How many of you do Ironman on a road bike?

Triathlon Forum
1

I am doing my first IM at the Vineman next year. I have a Giant OCR Limited Full Carbon/ Ultegra etc, nothing great but a decent rig.

I had back surgery in March, and I had a “medical bike fit” done at the Boulder Center of Sports Medicine. I have a good fit for my condition and personal flexibility, but I am rather upright.

I am wondering how many just ride the cycling portion in a roadie position. Or how many have a more upright position.

What advice would you give me to maximize my training/ racing?

How much harder is 112 not being in the aerobars?

2

saw a guy at Ironman Australia on a old bike with fatty tires, fenders and bike racks!! and he was putting up a good time! I would like to do a half on a fixed gear one day.

3

I have done several IM’s with aerobars. My last IMC I used a road bike. I missed the aero position though but I felt that I did better on the hills. I noticed a half dozen others using road bikes at IMC this year. I have a theory that if you are more comfortable in the road position you will probably run better and be more comfortable (thus 112 miles won’t be quite as difficult for you). That’s just my theory though…

4

I rode the bike leg at Ironman Lou on a Specialized Tarmac, seemed to do okay for me. It was my first Ironman. Did a ~12:45 overall. Just went to finish no goal time.

5

I did my first IM in '89 riding a Centurion Ironman with Scot DH aerobars. Did probably 9 more IM’s including Hawaii using a Trek 5200. Since then have done my last 8 IMs on a tri-bike. No big difference in bike times between my road and tri bike. I think IM is all about comfort on the bike first then aeroness.

6

I have used a road bike with clip-ons at all 5 IM’s I have done. I am more comfortable on it for long distances, I use a Tri bike for Oly’s and shorter.

7

Road bike for all 3 IMs for me. Much more comfortable for me and I’m out there for a very long time so comfort is key :slight_smile:

8

I do my races on a road bike with clip on aero bars …cant afford a tri bike, yay college…

9

I have a theory that if you are more comfortable in the road position you will probably run better and be more comfortable (thus 112 miles won’t be quite as difficult for you). That’s just my theory though…
That makes perfect sense to me!

Thank you.

10

I think IM is all about comfort on the bike first then aeroness.
Thank you. This seems to be a common thread.

I don’t know for now, whether or not I would be comfortable in the aero position or not, since I have never been fit that way.

But since it has been recommended that I use the set up I have…

:slight_smile:

11

I have used a road bike with clip-ons at all 5 IM’s I have done. I am more comfortable on it for long distances, I use a Tri bike for Oly’s and shorter.

I have the “clip ons” on my bike, but I am only a marginal amount lower than my upright.

Is there any aero benefit at all being in the “clip ons”?

12

I use a road bike with draft legal aerobars on it. I ride it for the exact same reason. I have problems with my back as well. With these short aerobars I am only slightly lower compared to a normal roadie position, but it is still a lot faster. Use the short aerobars, because it saves a lot of time and it is more comfortable.

13

If you are comfortable, go with that.

If you can get comfortable on aerobars, that would make you go quicker, you might want to start experimenting now to see if you can get comfy on them.

I am doing my first IM at the Vineman next year. I have a Giant OCR Limited Full Carbon/ Ultegra etc, nothing great but a decent rig.

I had back surgery in March, and I had a “medical bike fit” done at the Boulder Center of Sports Medicine. I have a good fit for my condition and personal flexibility, but I am rather upright.

I am wondering how many just ride the cycling portion in a roadie position. Or how many have a more upright position.

What advice would you give me to maximize my training/ racing?

How much harder is 112 not being in the aerobars?

14

I did my first IM in '89 riding a Centurion Ironman with Scot DH aerobars. Did probably 9 more IM’s including Hawaii using a Trek 5200. Since then have done my last 8 IMs on a tri-bike. No big difference in bike times between my road and tri bike. I think IM is all about comfort on the bike first then aeroness.

15

If you can get use to aero bars, they will be a big help for you. Just start out using them for short periods of time. Then just keep extending your ride time with them. Eventually you should be able to ride in the aero position for long periods of time. I’ve ridden IM Florida almost entirely in the aero position with no problems. I just sit up every 15 minutes( during my nutrition ) to stretch out.

16

I did Vineman Full Aquabike (IM w/o run) in 2007 on a aluminum road bike Cannondale R5000 and podiumed. I did Ironman Germany 2008 with a Trek Madone. There were about 50% road bikes at Ironman Germany. I don’t know if this was because it was in Europe or not. Bottom line you can do an Ironman with a road bike and you won’t be the only one.

17

I worked IM Canada 2008 bike lot. There were a lot more road bikes than you would think. Many of the later riders weren’t in aero position.

18

I like my Trek Madone with clip on aerobars. I love the drops for getting way low on the descents. I have ridden a PC3 and was very uncomfortable. No way my lower back could take that position for 5-6 hours.

19

My first IM was done on a Trek 2300 road bike with Scott RCO aerobars back in 1999. It was a great ride and the course (GFT) was not very flat even though it was in Florida. Its a tough course. I did the race again, though the course had changed in 2001 on a Zipp 2001.

20

I only ride road and it worked great for the 3 I have done, CdA, Lake Placid and Canada. I have clip-on aerobars and have a very comfortable position. This is key when you are on the bike for 112 miles. I wasn’t able to find a tri bike that I was comfortable on but admittedly I wasn’t super aggressive in seeking one out.