Is it still the consensus that a FIST fitted Cannondale CADD 4 road bike, which seems reasonably comfortable, would still be slower than a similarly fitted TRI bike, eg a P2K.
I think Tom, you suggested possibly 1:10 to 1:04 for 26miles in an old xtri article.
Thanks.
6 minutes for 26 miles sounds like a lot…
( “it’s not about the bike” …)
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Well, that is tough to qunatify, but including all the usual disclaimers (if it fits you, depending on your body measurements, blah, blah…) then yeah, you are likely to be a triffle faster on the bike on a tri rig.
Now, here’s the real payday: According to the Garside Study, as reported in the F.I.S.T. student manual, your biggest benefits are not likely to be on the bike, but on the run.
Simply put, the Garside Study showed athletes ran faster- MUCH faster off a triathlon geometry bike than off a road bike. I buy that 100% based on my own experience.
Me, Hawaii IM, 1986: 12:24:36 running off a road bike at 24 years old.
Me, Canada IM, 1997: 10:44:?? running off a tri bike after 6 knee surgeries, a broken back (and paralysis), Epstein-Barr disease, broken right arm in 7 places, 3 broken right arms, 3 concussions and other injuries I forgot.
One reason a beat up old 35 year old (then) could go faster than a spritely young 24 year old before plane crashes and parachuting accidents is better equipment in 1997 than in 1986. Read: Tri bike.
I can bang out a 6:10 mile right off a hard 40 miler on my tri bike. Too bad I can only do one of those… Off a road bike after 40 miles hard, I am crippled. Maybe an 8:00 flat.
Tri bikes are faster (partially) becasue of more even enlistment of the 14 muscles predominantly used in pedalling, as opposed to placing a larger reliance on only five of those, leaving them compromised for the run.
We need to get the guys at Wobblenaught to test this also. They have a method of recording muscle actuation to measure actual work dynamically during pedalling, even on the road- see the little article in this month’s Velo-News.