My girlfriend and is looking at getting new bikes this year. She is looking at the Soloist and I am wondering how changing from a road to a tri configuration effects fit. Will the optional frame size for her necessarily be the same in both configurations? From what I have read, I would assume it would be better to get fit for the bike in the tri configuration since tri fit seems like it needs to be a little more exact than road fit. Is this correct?
You’ll likely find that the difference in effective TT length between 73.5 annd 76 degrees generally optimal. A properly fit Soloist in the road set-up will fit very nicely in the steeper seattube angle set up (with shorter effective TT). You can always move some spacers from below the stem to drop the front end too.
GB
Realize that the Soloist isn’t a true tri bike so you shouldn’t think in terms of setting it up as a tri bike config. It’s a compact road geometry frame that lends itself very well to a 76 degree “multi-sport” position for tris and TT’s. It’s a compromise between owning two bikes.
Set it up as a road bike. When moving to the the TT position everything should work fine. The only modification that you may wish to do in this position is drop the handlebars a bit. This will effectively lengthen the top tube to compensate for the seat being moved forward.