Dr. Caftori,

I'm finally getting around to giving you some information on triathlon 
bikes.  The main difference beteween a triathlon specific bike and a road 
bike is the geometry and aero handlebars.  If you are just starting out I 
would suggest that you get an entry level road bike that you can later 
convert into a triathlon bike if you continue to do those races.

The reason that a triathlon bike is different is that the geometry puts the 
rider in a more forward riding postition on the aero bars so that your'e 
using your hamstring muscles for most of your power, that way once you 
transtition into the running portion of the race your quads aren't as tired 
as they would be with a road bike.  When riding a road bike because of the 
position the geometry the rider is getting most of their power from their 
quads and that is the main muscle you use for running.

I use a Specialized Allez road bike frame for  triathlons  because I like 
the way that chromoly frames ride rather than aluminum.  I use the aero bars 
by the company profile designs called the aluminX because they are light 
weight but they still aren't incredibly expensive.  In order to change the 
geometry on my bike I also use the profile designs fast forward seatpost to 
give me a more forward postition so it is more comforable riding on the aero 
bars and I use my hamstring muscles for power.

I guess the type of bike you get depends on how serious of a racer you plan 
on being.  If you are doing it for the fun and the good exercise I would 
recomend getting a road bike and not worrying about the aerodynamics of your 
riding postion and handlebars.  If you want to be very serious about winning 
and placing very high in the finish than you might want to consider getting 
a more aerodynamic bike.  I'd start off with a road bike first though just 
make sure that you like doing triathlons because it would be a shame to 
spend that much money on a tri bike and then not like racing it.

I hope this helps a little bit, email me or talk to me after class if you 
have more question about where to go for a bike or about the running or 
swimming.  See you in class,

-David Gucciardi