lightning33 wrote:
I have a 2009 (or whatever the last year they made it was) Cervelo S1. It is my only bike, but I mainly use a bike for tris. I have posted before about this bike versus, say, a P2.
My current thinking is just swap out the cockpit for a tri set-up, assuming the geometry works. I have seen posts about this on Cervelo Duels and Soloists. Dumb question: Cervelo S1 = Cervelo Soloist = Cervelo Duel?Fair question. The s1 and the Dual are not the same.
Long Answer: S in S1 means soloist. Cervelo has had a string of names for their Soloist line. The Soloist Aluminum and the S1 are the same bike with different paint.
The Dual had different geometry, as mentioned in the link above. Geometry doesn't make or break a TT bike, but it helps. Usually, TT bikes are more stable (less twitchy - that is, if you bump the handlebars, they are less likely to go in that direction). Road bikes, like the S1, are designed to be less twitchy and have the rider in a more rearward position. Time trial bikes have longer top tubes and lower head tubes, to allow the rider to get into a longer, lower position with aero bars.
The bike might be a little twitchy, but will be completely rideable.
Really, really long answer: What you're planning is both reasonable and fair. You can do one of two things: You can either add clip ons ($60? second hand). It's easy, quick, and will get you 80% of the way there. It is still a compromise between a full tri position and a road position. The other option is to swap out your front end entirely, which is what it sounds like you're leaning towards. That's not a bad idea, but here's what you'll need:
1) Obviously, the handlebars. Yours has round handlebars. You want aero bars. These consist of a base bar and a pair of extensions. These are personal preference. There are a couple of shapes (ie, ski bend, straight, R-bend, J-bend). That determines the shape of the aero bar itself. I personally prefer ski bends due to a wrist injury a couple of years ago. Old school guys like S-bend (my second favorite).
One consideration is 'clamp diameter': make sure that you buy a diameter that matches your stem (31.8 mm) for the basebar. Then, make sure the extensions also match that diameter or have an adapter (it would be from 26.0 to 31.6, probably).
2) Shifters and Brakes. Your roadie has 'STI' or 'brifters' on it. These are brakes and shifters integrated into one unit. You will need to either buy or swap for two things:
Shifters - These come in many varieties, but you want 'bar end'. What you get depends on what brand you have for derailleurs. Grab the brand that matches your brand. Shimano and SRAM are NOT inter-compatible (and other brands, while nice, are not cheap).
Shimano: Your bike probably has Ultegra 6600 on it. Good stuff. You'll need a 10-sp bar end shifter, of which Shimano only makes Dura-Ace. That generation's variety is called 7800. You could do some voodoo, but cable pull changed the next generation, so I know Dura Ace 7800 bar end shifters will work.
Sram: If you have SRAM in back, SRAM makes two varities of shifter that will work for you - the S500 and the S900 (and also the R2C by Zipp, but that's ridiculously expensive). The S500 is cheaper but the S900 is not much more expensive. Buy whichever you can get your hands on. Both are reliable and the weight difference is a few grams. Your bike is 10 speed, so don't accidentally buy the 11 speed stuff, which has similar names.
Brake Levers: You already have the brakes. Any brake lever will work; after all, their only job is to pull cable. Some are better than others, some are cheaper than others. Some examples are Vision, SRAM S500, TRP, Shimano. Just ebay 'time trial brake lever' (also called 'reverse brake lever'). One concern here is the shape of the base bar versus the brake lever. Basebars with upturned brake sections ('bull horns') like the Vision become unwieldy if paired with flat brake levers (ie, the SRAM TT500). They'll still work, but it's an aesthetics thing.
Where to get these things:
Slowtwitch Classifieds are actually phenomenal, but you'll need someone to install them. If you're in a hurry, your bike shop has them (and expertise, too). eBay always works. If you buy something on ebay or classifieds and you're not 100% on installation, your bike shop would be happy to install. It's a 10% faux pas, so make sure you know what you're talking about before you ask them do it (installation would probably cost $50 - $100 + six pack).
Costs:
I bought a (nice) set of base bars and extensions last week for $100 shipped off of the classifieds. Expect to spend twice that in a local bike shop. Brake levers are usually $20-$40 on top of that, and shifters are probably $60 used. This is all second-hand, mind you. It's not unreasonable to find a nice setup for $200 or $250 used, but new setups can be expensive (some very nice aero bars retail for $1,000+).
If you look on ebay, it is possible to get everything - base bar, extensions, brake levers, and shifter levers, in one package. That is definitely the cheapest and most economical way to do it.
This would work if you have Shimano (just to get a feel):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vision-TriMax-Aero-Bars-base-shifters-brake-levers-base-/181459119540?pt=US_Handlebars&hash=item2a3fce6db4 The downside of this is that they have an integrated stem. You have to check that the stem would work (I *think* it would) and the shifters would work (they would if you have Shimano).
Once you have your road bars off, you can sell them and the brifters, or you can keep them in case you want to swap back. The swap is not hard, but is also not a night-before-the-race sort of affair. Definitely a twice-a-year max short of thing.
Shorter version: yep, it'll work, probably without any real issues. If that's what you want, do it. But shifters, brake levers, base bar, and aero bar, and then slap them on there! Race fast!
Assuming this is your bike:
http://bikepedia.com/QuickBike/BikeSpecs.aspx?year=2010&brand=Cervelo&model=S1+Ultegra+SL