Hiya
First post! I'm looking at getting a tri specific bike after a couple of seasons on a road bike (can now almost justify to myself that I won't be all the gear and no idea). I have my first HIM this season and looking to go full distance next year. Will race 2 HIMs, 3 Oly and 2-3 sprints this year. Bike and run are my strongest legs (I am definitely not a fish). Am looking at the Trek Speed Concepts as, based on a fit session, they seem to work for me better than most other bikes geometry wise. A few questions though that I'd love some help on from the assembled wisdom:
Thanks!
First post! I'm looking at getting a tri specific bike after a couple of seasons on a road bike (can now almost justify to myself that I won't be all the gear and no idea). I have my first HIM this season and looking to go full distance next year. Will race 2 HIMs, 3 Oly and 2-3 sprints this year. Bike and run are my strongest legs (I am definitely not a fish). Am looking at the Trek Speed Concepts as, based on a fit session, they seem to work for me better than most other bikes geometry wise. A few questions though that I'd love some help on from the assembled wisdom:
1. Am I right that the difference between the 7 and 9 series is that (A) the 9 series uses a "better" grade of carbon (so can basically be made a lighter (any idea what the weight difference is?) for the same strength) and (B) the 7 series has metal dropouts in the fork while the 9 series has a full carbon fork?
2. If 1 is right, that there should be no aerodynamic difference between the frames and it just comes down to weight and what components you use?
3. Bonty don't do a disc wheel and so Trek don't give you any options for a rear disc as standard (best you can do is the Aeolus 9s). Am thinking of spec'ing the bike with the cheapest set of wheels possible and then getting a rear disc and race front wheel seperately. Any views on what disc (and/or front wheel) work best with the SC? It seems that the rear of the SC is reasonably well faired and so from what I can work out reading on here a flat disc might be the best way to go? Any recommendations (bearing in mind I'm clincher only - no tubs for me). EDIT - late thought, or should I look at getting a set of the Aeolus 7 or 9 and then getting a disc cover for the the rear wheel as a cover is supposed to be pretty close to equal with a disc in terms of aero or so I read ....
4. Aerobar wise I go for the ski-tip / "ergo" bars. I saw a mention somewhere here (but can't find it anymore) that there was now a way to set up the bike with aerobars where you could rotate the extensions rather than having to live with the perfectly parallel extensions on the standard aerobar (I've always had the bars in my clip on aerobars rotated slight in so that the tips are closer together than would be the case if the tips pointed straight up as this just seems to be more natural hand position wise for me). Does anyone know where I can find anything on this solution?
5. Anyone got anything to tell me about how good or bad the bike is to travel with in terms of time and pain in the A factor for getting into a box and then rebuilding? My road bike is great - wheels off, pedals off, stem and bars off and twisted beside the bike and into the bike box it goes.
6. Once a decision is made on the bike I then need to look at power meters. I think power2max is the way I'll go (road bike has one and it's worked well so far). Anyone have any experience of what cranks and rings to go with? I've got Rotor 3D cranks and Stronglight rings on the road bike and they work well but the shifting is not quite as good as the original Shimano DA shifting (am thinking about replacing the Stronglight rings on the road bike to see if I can get something that's a bit "cleaner" shifting wise).
Thanks!