mattsurf wrote:
I did Nice 70.3 World Championship last year and I live in Switzerland in the Alps, so I guess I know a thing or 2 about descending and tri bikes
Firstly, most triathletes don't have a clue about descending, this was really apparent in Nice. I was in the last wave, and spent the entire descent passing terrified triathetes from earlier waves. Obviously this was partly due to poorly handling bikes, its difficult to descend well if you don't have confidence in your equipment
Secondly, wheels: we spend a lot of money on buying the most aerodynamic wheels possible. My wheels of choice DT Swiss ARC1400 80mm front generates such a strong boundary airflow above 60kph (40mp) that you need to put in a significant level of force to turn the bars, then the air stalls and you get a slight jerk. Its unnerving if you haven't experienced it before, however, with a bit of familiarisation its not too bad
Finally the bike. I use a P3X, and it handles beautifully downhill. At a Lanzarote training camp, I was over 80kph (50mph) on many descents (with a 30mm front wheel) despite the wind. My downhill PRs on pretty much all of the mountains local to me have been done on the P3X. Previously I had a Specialized Shiv, it was a great bike and super fast on the flat, however, the P3X will take a massive chunck of time out of it on any course with a reasonable amount of descending
Interesting - thanks. Picking up on the P3x, clear on descending, and this is consistent with other feedback I have heard on the P3X/PX. But how does it fare against the Shiv on flats and especially on climbs?