I did the full last year and am doing the 70.3 this year. Very familiar with the roads up there. I will be riding my tri bike with rear disc. I think you will find that is the default answer here on Slowtwitch. Tri bike, ALWAYS. Disc, ALWAYS.

What is you main concern with setup? Wind? Weight for climbing? course technicality?

 Thanks for the reply CC! I was just concerned about the weight, I am also thinking about using the Compact 50/34 instead of the 53/39 cranks. I am thinking about going easy on my legs during the climb(rather than grinding) so that I could still have that fresh legs on the run. Talked to my wife about checking the bike course out on April but I got a big no, I am base in Kennewick WA so it is almost a 7 hour drive.

I did the full IM last year. I understand course may have changed somewhat. I didn't find the course overly technical -- you certainly do NO need a road bike if that's what you're asking. As for what gearing you need, that's a function of your power/weight, which you don't include in your post. But my assumption based on your 2 hr half-marathon projection leads me to think your MOP, in which case I don't think you'd regret a compact with an 11x28.

Thanks WS,still trying to lose weight(155lbs Jan 1st ,height is 5'5") currently at 144lbs. 11-28 gearing is exactly what I am thinking for the compact. Will do the TT bike then!

Agreed, compact with 11-28 gearing will serve you well. I rode with 11-28 and mid compact (36/52) and it was fine but I am a stronger cyclist and don't mind low RPM. 34/28 would've been welcomed by the third lap on the full course ;)

The right bike is always a triathlon bike.

But me saying this makes a number of key assumptions:

1. You have a great fit on your bike and have optimized your position for power transfer and aerodynamics.

2. You can ride aero for the majority of the bike leg.

3. You care about how fast you go and are competing for top spots in your AG.

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Can we just pin this to the top of the forum:

"THE RIGHT BIKE IS A TRI BIKE, NOT A ROAD BIKE"

What's your thoughts on the full ironman course, I'm looking at changing my cassette from 11-28 to 11-32 to help manage through the higher elevations. First time doing Whistler for me. I'm running a 11-28 on my Cervelo p3, i'm a bigger guy 5 "10" 185 but home to drop another 10-15 pounds by July,,,, but a stronger biker than a runner.... any feedback is appreciated. I would provide a power / weight ration but it would not be accurate... more of a guesstimate.



Thanks.

Hey Chris. It's an honest but challenging bike course. Last year was not helped by the heat. My Garmin registered a peak temperature of 107 degrees at mile 90 from the heat radiating off that blacktop. I think all but the strongest riders would be best served with a compact and at least 11x28. I don't think you give up much by putting a 32T cassette on the back. None of the climbs last year were crazy steep, but there were a few 1-2 minute pitches that will burn a few matches if your undergeared. For context, I'm a pretty average 3 watt/kg 155lb 5'10" rider. I live in very hilly San Francisco bay area and did several 80-100 mile rides with 7-10K of climbing with most of my training on a mid-compact and 12x27 setup, so I was prepared. I blew up on a 100 mile training ride 3 weeks before the event and switched in a panic to a compact w/ 11x29 (Campy) cassette, and I'm damn glad I did. Best decision I ever made. If my RD had supported it, I think have run a 32T. I'm generally a strong, top quartile runner off the bike, and I completely blew up on the run (granted it was probably the head just as much as the hills).

Bottom line on this course, I think if you're FTP is 3.5 watt/kg of lower, I'd say bring a granny gear. No one said you were required to use it. But it's good insurance. Just my 2 cents.

Thanks for the response, I'll probably go with the 11-32, I don't get much options for hill - elevation rides where I live (Canadian Prairies) so training with climbs will be limited. I need all the help I can going into the run as my legs hate me even after a 40k bike.... lol

Main climb is Callaghan now. I can’t imagine u need 11 32. I ride it with a QR PR6 with Zipp 454 set and a compact 11 28

I’m mop

I mean -- maybe. It really just depends on the rider. A compact with 11-28 would probably be plenty for most small-moderate sized riders with an FTP > 3 watt/kg. But I don't think you really lose much by having an 11-32, but you certainly gain piece of mind, especially if you're a large athlete or a flat-lander with limited opportunity train on hills. The other benefit of a 11-32 with a compact, is for flat to rolling terrain you can stay on the big ring and front-shift less. Yes, you cross-chain some, but you don't risk dropping a chain.

I rode it twice with a 52/36 up front and 11/28 in the back. Did not want for lower gearing.

404 front 808 back. Although a disk would be a-ok.

With all due respect, providing someone gear suggestions based on your own experience without providing some indication of your fitness is pretty useless.

Ditto to OP. You give us your run and swim time but not a bike metric which would be more useful. Few of us are equal in all 3 sports. I know I’m not with a 25 min swim, 3 hour bike, and 1:45 run. (Yeah, need to bike more).

I know a guy who rode a standard 53/39 and 11-25 gearing and was not for want of more gearing. He’s also an AG World Champion and averaged ~300 watts for 40+ HOURS at RAAM. My goal this year is to hold 300 watts for 40 MINUTES.