Stopped after a minute of 7, reasons: "I know a lot of bikes" (yeah right, 🙄🙄: you bought once a cervelo p2. Than they gave you some Ventums and for some time they were the best bikes ever, until suddenly Canyon start throwing some bikes and now they're the best ever!?!).. "For your first bike you can go up to $5000 for a second-hand bike" (What the hell?!? Anyone who has that kind of budget is rich and buys new!!!).. And the moment I snapped: "105 & Rival are the bottom of the barrel" (unbelievable!!! My first racebike was a Trek 1000 aluminum (fork also) with Shimano Sora 8-speed more than 20 years ago, bought it new for $950, rode it for 3 years and is the only bike I will always keep. Love it and too much great memories, still in great condition. But hey, I'm not the one who's ever gonna state that I'm a walking bike-wikipedia.. You're becoming a joke.
THIS IS NOT A VIDEO FOR BEGINNERS!!!The first few minutes of this video is useful for beginners, but the rest would be better suited for someone who wants to upgrade from their beginner bike. Shimano 105 is not bottom of the barrel; there are three lines below that and will do just fine for a beginner. Also, a lot of triathletes are riding 105 road and tri bikes, because that’s a splurge for some of us. Lastly, it’s ridiculous that you are suggesting to new cyclists/triathletes to spend up to $5,000 on a used bike. You can buy a decent used or new bike from a couple hundred dollars to $1000 or borrow any type of bike that is in good working condition.
I wouldn't go lower than 105: I've destroyed a lower end shimano in less than a season, and I'm not really that strong. I wouldn't call 105 “bottom of the barrel”, but it's where I'd draw the line for most cost effective: anything less will cost you more in the long run if you're training seriously.
@@ederlikessoccer I trashed an Alvo (which they list as their Sora equivalent for mountain bikes) in under one year, so I couldn't recommend anything in that level for a serious rider. My 105 has shown to be head and shoulders above that in terms of quality. I know it's apes and orangutans, but since they themselves place both groupsets at equivalent levels, I feel confident enough about the comparison.
105 is far from the bottom of the barrel. Maybe the bottom of the "serious" cyclist racing sets but all of the group sets these days are really good and whilst Claris is perfectly functional, for a keen cyclist I'd say anything Sora or better is more than enough.
This video is golden. I wish this video was out when I first got into triathlon 4 years ago. Would have saved me so much time, effort, and money. Thanks Taren!!
I did first 3 years and up to a 70.3 with a $550 bike I bought on line and a timex watch. I then collected most of what your talking about here and moved into IM but not need at the beginning. Not everyone has a pack of sponsors.
One point I disagree on: skip the clip-on aero bars. Road bike geometry puts your legs too far forward leaving you no room to breath if you're on the aero bars. If you need to get aero, just use the drops: this is the default position for the Tour de France after all, so ya it might be a little slower, but for an amateur just getting started, it's plenty good enough. The only reason I still have the clip-ons on my road bike is so I have somewhere to tie my take out!
Shimano has many levels of group-sets and 105 is not bottom of the barrel, It is actually the mid level and other than a few grams of weight all independent testing shows there is NO performance difference. I have 105 on my road bike (SCOTT Foil) and Dura-Ace on my Cervelo P2. I find absolutely no difference in shifting performance, in fact often prefer the 105 and I find it shifts better under load. Getting electronic shifting is a huge waste of money as it costs an average of $1000 more over mechanical shifting.
It blows my mind that some beginners willing to pay 5000k for a used bike. Im a totally amateur trained just 3 months for an 70.3 with a 1500 giant road bike. I passed SO MANY expensive tri bikes that i was SHOCKED. I was feeling like the poor guy. But yeah, if me as a complete beginner managed to finish in the top 20% percentage of a 70.3 with a relatively cheap bike ( because even 2k for me and my relatives or friends for a bike is insane expensive) i definitely think that a properly trained athlete can finish to top 10%
Lots of great information in that video, didn’t know a helmet can make that much of a change. Thanks for all the tips Taren! New place is coming along nice
Agree with getting a road bike first, disagree that’s Shimano 105 is “bottom of the barrel.” I’ve seen so many people happily start their tri journey on less.
@@davidkaplan5517 Yes. I agree with you. But usually "bottom of the barrel" implies that something is less than adequate, and 105 is perfectly adequate.
Exactly. If you've got a frame that is heavy or lacks stiffness the other two will be a complete waste! Get a good frame and whatever you can afford for groupset. You can upgrade the cassette when the first one wears out: the frame basically won't wear out, it'll just be too antiquated to be competitive.
To all the people on here slamming his opinion... Get a life. He makes very valid points. He's also suggesting people new to the sport that they're more than likely either not going to stick with the sport or they're going to want to upgrade. And if you want to upgrade and get the most money and most people interested, stick to a certain set of parameters like 105 or above. Next to no one is out there looking for Claris on a bike dedicated for doing a race. Sunday stroll? Sure. If you bought your Claris Groupset 25 years ago and it still works, good for you. Absolutely no one cares. Guess what... That Groupset you'd have to pay me to take it at this point. It has zero value in the sellers market. Finally, I don't always agree with everything he says but you know what I don't do? Act like a keyboard warrior and spam out a bunch of negativity.
105 is the bottom of the line??? So what happen for all the people starting on Shimano Tiagra/Sora or even Claris ? I see really good cyclist using those groupsets. I understand that 105 is probably the sweetspot in price/performance ratio. But it’s definitely not the bottom of the line.
No on ever lost a race because they were using 105. There is no performance difference for a "beginner" triathlete using a modern ultegra or DA group over 105. Sit up out of the aero bars and onto the brakes for 10 seconds and you just lost any power savings you (might) gain from lower groupset weight. Save yourself some money, buy a used tri bike with 105 and use your savings to get a good fitting (SO YOU CAN STAY IN AERO POSITION!), an aero helmet and tri suit. Oh, and save some $$ to take your significant other out to dinner cause you are going to be spending a bunch of time on that bike and not with them. 😛
Depreciation on a groupset is irrelevant: it's too hard to tell how much life is left on a groupset, so I don't care what fancy groupset you've got on your frame, I'm assigning it zero value when I purchase a used bike: I'm buying with the assumption that you are selling it BECAUSE the groupset is at the end of its life.
How is a shifting groupset on a triathlon bike ever reach the end of its life? They are barely shifting ever. Why would you ever need 12 gears in the rear on a TT bike to reach middling times that nobody cares about - it’s all in their head.
@@BleakVision I agree, many probably aren't worn enough to worry about, but I can't judge that from an internet ad. So I have to assume that, unless it's only been ridden a hand full of times for some plausible reason, that the reason they are selling it is because it needs a new group set as that is the optimal time to upgrade a bike.
Is it okay to upgrade my TT bike to a road bike like swapping the Ubar to a dropbar. I am trying to save $$ and not buy another bike so i was just curious about the pros and cons of a drop bar on my TT bike. Pls let me know. Thank you.
The Video title should change to “beginners with big wallets” because I don’t now any beginner triathlete that bought a 5K used bike as their first bike I even know some that started their first triathlon on their cheap MTB with tourney that they already had and the started upgrading from that and they have even done some 70.3 or full Ironman races with aceptable times for their age.
Did my first IM on a 700€ bike, equipped with SORA. Went perfectly well, riding the same bike till this day, now on the trainer, Sora still doing its thing, sure the shifting is not as crisp as an ultegra etc, but it's perfectly sufficient for at least 75% of all the agegroupers out there, the groupset is rarely the limiting factor of raceperformance! The 105 is a solid groupset, maybe it's 100g heavier than Ultegra, but again: Weight on a TT-Bike weight just doesn't matter that much for 90% of people out there... Sorry Taren but this vid is not what you tell beginners and some thing are just plain ridiculous! Love the channel otherwise, but this is just subpar...
I disagree with your Campy statements. Serviceability is much easier than with either Shimano or SRAM and one can do most by him / herself anyway. It also literally shifts more accurately as it ages while especially Shimano wears and not to speak of the ugly, antler lookalike of SRAM and Shimano brake/shifter designs. I run Record on my Gios Carbon (lay out for sprint and mountain) and Chorus on my Pinarello Prince (for time trial and triathlon). I see absolutely no reason to go to Shimano, perhaps (PERHAPS) could accept SRAM (but better than Force) as even the praised Ultegra comes nowhere close to the Chorus groupset, let alone to Record. Within less than 10 miles of my home are 3 bike shops that service Campy.
For the shifting needs of triathletes probably a Shimano Tourney would suffice. What are you shifting that much on a flat closed off course anyway? As with everything with these triathlete doofuses it’s about spending money and chasing clout.
Stopped after a minute of 7, reasons: "I know a lot of bikes" (yeah right, 🙄🙄: you bought once a cervelo p2. Than they gave you some Ventums and for some time they were the best bikes ever, until suddenly Canyon start throwing some bikes and now they're the best ever!?!).. "For your first bike you can go up to $5000 for a second-hand bike" (What the hell?!? Anyone who has that kind of budget is rich and buys new!!!).. And the moment I snapped: "105 & Rival are the bottom of the barrel" (unbelievable!!! My first racebike was a Trek 1000 aluminum (fork also) with Shimano Sora 8-speed more than 20 years ago, bought it new for $950, rode it for 3 years and is the only bike I will always keep. Love it and too much great memories, still in great condition. But hey, I'm not the one who's ever gonna state that I'm a walking bike-wikipedia..
You're becoming a joke.
Exactly, I remember him saying that ventum was the best bike ever and even heard him say that 105 is more than enough for beginners.
He lost me at "sHram"
THIS IS NOT A VIDEO FOR BEGINNERS!!!The first few minutes of this video is useful for beginners, but the rest would be better suited for someone who wants to upgrade from their beginner bike. Shimano 105 is not bottom of the barrel; there are three lines below that and will do just fine for a beginner. Also, a lot of triathletes are riding 105 road and tri bikes, because that’s a splurge for some of us. Lastly, it’s ridiculous that you are suggesting to new cyclists/triathletes to spend up to $5,000 on a used bike. You can buy a decent used or new bike from a couple hundred dollars to $1000 or borrow any type of bike that is in good working condition.
I wouldn't go lower than 105: I've destroyed a lower end shimano in less than a season, and I'm not really that strong. I wouldn't call 105 “bottom of the barrel”, but it's where I'd draw the line for most cost effective: anything less will cost you more in the long run if you're training seriously.
I used Sora on my road bike for 70.3 and 140.6 and never had any problems. Heck I even used the same Sora for a couple of century rides.
@@ederlikessoccer I trashed an Alvo (which they list as their Sora equivalent for mountain bikes) in under one year, so I couldn't recommend anything in that level for a serious rider. My 105 has shown to be head and shoulders above that in terms of quality.
I know it's apes and orangutans, but since they themselves place both groupsets at equivalent levels, I feel confident enough about the comparison.
Five... thousand...dollars... on a bike.... for beginners. Yeah...um, no.
what bike(s) would you recommend for a beginner?
The best video so far on the mechanisations of bike gear. Thanks much.
105 is far from the bottom of the barrel. Maybe the bottom of the "serious" cyclist racing sets but all of the group sets these days are really good and whilst Claris is perfectly functional, for a keen cyclist I'd say anything Sora or better is more than enough.
This video is golden. I wish this video was out when I first got into triathlon 4 years ago. Would have saved me so much time, effort, and money. Thanks Taren!!
Great content, I have my first triathlon, it’s a full Ironman in Australia Dec 2024, and I’m going to need this.
I did first 3 years and up to a 70.3 with a $550 bike I bought on line and a timex watch. I then collected most of what your talking about here and moved into IM but not need at the beginning. Not everyone has a pack of sponsors.
What bike
One point I disagree on: skip the clip-on aero bars. Road bike geometry puts your legs too far forward leaving you no room to breath if you're on the aero bars. If you need to get aero, just use the drops: this is the default position for the Tour de France after all, so ya it might be a little slower, but for an amateur just getting started, it's plenty good enough. The only reason I still have the clip-ons on my road bike is so I have somewhere to tie my take out!
Nothing less than Ultegra, carbon insoles, and a 5k bike budget? Not sure beginners is the right target audience here...
Shimano has many levels of group-sets and 105 is not bottom of the barrel, It is actually the mid level and other than a few grams of weight all independent testing shows there is NO performance difference. I have 105 on my road bike (SCOTT Foil) and Dura-Ace on my Cervelo P2. I find absolutely no difference in shifting performance, in fact often prefer the 105 and I find it shifts better under load. Getting electronic shifting is a huge waste of money as it costs an average of $1000 more over mechanical shifting.
It blows my mind that some beginners willing to pay 5000k for a used bike. Im a totally amateur trained just 3 months for an 70.3 with a 1500 giant road bike. I passed SO MANY expensive tri bikes that i was SHOCKED. I was feeling like the poor guy. But yeah, if me as a complete beginner managed to finish in the top 20% percentage of a 70.3 with a relatively cheap bike ( because even 2k for me and my relatives or friends for a bike is insane expensive) i definitely think that a properly trained athlete can finish to top 10%
Awesome video Taren! Really looking forward to getting my first bike soon!
Love the set up, dimed mood lights 👌🏼 good content and very enjoyable
I think now that Shimano’s 105 now has the 12 speed Di2 the game changed a bit on its value on TriRigs. And SRAM’s Rival etap is actually very good.
Lots of great information in that video, didn’t know a helmet can make that much of a change. Thanks for all the tips Taren! New place is coming along nice
Agree with getting a road bike first, disagree that’s Shimano 105 is “bottom of the barrel.” I’ve seen so many people happily start their tri journey on less.
Yup. A modern 105 is not the same as the old 105.
105 is a pretty basic requirement
@@davidkaplan5517 Agreed. Basic, but it won't hold you back.
@@wilfdarr IMO 105 is a requirement of 70.3/140.6 events. It’s the minimum you need.
@@davidkaplan5517 Yes. I agree with you. But usually "bottom of the barrel" implies that something is less than adequate, and 105 is perfectly adequate.
this is a gem. thanks man
No way you are from Winnipeg… I lived there in 2010-2011!! I wish to move back
When you say used, do you include bikes from places like pros closet? Or do you loose the savings going with a shop like that?
👋🏼 Mr. Taren, when buying a bike in what order do you personally prioritize that being the frame, group set, and wheels?
Exactly. If you've got a frame that is heavy or lacks stiffness the other two will be a complete waste! Get a good frame and whatever you can afford for groupset. You can upgrade the cassette when the first one wears out: the frame basically won't wear out, it'll just be too antiquated to be competitive.
To all the people on here slamming his opinion... Get a life. He makes very valid points. He's also suggesting people new to the sport that they're more than likely either not going to stick with the sport or they're going to want to upgrade. And if you want to upgrade and get the most money and most people interested, stick to a certain set of parameters like 105 or above. Next to no one is out there looking for Claris on a bike dedicated for doing a race. Sunday stroll? Sure.
If you bought your Claris Groupset 25 years ago and it still works, good for you. Absolutely no one cares. Guess what... That Groupset you'd have to pay me to take it at this point. It has zero value in the sellers market.
Finally, I don't always agree with everything he says but you know what I don't do? Act like a keyboard warrior and spam out a bunch of negativity.
Helpful & appreciated
Thx 🇹🇼
105 is the bottom of the line??? So what happen for all the people starting on Shimano Tiagra/Sora or even Claris ? I see really good cyclist using those groupsets. I understand that 105 is probably the sweetspot in price/performance ratio. But it’s definitely not the bottom of the line.
No on ever lost a race because they were using 105. There is no performance difference for a "beginner" triathlete using a modern ultegra or DA group over 105. Sit up out of the aero bars and onto the brakes for 10 seconds and you just lost any power savings you (might) gain from lower groupset weight. Save yourself some money, buy a used tri bike with 105 and use your savings to get a good fitting (SO YOU CAN STAY IN AERO POSITION!), an aero helmet and tri suit. Oh, and save some $$ to take your significant other out to dinner cause you are going to be spending a bunch of time on that bike and not with them. 😛
What's a good reco for a site to buy a used bike?
Depreciation on a groupset is irrelevant: it's too hard to tell how much life is left on a groupset, so I don't care what fancy groupset you've got on your frame, I'm assigning it zero value when I purchase a used bike: I'm buying with the assumption that you are selling it BECAUSE the groupset is at the end of its life.
How is a shifting groupset on a triathlon bike ever reach the end of its life? They are barely shifting ever. Why would you ever need 12 gears in the rear on a TT bike to reach middling times that nobody cares about - it’s all in their head.
@@BleakVision I agree, many probably aren't worn enough to worry about, but I can't judge that from an internet ad. So I have to assume that, unless it's only been ridden a hand full of times for some plausible reason, that the reason they are selling it is because it needs a new group set as that is the optimal time to upgrade a bike.
do you recommend TT bike convertion to a road bike? Like changing the ubar to a drop bar ?
Is it okay to upgrade my TT bike to a road bike like swapping the Ubar to a dropbar. I am trying to save $$ and not buy another bike so i was just curious about the pros and cons of a drop bar on my TT bike. Pls let me know. Thank you.
What model is the Lazer aero road helmet?
The Video title should change to “beginners with big wallets” because I don’t now any beginner triathlete that bought a 5K used bike as their first bike I even know some that started their first triathlon on their cheap MTB with tourney that they already had and the started upgrading from that and they have even done some 70.3 or full Ironman races with aceptable times for their age.
Did my first IM on a 700€ bike, equipped with SORA. Went perfectly well, riding the same bike till this day, now on the trainer, Sora still doing its thing, sure the shifting is not as crisp as an ultegra etc, but it's perfectly sufficient for at least 75% of all the agegroupers out there, the groupset is rarely the limiting factor of raceperformance! The 105 is a solid groupset, maybe it's 100g heavier than Ultegra, but again: Weight on a TT-Bike weight just doesn't matter that much for 90% of people out there... Sorry Taren but this vid is not what you tell beginners and some thing are just plain ridiculous! Love the channel otherwise, but this is just subpar...
Mummy Daddy buttons 🤣
I dont like these long kind of videos. Shorter ones are better in my opinion:)
I disagree with your Campy statements. Serviceability is much easier than with either Shimano or SRAM and one can do most by him / herself anyway. It also literally shifts more accurately as it ages while especially Shimano wears and not to speak of the ugly, antler lookalike of SRAM and Shimano brake/shifter designs.
I run Record on my Gios Carbon (lay out for sprint and mountain) and Chorus on my Pinarello Prince (for time trial and triathlon). I see absolutely no reason to go to Shimano, perhaps (PERHAPS) could accept SRAM (but better than Force) as even the praised Ultegra comes nowhere close to the Chorus groupset, let alone to Record. Within less than 10 miles of my home are 3 bike shops that service Campy.
For the shifting needs of triathletes probably a Shimano Tourney would suffice. What are you shifting that much on a flat closed off course anyway? As with everything with these triathlete doofuses it’s about spending money and chasing clout.