Does having a fancy tri bike put more pressure on me

Why are you getting a new bike?  To improove your own performance in events or to impress people?  I don't really get it.

As far as I'm concerned, when I get a new tri bike it is because I want to place better, be faster, be more efficient, etc.  There will always be people that have nicer equipment that I can beat on my road bike and there will always be road bikes passing me on my tri bike, when I get it.

I find threads like this amusing.  People are always so hung up on what the other guys may or may not think.  Do what you think is best for you and do your best.... for you!

Have fun shopping.  I'm really really really jealous!

Matt

Honestly, if you go out there and average 15mph on a sprint course with $10k in bike/aero gear, yeah... people are gonna think some things.

Whether or not that matters to you is a different story completely.

Then don't.  Get a decent aluminum road bike, ride the beejezus out of it for a year or two, then get whatever fancy bike you want.

having a fancy tri bike does a couple of things:

1. You get to enjoy riding a nice bike, and

2. You can't blame your equipment for slowing you down

Who cares what folks think, just get a bike that fits and you like, and enjoy it!

Love,

Mike_D, solid MOP rider on a fancy schmancy cervelo P2 w/ fancy wheels.

I think we THINK people think stuff like that.  Most people?  Just race/train.  I pass and get passed by people all the time on 10k worth of equipement.  If I think anything, I wonder if they are feeling well that day or had a flat, or "man, they are flying" or they are faster than me or I am faster than them...Or just "nice bike".

This is an expensive sport where MOST people usually have some decent expendable income.  Some more than others.  I don't associate expensive equipment with fitness as much as they have deep pockets.  Both are perfectly fine.  Some people will never be fast, but have the cash to put down on nice stuff.

the more $$$ you spend should be directly proportional to your AG placing.

So the correct answer is yes

Maybe I'm just a terrible person... but I think stuff like that.

I don't "expect" you to do anything. I don't care what you are doing. I have enough trouble worrying about what *I* am doing.

Truth be told, unless I am trying to ride you down...I'm probably not paying any attention to you at all.

Do I NOTICE the people with $12k invested in their bike setup who ride along in sneakers at 11 mph? Sometimes, sure. Do I spend time caring? No.

Whenever I see those guys I think "Daaaaaaaaaamn he's a boss!"  I think getting the best bike you can afford is an awesome thing.  If someone can show up in a Cervelo P5 loaded to the brim with every imaginable upgrade, but needs training wheels because they've never ridden a bike before - more power to them and I'll think that's literally the coolest damn thing ever.

Get what you like, and don't give a crap what anyone else thinks.

Only if you spend too much time on triathlon forums.

People confuse their role in the sport. This is a hobby. It's fun and exercise. Your bike is a toy to be enjoyed whether you are waxing it or riding it or posting photos of it on your Facebook page. It's a recreational purchase like a slip n' slide or a telescope or model airplanes.

There are legions of delusional people in our sport who take it more seriously than it is: Good exercise and good fun. They think they are "coaches" and "sponsored" and "pros". They aren't. They are pharmaceutical reps, teachers, auto execs and computer programmers living a Walter Middy life as something else.

The pressure is on the top three men and women in Kona and Olympics and the riders in the Tour de France. They earn six and seven figures and represent their countries on international television.

Until you are one of them the only pressure is that you place upon yourself.

Get real, enjoy.

As an amateur astronomer, I can assure you that I think the same thing about some with a $15,000 12" telescope who couldn't find Jupiter if his life depended on it.  I'd wager that the R/C Airplane community thinks the same thing about some dope who invests a ton of money into a plane that he can hardly fly.

.... I'm fairly sure there is no hardcore slip 'n slide community...

People see me with my bike and they think, "that dude's gonna be fast"

Then they see my bucket and they think, "maybe not"

I just smile, sitting there on my bucket, wondering the same thing about my day

if you want it and can afford it, than get it.....at least thats my motto.....if your the fastest or slowest, either way your gonna be pretty statisfied with your ride.....its a win win...

Whoa there, my kids and their friends would disagree, they come with hose attachments, pools at the end, inflatable football guys to knock down, they have turns, inner tubes, and are hardcore now.  

To be honest, on the rare occasion when I pass someone on a nice bike, I might get an ego boost for like, five seconds.... until someone else on a nice bike passes me. And I'm certainly not committing race numbers to memory to check on their results later.

Are you a sponsored athlete? Are you in the running for prize money? My guess, since you're on BEGINNERtriathlete.com, is no on both. That means you're the only one placing expectations on yourself. Go out there and have fun -- this is a hobby for 99% of us.

Think of it this way -- I'm not winning marathons any time soon, but I'm spending $125 on real running shoes instead of the $15 Wal-Mart special. I can afford them, and they make my runs more comfortable and enjoyable, so why not?

Um...actually...you obviously have not been over to the Beginner Slip N Slide forum lately.

It doesn't matter, most of the experienced sliders don't post there anymore.