thehammerdog

I had an old school 8 speed c-dale worked fine but never really fit well. I sold the old gilr for a nice profit and now onlyhave 1 bike a carbon roady.....I will attempt to beat my old times hoping that using one bike vs riding two off and on was better.
2012 will be my test...when I do find the cash I do plan on buying a more appropriate updated better fitting machine.
$1500-2000 will be the range

back4more

It's all about the motor anyway.

RobbieTunes

My fastest tri bike legs were on a road bike, just never missed a shift, carried everything through the corners, and never left the drops.

Rodimus_Prime

In that price range you could get the felt S22, its by far the best under 2k in a TT bike

RobbieTunes

I agree, or a Kestrel Talon SL Tri for 1795.

blcknspo0ln

Yea me too. I've done sparse sprint tri's, but all have been on a road bike and judging by the numbers, they're pretty similar to the guys I was riding with on tri bikes.

Just food for thought (and what I'll be doing this year), for another ~$200-400 or so, you could just buy the parts to convert your road bike to a tri specific geometry for the events and then you can convert back!

900aero

Ditto. Sold the Cervelo P3 and been on roadies ever since. No aero bars even. If Thor can solo out the front of the Tour all day over 250km on a roadie, so can I.

robb.

i've done a bunch of sprints and an olympic on a road bike. it's definitely more than possible. the thing that attracts me to a tri bike is the effects of the geometry on run speed and fatigue. i'm attempting my first half-iron in june, and suddenly 56 miles of bike followed by 13.1 of running has me really attuned to efficiency and how i'll feel getting off the bike.

apart from that there isn't a lot to be gained from a tri frame. aero bars on a road frame will provide nearly as much benefit as an aero-specific frame. you will be more aerodynamic on a road frame with aero bars and a TT helmet than on a tri frame with only aero bars and a road helmet (i.e. the aerodynamic drag of the road helmet v. the TT helmet is greater than the drag from the drop bars v. aero bars).

tessartype

Obviously, it's all about the engine. But the engine will have an easier time powering to the win if the chassis makes efficient use of it.

There's little point discussing Tri Vs Road bikes without having ridden both, with both properly fitting and comfortable. For that matter, I have both a triathlon (Felt B2) and a road (Trek 1.2) bike, and tried out many saddles before finding the most comfortable for each. I've been to a certified Retul fitter with each. I have spent hours non-stop on each without discomfort.

My first two triathlons (sprints) were done on the road-bike as is. My following were all done on that same bike, but with clip-ons - the geometry wasn't suited, though, so I was either sitting uncomfortably on the edge, or with my arms reaching awkwardly. But the gain was definitely there - I could see it in the times, I could feel it against the wind. There was no denying that it's the right way, but comfort couldn't be achieved without compromising my road position: So, a month ago I made the move and snagged the second-hand Felt.

The Felt, however, is in a different league. I'm sitting further forward, and respectively lower at the front. I haven't raced it yet - a month to go until the season-opener - but I expect to shave minutes off my 40k time. Until then, I'll have to trust my HRM and perceived effort: For a given effort, I'm faster.


A Tri-specific position is vastly different from a road position. Some prefer this, some prefer that. You can race triathlons of any distance on either. But there's a reason time-trial and triathlon bikes in the past, oh, 25 years look the way they do: It's just plain faster.

900aero

Of course, your logic is sound and the modern TT bike is not a trick. Its definitely a more efficient way to tackle the challenges of a solo time trial and thats why all the fast guys use them. Nevertheless, I am still at the point where my engine can improve so much that I'd rather just do the work on a roadie and try to reach the point where my bike is honestly the limiter. I felt like I was covering up my inadequacy as a rider by using a TT bike and so decided to take one step back in order to make two forward (if you get my drift). Frankly, I often see a lot of triathletes racing on very nice TT bikes when they really are not making the most of the design at all and would be better of just learning to ride better. If I get as fast as I'm planning on,I'll probably get back on a TT bike then.

jetta-the-hut

its more about stack and reach and how your body powers the bike than about being on a tri or road bike. If your rotation is to long you loose power, if its too short you hit the body and loose power.
Alot of riders say its more about aerodynamics and wind tunnels test.

with all that babble i can honestly say I am way faster on a tri bike than i am on a road bike, and i dust my bro-in law almost every ride we do. When there is a 20mph head wind i cut the wind and its hit his torso even in a tuck.

thats just my personal experience. I have thought alot about selling my Orbea and going with cervelo R3 but i like the geometry and fit and ride of tri bikes. maybe when i get my 1/2 Iron done and decide that i dont want to race anymore.

Dalai

Why should be getting stronger on the bike matter what bike you are riding? Watts are Watts - 100% of FTP is 100%, just average speed will be slower over the interval when on the less aero road bike...

In the long run it comes down to specificity - you want to get fast on the TT bike, you need to be able to generate the most power in the aero position.

tessartype

We've all seen "the Guy on a Speed Concept with no speed and no concept", but your approach is not the most productive way forward, either. As Dalai said, specificity is key: ride a TT position to improve TT performance. I can tell that after last week's long-distance duathlon, an entirely different set of muscles was in pain compared to the 140km ride on the road-bike a week earlier. The aerobic engine is the same, so by all means, do your base miles on a road-bike - but to be a fast triathlete, you need to develop power for the position you intend to race.

If you want, you can take a heavy cheap roadbike, outfit it with a forward-setback seatpost (Profile Design and Bontrager make them) and proper aerobars (as low as they'd be on a TT bike, not regular short clip-ons) - mimic your TT position on a bike that's neither aerodynamic nor flashy. In training, force yourself to climb in the aerobars - it's not something you'll do in a race, but it develops strength in this position, which many of us are missing (it's also very, very useful when you're going up a false flat with headwind). The bike will limit you more, but you won't limit yourself - you won't under-develop muscles that are necessary in the future.

Age in the sport has a significant influence on your performance. As fast as I developed in this one year, there are differences that can't be bridged as quickly. My mother, after 7 years in the sport, developed stamina that'll take thousands of miles to match. Old guys in their 50s can still smoke me, since they've been pedalling hard since I was born. If you start training TT muscles now, you'll be thankful next year, when you deem yourself worthy of the TT bike you dreamt of.

robb.

i've put about 100 miles on my tri bike since picking it up a couple weeks ago. (the first ride was 30 miles, and if it was 40 degrees at the start, i was lucky.) i can say unequivocally that it's faster than my road bike, but it's not that fair a comparison. the road bike has 15 year old 7-speed mountain components; the tri bike has 10-speed 105 components. but at any given speed, it feels faster and easier to pedal, and i think that's due to position. at high speeds, i definitely feel it less in my chest. and the run is *way* easier than it ever was before after getting off the old bike. for what it's worth.

alex jb

I agree with above, Tri specific training on a Tri bike is best to train those muscles and your whole body to develop consistent power in the aero position.

I have riden a Tri bike for 3 years for Tri training, before that a roadie for a year with almost no overlap.
This year I had a cross bike as a winter bike because I was sick of the trainer in the basement every winter and I'm just getting off the CX and back to longer rides on the Tri rig... I'm in a good cardio position but I suck at riding in the aero position!
Last year I could do the first 20 miles of 3 hrs session in 1 hr at LT -10bpm, this year I ache, I can't stay low and on Sunday it was 1hr 9mins for that same first 20 miles, even closer to LT (same route).
I've forgotten how to ride the Tri bike!

Back to your original point, sure you can do it and why not! I love seeing guys on 80's steel roadies keeping up with the aero decked out BOP/MOP age groupers.
But do note, the FOP riders are rarely on anything but Tri bikes.