Bike Experts: Taking a Tri bike and making it road?

Triathlon Forum
1

I’ve been thinking about this for a while, mainly because I need a new bike and can’t really decide (yeah yeah the one that fits crap).

Now my question is this, what if you took a tri bike, and switched the handlebars from cowhorn to conventional roadie bars (then add a draft legal Jammer). Would this be comfortable? (I usually spend 40-60% of the time on the aerobars-handle bar).

The bikes i’ve been thinking about are either the S-22 or QR, but I’m open to any suggestions.

2

You’d be much smarter to go the other way - get a road bike and adapt it for tris. The problem with the tri bike is usually a short head tube. If you add drop bars to this, you will be too low and uncomfortable when on the drops. Plus you’ll have an unblanced bike if you use it for group rides, etc.

It can be done. I saw it done on a Cervelo P2K. Why I don’t know. The guy would have been further ahead to get a Soloist.

4

Actually I’ve always wondered about taking a tri bike, switching to drop bars and a set back seat-post. It may not be all that comfy or efficiant, but boy, just think how you’d freak out the roadies.

-The only thing worse than my equipment, is my sense of style.

5

Here is a link to a review of the 2001 QR Kilo from the Bikesport Michigan site. In this article, Tom Demerly discusses building up Kilos with drop bars and STI’s. He even shows a photo of this set up. So it can be done; however, it is a compromise, and Demerly states why. If you want a bike to flip back and forth between road and tri configuration, something like a Cervelo Soloist is the way to go.

http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/reviews/qrkilo.shtml

RP

6

Well, I did just that. I used to have a road bike, sold it and got a QR. Long story short I switched out the built in aero bars for the gear shift levers I loved. Then added lighter(than the original) aero bars. I did this all in the name of body fit for me. I have a fused spine and certain adjustments just needed to be higher, lower etc… I am very comfortable now with what I have. Plus now, my back does not hurt so much. Let me know and I can take a digital shot of my bike.

-Trisha