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Tri bike for sprint distance?
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I primarily race sprint distance. I compete within my age group. Sure podium at small races, more of a challenge, but sometimes achievable, at regional ones. I enjoy the competition.

I have a 2015 (I think) Cannondale Slice. It's fine, but probably a size small for me. I think I'm between sizes frankly. I don't have a road bike at the moment.

So, if you were in the market for a new bike, would you replace the tri bike, or go road and clip on some aero bars/flip the seat post?

Does your answer change if you foresee the occasional olympic distance in your future?
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Re: Tri bike for sprint distance? [cujo] [ In reply to ]
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Faster is faster. Why *wouldn't* you want to race a sprint on a tri bike?

You need to ask yourself what your use cases are. If you have intentions of group riding having a road bike is a good idea. But if all you really do is race tris, you might as well stick with the tri bike, especially if your goal is to be competitive
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Re: Tri bike for sprint distance? [cujo] [ In reply to ]
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Assuming it fits you properly, keep the Slice and buy a road or gravel bike. Race on the Slice and use the new bike for training/fun rides.
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Re: Tri bike for sprint distance? [g_lev] [ In reply to ]
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g_lev wrote:
Faster is faster. Why *wouldn't* you want to race a sprint on a tri bike?

You need to ask yourself what your use cases are. If you have intentions of group riding having a road bike is a good idea. But if all you really do is race tris, you might as well stick with the tri bike, especially if your goal is to be competitive

We have a winner. If you race triathlon - use a tri-bike.

If you race NASCAR - should you by a formula 1 car?

If you play baseball, should you buy a softball?
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Re: Tri bike for sprint distance? [B.McMaster] [ In reply to ]
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95% of Tri's I do are sprints.. I only use a Tri-bike
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Re: Tri bike for sprint distance? [spntrxi] [ In reply to ]
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Honestly, this mostly comes from my doubt about how real those aero gains are.

I sometimes have a hard time believing the number when I consider how much imperfect roads are relative to the wind tunnel.
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Re: Tri bike for sprint distance? [cujo] [ In reply to ]
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cujo wrote:
Honestly, this mostly comes from my doubt about how real those aero gains are.

I sometimes have a hard time believing the number when I consider how much imperfect roads are relative to the wind tunnel.

Hopefully at some point people will be able to do on road aero testing to verify those claims.
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Re: Tri bike for sprint distance? [cujo] [ In reply to ]
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I wouldn't replace a tri bike with a road bike.... if doing triathlons is the goal.

I personally have three bikes.

1. Road bike - allows me to do group rides, a lot of my regular road riding/training, indoor workouts and the occasional bike race
2. Mountain bike (29'er) - offroading, trails, gravel roads
3. TT bike - some training, ALL of my triathlons sprint to halves.

If I had to have one, I'd pick the TT bike for sure.
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Re: Tri bike for sprint distance? [cujo] [ In reply to ]
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If you are racing sprints, every second counts. I have lost a podium spot by 5 seconds in a sprint. After the loss, I bought sockless shoes to save those few seconds in T2. I have regularly been within a few seconds of losing a spot in other races. Sprints, as much as every other distance, demand the fastest gear if you are racing for podium. Unless you are a rock star, the margins between the top 5 are often very narrow.

I am looking forward to a sprint at the end of April. The last time I did it, the time difference between first & second male masters was 11 seconds, and second to third was 7 seconds. You can bet your hiney that every tiny bike advantage mattered in those placements. (I had a crappy ride - missed a turn - and finished 2nd in AG. I beat the AG winner in the run, but I could not overcome my bike deficit.)
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Re: Tri bike for sprint distance? [cujo] [ In reply to ]
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cujo wrote:
I primarily race sprint distance. I compete within my age group. Sure podium at small races, more of a challenge, but sometimes achievable, at regional ones. I enjoy the competition.

I have a 2015 (I think) Cannondale Slice. It's fine, but probably a size small for me. I think I'm between sizes frankly. I don't have a road bike at the moment.

So, if you were in the market for a new bike, would you replace the tri bike, or go road and clip on some aero bars/flip the seat post?

Does your answer change if you foresee the occasional olympic distance in your future?

You are just like me. I do a lot of Sprint and Olympic races and do about 2-3 70.3s a year. I used to ride a road bike for sprints and couldn't place in my age group. After I went all out with tri bike with rear disc and whatnot. I place most of the time. Stick with tri bike and buy a cheap used road bike for local rallies, group ride, training and stuff. That's what I do and it's been working pretty well.
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Re: Tri bike for sprint distance? [cujo] [ In reply to ]
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I started out doing sprints and used a road bike. Shorter courses with hills (lots of those where I live) helped me on a road bike, and I got multiple podiums against some great area triathletes.

I will use a tri bike this year for the "seat time" and, at 55, every ounce of experience I can absorb will only help me for OLY and 70.3 distances.
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Re: Tri bike for sprint distance? [cujo] [ In reply to ]
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I used a road bike for my first five years in the sport and now race on a tri bike. My current thinking is the exact opposite of yours. Tri bikes are uniformly faster than road bikes. I don't think that is even debatable. But my guess is that the speed difference is magnified at higher speeds -- because wind resistance increases the faster you go. Sprint events are, of course, raced at higher speeds. Also, I've seen studies that say racing on the bullhorns of a tri bike is slower than being in the drops on a road bike. This also suggests tri bikes are better for shorter distances, as you are far more likely to maintain an aero position for an entire sprint, and much more likely to get out of aero over the course of a longer race.
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Re: Tri bike for sprint distance? [cujo] [ In reply to ]
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cujo wrote:
Honestly, this mostly comes from my doubt about how real those aero gains are.

I sometimes have a hard time believing the number when I consider how much imperfect roads are relative to the wind tunnel.

The gains on the TT bike are real. Want to find out? Find a local USAC time trial where they have both TT and Merckx class). Usually they'll have 5K or 10K distances where you can do more than one run. Do your first run on the road bike with fresh legs. Then do the second run on tired legs with the TT bike. See which one's faster.

Or just do the above on your own. The advantage to the USAC event is that you should have a little extra adrenaline giving you more of a race pace effort.
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Re: Tri bike for sprint distance? [cujo] [ In reply to ]
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cujo wrote:
Honestly, this mostly comes from my doubt about how real those aero gains are.

I sometimes have a hard time believing the number when I consider how much imperfect roads are relative to the wind tunnel.

You sound like someone who has never ridden into wind :)

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Re: Tri bike for sprint distance? [JayPeeWhy] [ In reply to ]
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Always go with the tri bike if its allowed.

I have place for only one bike and one set of wheels...Therefore I use it for everything : indoor training, group rides (kindly ask before and stay on the hoods), sprints to full IM's.

Last september I used my tri bike for the first time in a sprint distance, it was awesome, you can go full gaz, and who cares if you explode during the run ? Its a 5k.
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Re: Tri bike for sprint distance? [cujo] [ In reply to ]
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Just because testing isolates individual variables doesn't mean it's invalid. Besides, numbers from aero testing have been used to accurately predict race results.
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Re: Tri bike for sprint distance? [cujo] [ In reply to ]
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Are you racing in a triathlon? Then use Tri Bike!!

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Re: Tri bike for sprint distance? [cujo] [ In reply to ]
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Do you ever want to try qualifying for ITU age-group worlds at the sprint distance? If so, it's draft-legal format so you'll need a road bike. No tri bikes allowed. I've been racing exclusively on my road bike for 3 yrs now.
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Re: Tri bike for sprint distance? [TrierinKC] [ In reply to ]
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Fair point.
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Re: Tri bike for sprint distance? [JayPeeWhy] [ In reply to ]
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I'm someone who rides into the wind everytime I do an outdoor ride it seems. But I also seem to only race tris that are so hidden in the woods most of the time that wind is less an issue and dealing with punchy hills and potholes are more of a concern.
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Re: Tri bike for sprint distance? [surroundhound] [ In reply to ]
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When you guys and gals do these sprints, how much of your courses would you say are flat and exposed? I only ask because that is NOT the norm for my races it seems.
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Re: Tri bike for sprint distance? [cujo] [ In reply to ]
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It doesn’t matter if it’s windy or not. You still have to move through the air.
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Re: Tri bike for sprint distance? [cujo] [ In reply to ]
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Depends. Comparing two sprint courses from last year, Toronto Tri festival is a single out-and-back mostly on a straight, exposed road. Draft-legal, so if you were behind coming out of the swim (not that I uh, would know what that's like... cough) it was at least easy to slingshot past folks to catch up on the bike leg. Being draft-legal, you could sit in as long as you want to gather energy to pass and attack the next person/group. The bike handling/cornering aspect was pretty much moot. On the other side, the Montreal ITU course had something like 52 90- or 180-degree turns over 4 laps of a 5km loop. Cobblestones, carpet, punchy hills (including a steep descent with a sharp 180 at the bottom, then straight back up). Lots more bike handling involved, to me a tri bike wouldn't make any sense even if you weren't racing draft-legal.
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Re: Tri bike for sprint distance? [cujo] [ In reply to ]
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cujo wrote:
Honestly, this mostly comes from my doubt about how real those aero gains are.

I sometimes have a hard time believing the number when I consider how much imperfect roads are relative to the wind tunnel.

I raced my first year on my road bike in a semi-TT position: forward seat post, TT front end, lowest drop I could manage, etc. My CdA in that position was 0.29...tested ON THE ROAD using the Chung method, as well as Best Bike Split on some longer routes.

I built a TT bike last year, and got a full professional fit. That dropped my CdA to 0.24...again, tested ON THE ROAD. Then I made a couple of adjustments, and its now ~0.22. A difference of 0.07 CdA is YUUGE! That's not an arguable "marginal gain".

Besides the aero difference...the road bike in a TT position was a bit sketchy to ride. Anything over ~30mph was nervous. My head (and bodyweight) was so far forward that I was looking BACK at my front wheel hub. The bike was really twitchy at higher speeds. I've been riding a LOONG time. I lived in the mountains of colorado for 10 years, and I know how to handle a bike.

The point is that its a compromise to make a Road bike work as a sort-of TT bike. There are limits. Maybe you could make it work by buying a larger road bike frame to keep your weight more centered, but then it would suck as a road bike. And I still don't think it would work as a TT bike because it would be too tall.

Here's a weird thought...dunno if it would work or not. If you really think your slice is too small, convert it to a road bike, and get a properly fitting TT frame. The Slice is pretty short/tall as a TT bike, which makes it more road-like to begin with, except the steering geometry. But, unless you are racing crits the slightly slower steering probably doesn't matter.
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Re: Tri bike for sprint distance? [cujo] [ In reply to ]
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cujo wrote:
When you guys and gals do these sprints, how much of your courses would you say are flat and exposed? I only ask because that is NOT the norm for my races it seems.

As Grant states, wind doesn't matter. Even with zero wind speed, YOU are moving through the air at 30 km/h+ so you effectively have the force resisting your forward motion. Look at the Track pursuit racers or one hour record attempts on indoor tracks; they still riding a TT position.
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