Live in a hilly / mountain region, not a flat piece of road around; currently ride a Cervelo R3 SL with 303’s
I am going to do IM Florida this year, not my choice for an IM but I was out voted by some friends also doing IM FL
My R3 is perfect for all my training, century rides and most of the Triathlons around my local area
Would like a new $$$$ tri bike for IM Florida but lack of funds is going to prevent this and also I am having trouble justifying spending money I dont have with the fact I may not race a flat course again or if I do it will be a small number of races over the years
I know Aero trumps weight on a flat course, but at what extent? My R3 with 303’s is around 14lbs, What if I could afford a used / cheap Tri bike but weight would be more than 20lbs. Would that make a difference or is aero still an advantage on a flat IM course?
Here are my options as I see them for IM Florida
Set up R3 the best I can with clip aero bars, possibly forward seat post and professional fit. Try to find a cheap / old Tri bike to use Have somebody on slowtwich buy or give me a Tri bike (would like a P2 or P3, but any carbon tri bike would be welcomed) Say screw it and buy a P3 with a set of Zipps, use it once at IM Florida then donate it to some poor soul on slowtwitch. (would probably need a new place to stay at that point since my wife would kick me to the curb) Buy 100-200 scratch off lottery tickets and hope for the best then all my worries are over. Dont change anything since I have been riding and racing good the past couple years (LP 2007-2008)
One other question is:
Regardless of what bike I end up using, what wheel set would be better for IM florida 2008 Zipp 303’s tubulars or 2004 404 clinchers (non dimpled)?
I am going to vote for #4, as long as I get to be the “poor soul on slowtwtitch”. You are welcome to sleep at my place as long as you can get yourself (and the bike) out to Idaho.
I’d agree with Mott on this one. A vast majority of resistance (upwards of 80%) encountered while on a bike is from air friction and drag on the rider. While an aero frame can be nice to have, your position on the bike is by far more important. Unless you’re looking for a spot on the podium good aerobars and dropping your handlebars a little should do you fine.
I’d go with #2, but not just any cheap used tri bike. I’d try to find a used p2sl or dual. These are among the most aero bikes around and can be bought used really cheaply by people moving to P2s and P3s. There was one on the classifieds earlier today for $800. That’s not much more than you’d pay for the set of aerobars and a fitting on your road bike and then you would eventually have to try to put it back to normal after the race in FL and you’d be without a tri bike again.
If you just want a comfortable finish, go with what you got and maybe add some clip-ons.
If you’re really looking for speed, a good forward position on a well-fitting tri bike, plus a disk will likely get you and extra 1+ MPH on that flat windy course. But, you need to be comfortable enough to hold the position for the entire race, otherwise you’re better of with your R3. So, if you went this route, figure on at least 500 miles of training time on the tri bike before the race to adapt to the new position.
that’s easy: State budgets are tight these days, and alcohol and cigarette taxes can only do so much. Go for number 5. After all,* someone* has to win, right??
if that doesn’t work out, just go with your R3. I’m not even sure I’d worry about clip-ons; from what I read on the internet, at IM FL you’ll be on the hoods, doing a lot of braking anyway…
why not get the soloist team frame in aluminum and set the seat post forward with aero bars. That should cost you easily under 1200. Then you can use your 404’s or rent some from a company to show up for race day.
otherwise, use your current frame. it is not worth it to me to get a tribike and think it will do miracles. Do you have enough time to get used to the big difference? I bought a tri bike and expected there to be a huge difference, and there wasn’t. It took my legs months to get used to the different muslces firing, and the different set up.
NOw I love my triframe, but I almost sold it after I got it.