Hi. £800 is about €930, which will buy you a nice set of 60mm full carbon wheels, but probably isn't sufficient for a nice used TT bike+wheels. I'm relatively noob to triathlon myself so by no means an expert, but what i did is get the wheels and save up for a used TT frame that i got a year later.

My vote is a standalone TT bike.

5 hours is around a 2hr 40min bike split. 20 minutes from 5:20 to 5:00 doesn't come out of thin air. That'd mean finding what, at least 7 minutes on the bike? Probably 10? That's going from under 20mph to at/over 21mph. That's a lotta power or a lotta aero.

Knowing this and other existing kit matters. What helmet? How nice of a tri-suit?

A TT/tri bike helps minimize the time you get uncomfortable and sit up, or sit up to drink while using a road bike with clip ons. Or the geometry of your roadie with clip ons feels unstable in a corner, descent, or on bumpy road.

That's in GBP, I think maybe if you're handy you could build up a used P2 frameset for under that much. Could always then rent wheels if that's a large cost factor.

That probably isn't enough money to equip a good TT bike. And if your budget is that tight, then new wheels on the road bike are also not sensible. And I wouldn't pay for a fit either (try the ST "fit post" route first).

I don't know how adjustable your bars are, but you can get cheap ones that are very adjustable if necessary (like low end PD models). You probably need a down angled stem for a good position, but stems are cheap. Your tires are decent anyway, but Conti TT and latex would be an upgrade.

Position (posture!).
Clothes.
Helmet.
Plastic rear wheel cover.

If you want to get serious and get a proper bike, I'd look at used Specialized Transitions. They are a good bang for buck in the US anyway.

TT bike + good fit. Hands down.

I've done the aerobars, forward seat post, "TT-like position" on a road bike. I went as forward and low as the available components would allow me to go. The handling was "ok" on flats in the calm. But, any downhills and/or cross winds made it kinda scary.

I build a TT bike using an old P3sl frame last year, and got a really good fit. I spent less than $1000 US. The aero position on my TT bike allows me to go 2mph faster than my road/TT hybrid for the same power. AND, the handling is WAAAAaaay more stable at speed, in cross winds, etc. I'm never nervous about jittery handling.

For your budget, I'm not sure you can reasonably tweak your set-up that much. Perhaps slam your setup as much as possible using online advice, grab a BTA setup and possibly aero bottle, aero helmet, aero kit. FWIW, before getting a dedicated tri bike, I put about $300US into rebuilding the front end of my road bike with pursuit bars and bar end shifters. In essence it was a tri-bike and I rode it like one. The bar end shifters alone made a huge difference in how I was able to ride it. Of course, it takes a few hours and $30-40US every time you want to retool the bike back to the "other" setup.

Do you already have decent training equipment? If you don't already have a smart trainer, that money could put you on a direct drive trainer and expand your training opportunities. The ability to do controlled power intervals on a consistent basis may get you more aerobic engine gains and drop your bike split...

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With your budget, you can get fit properly and address common equipment issues like saddle / crank / stem. Later on, that same fit and that same saddle and crank get moved over to any new tt bike.

Like others have said, your body position on the bike is by far the most important factor. If you post a picture of you on the bike it might help in getting better advice.

It could be that your position on the road bike with clip-on aero bars could be vastly improved and that is where you should spend your money. Slapping aero wheels on my not be the best bang for your buck.

A true TT position can sometimes be difficult to attain on a road bike, but if the bike is the right size, a good fitter should be able to get you pretty close. After that, look at aero helmets. If money is left over maybe you can get a cheap set of used aero wheels? Getting a really good fitting aero kit might be a better use of those funds.

If your current road bike is not sized to where you can get a really good position, maaaayyybbbeee a good decision would be to look for used TT bikes of the right size....

But post a pic and you will get better advice.

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Ed O'Malley
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Agree with the last few replies. My road bike is hacked about as far as I can take it (aero bars, really steep upside down stem, base bar, bar end shifters, forward seatpost, ISM saddle, rear disc cover, GP4K, latex tubes, waxed chain) and the fit I have is good (slowtwitch approved) and handling is fine.

Not much more I can do without it getting much more expensive/difficult without a second frame (e.g. shorter cranks, 1x, deep wheels, etc.) and far less bang for bucks.

So, a (good!) bike fit first, then see if you can make that work with your current frame.

Agree with the others on a TT bike being better.

I used a road bike with bars and it was better/faster than no bars on it.

However, over time my hip flexors felt "pinched" because of the difference in the seat angle of the road bike vs a true TT frame. Everything else was compromised too as some others have pointed out.

Would I get a TT bike for one race or one year, probably not. Would I get a TT bike for years of triathlon training and racing - YES.

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Indoor Triathlete - I thought I was right, until I realized I was wrong.

When is your race?...with that budget and time on your side, you should be able—with some patience and possibly some luck—to get a decent TT bike (I would look at like a 2008-2013 P3 or P2) disc cover for rear wheel and an aero helmet (I think A2s might sell for like $25 on eBay) and maybe a decent trisuit and cover 95% of your aero bases, assuming you have the fit down too. If not budget some for the fit too. You can find a very good TT bike with just a little research and patience— very doable in your budget.

Wow - first of all, thanks to everyone who commented. I'm blown away by the support and advice given to someone who just showed up in your forums. I've been a member of a variety of online communities over many years and never such a response in so little time. You are all a credit to this community.

I'm glad that it's obviously not a straightforward question, given the multiplicity of answers - although that is also somewhat annoying as it would be lovely to have one clear consensus!

The event is August, so I've got time to train, so I think/hope that most of my gains will come from improving myself rather than 'buying speed' as a friend of mine put it. I bought a Tacx Flow turbo at the end of last year and training using power; I'm swimming more consistently (although still not loving it, so it's a slog) and really focusing on improving my running (looking to join a local athletics club to help build endurance and speed). I've entered a few half marathons to test myself, and I'm also planning on signing up for some 50 mile TT's (which oddly enough seem more daunting than the 70.3!)

I can't deny that there is a certain sexy appeal of cool-looking carbon aero wheels and was probably looking for 'permission' to go ahead and get them. At the same time, I will probably have an easier time at home with new wheels/bars than justifying a whole new bike (I have 4, my son has 2, and my wife and younger son have 1 each - so 8 already seems excessive!). I had toyed with the idea of building my own (

I think I will be sensible and get the bike fit first and see what can be realistically achieved in terms of my positioning. I'm a late-comer to sport/fitness, and not sure I have the flexibility necessary, but only one way to find out.

I'm reasonably mechanically competent, but I think building my own TT bike would be just too much additional stress in this whole process (plus I'm sure I'd end up having to get my LBS to fix most of my cock-ups which would probably absorb any savings I make!)

Out of interest:

1. What counts as a 'nice' tri suit? I got myself a DHB Aeron sleeved suit (https://www.wiggle.co.uk/...ort-sleeve-tri-suit/) and it both fits well and seems comfy enough in the saddle/running
   
2. My helmet is a stubby Carnac Kronus
   
3. Any other reasonable clothing considerations?

Bottom line, I'm not looking to 'buy speed', but to make the most of the time/effort I have and will invest in training to achieve as much as possible without throwing huge amounts of money at it.

Thanks once again

 
Your body being around 75% of the drag, I agree with several posts above that, given your budget, you should focus on your fit / aero position.

A picture will indeed help.

Working on a good aero / powerful / confortable position, your budget will most probably be used with stem, aero bars, saddle, helmet, hydration, ...

Your trisuit seems good enough (but you will see if it work with new saddle, sometimes chamois are not large enough for split nose saddle - if you go that direction).

[quote SpiderJ
Bottom line, I'm not looking to 'buy speed', but to make the most of the time/effort I have and will invest in training to achieve as much as possible without throwing huge amounts of money at it.[/quote]
Haha. Well if that isn’t the most euphemismistic way to say I want to buy speed then I don’t know what is!! Of course you are looking to buy speed. It’s ok to buy speed and invest time in training too; those gains are independent of each other.

Since it sounds like you don’t really want a bike (and you really want new wheels), if I were you, I would (1) sell my current wheels to help recoup some money; (2) buy a Flo 60/60/disc cover or 60/disc depending on pricing (~$600-$750 US); (3) sell my current helmet to help recoup some mone; (4) buy an giro aerohead (on sale maybe ~$150 US); (5) look at fit; your suit isbprobably good enough without testing .

Haha. Well if that isn’t the most euphemismistic way to say I want to buy speed then I don’t know what is!! Of course you are looking to buy speed. It’s ok to buy speed and invest time in training too; those gains are independent of each other.

Since it sounds like you don’t really want a bike (and you really want new wheels), if I were you, I would (1) sell my current wheels to help recoup some money; (2) buy a Flo 60/60/disc cover or 60/disc depending on pricing (~$600-$750 US); (3) sell my current helmet to help recoup some mone; (4) buy an giro aerohead (on sale maybe ~$150 US); (5) look at fit; your suit isbprobably good enough without testing .[/quote]
:-)

Fair point. I guess I meant that I'm not looking to buy speed rather than put the work in to earn that speed (which I think is usually the implication of that phrase).

I think I have decided that my first port of call is the bike fitter.

This a good choice. You should leave the fitter with *two* bike fits.

The first is your optimal TT position as determined by a long comprehensive session on a dynamic fit bike, including the perfect saddle height and setback, the perfect (probably shorter) crank length, the perfect pad stack and and reach of your cockpit. You can take this fit any time / some day in the future and determine what TT bike to buy and set it up according to this fit.

The second fit is the the optimal fit for your road bike, likely assuming you can't replicate the optimal TT position 100% because it's a road bike. I'm guessing your seatpost is proprietary and won't come as far forward as you'd need for a proper TT fit, and that there will be complications with stem and handlebars of the road bike. That said, it's OK that it won't match but it still needs to be optimized for you and your equipment/road bike and the event you are planning to do. You see what I mean?

You can have two excellent fits that will be slightly different in both fit coordinates but also posture and the other little things that make a good fit great.

good luck
Eric

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Eric Reid AeroFit | Instagram Portfolio
Aerodynamic Retul Bike Fitting

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Smashing. Always great to sanity check this stuff.

If you have not addressed fit you should certainly do that first and should be able to do that and get the other suggested things within your budget. But I don’t think you should waste extra money on a TT bike fit when you don’t have a TT bike and specifically have no plans to get a TT bike...that is a waste of extra money that could be spent on a better helmet or something else.

Thank you for your post. I have a fit for a similar situation scheduled on Saturday with a fitter that is well respected on the forum. She has laid out how the session will go but it was still helpful to read what my expectations should be for walking out of the session.

To overcome the problem of hip flexors and just generally being 'too crunched up' when i put clip-on aero bars on my road bike for my 1st iron distance event, I got a 'layback' seat post (a Thompson layback post as I just felt that would be best for not being structurally compromised by reversing it - no prrof there, just using my eyes) and flipped it forwards, which, also with sliding the saddle (adamo) forwards, gave a pretty steep efective seat tube angle.

I will repeat and perhaps amplify what others have already said . . .

• Body position is of primary importance. Do whatever you can to maximize this -- fitting? bars? frame? Find out what it will take. An excellent aero position will gain you more than everything else combined. It may not require as much investment in equipment as you think. But it may require lots of training to acclimate to the new position.
• After that, helmet and skinsuit offer the biggest potential gains for the money.
• Hydration system aerodynamics and ease of use come next.
• Wheels are way down the list. Even the most optimistic manufacturer claims indicate that the wheels don't matter as much as most other things. And they are expensive. They are an incremental gain. Relatively little bang for the buck.

Enjoy the process.