You only have ONE bike? That shows admirable restraint on your part.

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Put the bunny back in the box.

Seriously though, if you want a new toy and only race triathlon it probably makes more sense to buy a new tri bike and use the old one for training. I don't know how you've got your current bike set up as regards position, but if it's forward saddle and low bars, a road bike with more trad position would almost definitely be more comfortable on long rides if you're not riding on the aero bars.

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Put the bunny back in the box.

There are plenty of reasons two have two bicycles and wanting a new toy sounds pletty legitimate to me. You say that you ride with a mixed group of roadies and triathletes. If your group is like the one I rode with last year, you probably don't ride much of a paceline. If you start close drafting, sitting up on a tri bike all the time gets pretty uncomfortable, also you tend to wobble a lot and the person behind you gets annoyed (roadies are so sensative). So get the road bike, you'll always have something to ride if one goes into the shop, or has a flat, or anything else. Get a Colnago, or that new carbon tube Merlin. They are absolutely beautiful!

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''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law

I do my easy and group rides on the road bike, and my LT and Interval work on the TT bike. I am well set up on both, but I think the road bike is more comfy overall, esp on long rides. Also, the more upright position is more conducive to talking and socializing (the point of any good group ride, right?), rather than being bent over the front of the bike. The tt bike seems much better suited to plain old hauling ass, and it is very comfortable for that purpose.

Just my opinion.

Pilbert

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Dr. Philip Skiba
Scientific Training for Endurance Athletes now available on Amazon!

I agree with Philbert. In addition, if your training involves any long slow distance on the bike, many of us find it easier to do that on a road bike as opposed to the tri position. There's just something about being forward and down that makes one want to hammer!

I met a guy at a race last year who had reached the same conclusion. He was racing a Saber, and had recently gone out and bought a Tuscany so that his road frame was practically the same bike - in concept - as his race frame.

I end up doing most of my training rides on a mountain bike with skinny tires. The only way I can fit in weekday rides during daylight hours is to do them instread of taking the train into downtown and there's no way I'm leaving my litespeed in a parkade downtown.

I can't justify buying a road bike that would be used weekends only for a couple months so use my Saber for long rides.

This has always been a question of mine and maybe you guys can help clear up a few points about racing and training bikes. I was new to tri two years ago when I bought my bike - a steel LeMond road bike with mid-range components and reasonable wheels and have since added Profile aerobars.

Anyway, when I visited a pretty reputable tri shop recently for a fitting, I started talking to the guy about new tri bikes. He was patient with me and then said something that I found interesting. He mentioned that my present bike setup the way he had it would serve great for training rides since steel is so comfortable. That really changed my thinking about a second bike. At least for the next few years until I get better, I can not imagine spending almost all my time on my steel road bike and only racing on the tri frame.

To my question - How many of you guys train on a more comfortable frame and race on a lighter/faster setup? For those who do this, what % is spent on your kick butt bike and what % is spent on the easy-on-the-butt frame? I am still considering getting a new bike, but my thinking might sway a bit depending on your experience. Thanks.

CH