I doubt that.

If you are happy with your Tri bike fit, have a look at the fit numbers and see if you can replicate them on the road bike. If yes, well, that´s a plus point.

Basically do whatever you like. I used a road bike converted for TT/tri training and it was OK. The main problem you are likely to have is reducing the effective top tube length but there are things you can do to get round that potential problem.

ITU bars are not likely to be a good long-distance option for a clipon. PD T2 or T1 are very adjustable.

Best of luck.

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´Get the most aero and light bike you can get. With the aero advantage you can be saving minutes and with the weight advantage you can be saving seconds. In a race against the clock both matter.´

BMANX

Maybe I stated this wrong. My assumption, or hope, is that the new set up would simply be in the neighborhood. The ease of maintaining one bike, etc... and some non tangibles I like about this idea. I just wanted some thoughts / experiences from the field so to speak. I guess part of this is that I have not been totally happy with the FELT. I do have a shorter top tube on the road bike and that would help with my shorter torso and long inseam vs. the Felt.

yes your road bike setup would be in the neighborhood provided the road bike allows you to get reasonably low and forward, comfortably. it might not. easy enough to try it though.

if you can duplicate your preferred TT position on your road bike exactly, then you will definitely be at least AS fast on the road bike with race wheels as TT bike with training wheels.

you might find it impossible to duplicate the position though.

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Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter

I have some T2 Cobra bars I would plug the ends on and use those. I think I can exactly replicate the fit. I suppose the only issues are TWO: 1) frame drag between the two frames, and is this offset in anyway by the aero 404 wheels I can add as a result of the part out, and 2) will I mind shifting on the drops as opposed to the end of the aerobars...

Thanks for the insight.

Thanks for the reply. I think I can get it dang close. I would use a thomson set back but reversed. Same aero bars and same stem length. The TT is a bit shorter but this should help me as the Felt was a bit long for me.

remember to make sure the distance from center of BB to where you sit is the same in the forward position.

and measure the total stack (difference between ground and elbow pads and ground and BB) most road bikes will have more stack than TT bikes, so you may need a down-angled stem to get as low.

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Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter

Having just made the move from a road bike to a TT bike, I can honestly say that the TT bike is the right tool for the job. My position on the road bike was mediocre at best and I was never able to get low enough in the front for my liking and always felt a little stretched out. Also, you run into issues of your hip angle getting too acute because the seat angle is not conducive to a forward position. As a result, you almost always have to sit up more to maintain a proper hip angle to keep your chest open, otherwise you end up having difficulty breathing.

I also think that the forward position saves your legs a bit for the run. The aero benefit from the wheels you would purchase, in my opinion, is more than offset by the better position and fresher legs that a good tri fit provides. If you don't need the money from the bike, stick with the felt and get an aero helmet; they provide a greater benefit than aero wheels anyway.

leaving the weight question aside, your strategy is similar to what I am currently doing. I am a long-time roadie who is converting to tris for a number of reasons. I replaced my old Cervelo 2.5 (original carbon frame) when it was recalled with a S2. I could still use it as my roadie, but quickly convert to a tri or TT set-up if I wanted.

Bought the reversible seatpost (73* / 76*), extra saddle, base / aero bars, etc. Put cable splitters in just after the HB set-up for fast conversions. When I want to convert from tri set-up to road, I loosen the derailleur and brake cables, remove the face plate from my stem and pull the cables and HB off. Re-string the cables from my road set-up back through, replace seat / seatpost with the fixed 73* set-up and I am good to go. See pics below: (Race wheels will be Zipp 404's, non-dimpled)

Road Set-up




Tri Set-Up

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well done

do it that way and you hardly give up anything at all.

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Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter

x2 Power13, a very, very neat set up.

Back to the OP. As far as I understand it, aerodynamic drag (depending on about a million things) is 80% rider, 10% wheels, 10% frame and bits hanging off it. For all their merits (which are many) your Mavic Krysiums are reckoned to be about the least aero 'modern' wheelset out there, so sticking a really fast wheelset under your roadbike is likely to make a not insignificant difference.

One thing that has not been mentioned yet, that you may not be aware of. Assuming a triathlon position on a roadbike converted for the purpose can make the handling a bit... interesting. Lots more bodyweight goes over the front end than the geometry of the frame is designed for. It might be a problem, it might not (it never worried me) but it's maybe something to bear in mind.

On that subject I have recently built up my first Tri-specific geometry frame and the bike rides and handles beautifully. Admittedly I'm not exactly chucking it around a BMX course but it's nice to have a tool doing what it was designed for.

Here is my old training bike with aerobars, nice and comfy:



I had a Sora STI shifter on the right so downshifts were not a problem as the much-derided thumb shifter was easily accessible from the aerobars. Best times on this fairly laughable setup were 30km in 45 and 50km in 1'20.

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´Get the most aero and light bike you can get. With the aero advantage you can be saving minutes and with the weight advantage you can be saving seconds. In a race against the clock both matter.´

BMANX

Thanks and that is exactly what I am thinking of. Great set up. I am not sure I am totally in tune with the split cable? I think I would use my basebar and aerobars, attach to stem and leave cable and housing attached to basebar/aero. Go with no cable tip at RD and change all housing, cabling each time. Easy to slot the pre cut housing into the stops. I noticed you have fine tune barrel adjusters which is smart. I am going to put the aero bars on and give this a trial run before spending any dough. Thanks Mott and P13 and everyone for the input.

Thanks again to all the posts and input. I am thinking on this one a bit longer....