What type of bike riding will you be doing other than training for tris? If you wish to ride in a group with roadies or live in a hilly area then keep the road bike. If all your riding will just be for tris and tri training then a tri bike would likely be OK. Just remember that a tri bike is not near as versatile as a road bike.

I'd keep the drop bars and STI on the road bike. Have a look at the Vision Tech site and it shows that Jim Martin's windtunnel testing showed that the difference between drop bars/clip-ons and bull horn/clip-ons is minimal. Plus if you switch you can't use the road bike for group rides. It's not until you spend the $$$ for the one piece integrated bars that it makes any kind of an aero difference.

I wouldn't get a forward post. Too far forward on a road geometry really messes up the handling characterisitcs. A neutral post with the seat pushed forward usually gives 75/76 degrees. This can work well particularly on compact frames such as Giant TCR, Cervelo Soloist, etc. Can't remember if your frame is compact or not.

Another alternative to a forward post, etc. might be to have a look at the big slam position as described on John Cobb's website. The site is temporarily down at the moment but this position works very well on a road bike for some people and is described nicely on the site. Hopefully it will be back up soon. Essentially you slide the seat back to 72 degrees, drop it a bit, get a shorter stem and short aero bars. According to Cobb, this position is more powerful and can be even more aero than steep for some people if it is done properly.

I mostly agree with Cerveloguy. I think that you can never have too many bikes. This is the perfect opportunity to take a step toward a multi-bike existence. You've only just finished your first year in triathlon. Keep the road road bike, and set it up to maximize your triathlon potential on that bike.

Next, start saving again, and then buy a tri-bike. That way, in another year or so, you'll have built up a good training base of two or three years in the sport; and you'll have both types of bikes and more training options. At that point, you'll probably see more improvement in your cycling than if you just give in to the temptation to buy a tri-specific bike now.

It's hard, I know. I'm racing and training on a 2002 Trek 2000 that I've modified into a "tri-bike" using a forward seat post, aerobars and deep rim wheels. Not a day goes by that I don't think about scrapping the Trek and buying a Cervelo or QR. However, my thinking is that since I'm only a MOPer in his first year of triathlon, what good is a tri-bike really going to do me? It won't help put me on the podium until I've had a couple of more years to build my fitness.

That's my $0.02.



Steve

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Steve Perkins