My 12 yr old son is keen to take up the triathlon and simultaneously he has grown out of his previous bike.
The question what type of bike to get. Kids do their triathlon cycling (6km in a race) on grass - usually playing fields - as you can imagine the carnage that would be associated with kids racing on roads.
My research so far suggests he needs something with a bit more of an off-road capability than a road bike as 23mm slicks are not going to cut it on grass (that also helps as our family leisure cycling is also based on disused railways and tracks rather than roads). But drop bars and 700mm wheels would I think be helpful (vital?) over a 6km race.
A cyclo-cross bike would I'm sure do the job but the very cheapest at £650 for a Kona Jake is a lot if he doesn't stick to triathlons and perhaps is not the ideal bike for him just for leisure cycling.
I though I might get the same effect with a tourer - drop bars, and clearance for 35mm tyres, strip off the panniers etc for racing - something like a Dawes Horizon (£375 from Evans) but is that going to be heavier (does that matter on the flat?) - or do I need it to be heavier for the off-road capability anyway?
My wife is baulking at the idea of even £400 for a bike when you can get hybrids for £200 - but I'm not so sure of my ground in whether a "sit-up" hybrid will do the job for him. I can delay the purchase for a few months as he can use a borrowed bike for his triathlon training in the meantime but I'd be very grateful for any wise comments from anyone who has been through this already.
Thanks
The question what type of bike to get. Kids do their triathlon cycling (6km in a race) on grass - usually playing fields - as you can imagine the carnage that would be associated with kids racing on roads.
My research so far suggests he needs something with a bit more of an off-road capability than a road bike as 23mm slicks are not going to cut it on grass (that also helps as our family leisure cycling is also based on disused railways and tracks rather than roads). But drop bars and 700mm wheels would I think be helpful (vital?) over a 6km race.
A cyclo-cross bike would I'm sure do the job but the very cheapest at £650 for a Kona Jake is a lot if he doesn't stick to triathlons and perhaps is not the ideal bike for him just for leisure cycling.
I though I might get the same effect with a tourer - drop bars, and clearance for 35mm tyres, strip off the panniers etc for racing - something like a Dawes Horizon (£375 from Evans) but is that going to be heavier (does that matter on the flat?) - or do I need it to be heavier for the off-road capability anyway?
My wife is baulking at the idea of even £400 for a bike when you can get hybrids for £200 - but I'm not so sure of my ground in whether a "sit-up" hybrid will do the job for him. I can delay the purchase for a few months as he can use a borrowed bike for his triathlon training in the meantime but I'd be very grateful for any wise comments from anyone who has been through this already.
Thanks