This is my very first road bike... Now I’m planning to use it for triathlons. Do you think it’s suitable for doing some long-distance riding with the goal of eventually doing a 70.3 next year? (With respect to the picture I already swapped pedals and saddle for a more comfortable one).
Also, would it be worth upgrading the alloy wheels to carbon ones (and which ones)?
My Garmin has called me Productive for 4 consecutive weeks!
I honestly didn't think this was physically possible.
Apparently, the minimum sacrifice required to convince Garmin that I'm not a complete disappointment is 3 running sessions, 2 swimming, 2 cycling, 2 strength training every week.
I'm fully expecting it to call me Unproductive again tomorrow.
I got into cycling through spinning many years ago, and back then spin bikes all used MTB-style Shimano SPD pedals. Because of that, I've always stuck with SPDs and never switched to SPD-SL (or similar) when I started riding outdoors.
I think I actually prefer them... being able to walk normally is a huge advantage to me (for example, every time I leave home I have to carry my bike down of marble stairs in my apartment building, so having cleats that click and slip on that surface is a real pain).
I understand that SPD-SL pedals offer a larger contact area and are considered the standard for road cycling, but I'm curious how much of that really matters for non-professional riders.
Also, it seems to me that people using SPD-SL have a harder time during short walks (for example in T2). Is that something you've found to be true, or is it not really an issue in practice?
Am I the only one riding a road bike with MTB SPDs, or are there others here doing the same? Have any of you switched from SPD to SPD-SL (or vice versa), and if so, what made you change?