wheels they would gain the same speed for less money. To me it seemed like It is more about the money for the OP and where she might be able to get more speed for the buck. I love my Tri bike and have gained alot of speed since buying it. But most of it is because I am changing to."the engine"

Carbon frame is not faster than Aluminum (or other material). The wheels don't make as much of a difference as most people think - they look cool but have a poor speed gain-per-dollar spent return.

The main reasons a tribike is fast than a roadbike are:

- Geometry of frame: Triframe, with its steeper seat tube angle, lower headset, etc. - a tribike puts you in a position to generate high amounts of sustained power, particularly on flatter terrain. At the same time your body is much more aerodynamically positioned because of the bent-forward position over the aerobars.  The downside is that you lose the maneuverability and agility of a road bike. Climbing, sudden accelerations and sprints are more comfortable on a road bike.

- Aerodynamics: The tribike gets your body in a more aerodynamic position AND the frame and components are typically more aerodynamic than road bikes.

The best value-for-money for most of us age-group athletes is to improve the engine BUT a new, sexy bike makes the sport more fun. And when you have more fun you want to do more of it.  A new bike may get you riding more, training harder - then its a good investment.

If you plan on doing at least a few seasons of triathlon then a tribike might be a good way to spend your discretionary income. That was my reasoning for buying a nice Cervelo that was more bike than I really needed.

Here's the truth:

Unless you're a pro or elite, it's definitely NOT about the bike. Even if you are an elite, it's still not about the bike. It's all about your human engine.

I'm a FOP rider, and I have both a $$$$ Cervelo TT bike and an entry level $650 Giant bike I bought AFTER the Cervelo because I needed a pure road bike. I ride the Giant all stock except for tires which I wore out and replaced with Gatorskins. It's aluminum with an alloy fork - no CF. 

Guess what - aside from the aerobar factor, the bikes are essentially identical in speed. On my downloaded GPS rides, my nondraft times on climbs are identical, and close enough on flats that the aerobars are likely the only difference. 

I also ride regularly with similarly strengthed riders, and the guys who ride just ahead or just behind me on the hammerparts are still exactly in the same place despite what bike I ride.

And in fact, the Giant is actually MORE comfortable to ride than the Cervelo - aside from the TT position, the carbon frame of the Cervelo is super-stiff (well known) - very little damping of shock there. The guys at the LBS said they have people coming in who have rattled the components right off their Cervelo frame. Despite the alu Giant, it's definitely a smoother (albeit less lively) ride.

I am convinced that I could ride to exactly the same placing that I do on my Cervelo using my Giant bike with clip-on aerobars - in fact, sans aerobars, I would probably be nearly identically placed as well. The components also matter little - yes, the Sora stuff is a bit slower on the shift, but it won't fail and can hammer just as well as DA.

The only speed-related upgrades after getting a true road bike that I'd consider for real gains are 1) Aerobars (they do give you about 1-1.5mph on a flat or downhill) and 2) Aero helmet (not expensive). All the rest like wheels and aero CF frame look great, and I'd get them in a heartbeat if given to me, but the gains are so miniscule - seconds on the hour, for the huge $1000+ outlay that it's not worth it to me.

For those on a budget, all the bike you need to win triathlons is a correctly fitted (not talking PRO-fit here) $700 road bike (like the Specialized Secteur or Trek 1.1 or Giant Defy3) and possibly a set of $100 aerobars. You will have almost no disadvantage (<45 seconds/1hr racing) against the guy next to you with aero-everything and a $10k bike. 

Because sprints aren't REAL triathlons, duh. :eyeroll:

Yes, you need a tri bike!

Just kidding, you really don't. I'm sure Lance would kick my butt on a Huffy while I rode his $10k bike.

If $1k is a big deal financially then I would say you really don't need to be looking at a tri bike. Put aside some pennies for the next 2-4 years and get a nice bike later. I think it would be better to save and buy something in the $2,500 range than to get something now in the $1,000 range that you will just want to upgrade later.

This.

This is the exact reason I bought my tri bike this year.  As it turns out, I don't like it any more than my road bike...but I LOVE my road bike.  If you don't love your current bike, then a new one could very well be the ticket to more bike enthusiasm and that could translate into better speed and certainly into more fun.

You're missing a couple here.  Cheap, speedy upgrades are aerobars, aerohelmet, tires/tubes, and a disc cover for the back.  The tires and tubes can be a huge upgrade for not a huge outlay.

Your Gatorskins are costing you 30+watts over a fast set of tires, BTW.