I’ve been doing multi sport for about a year. I currently ride a Fuji Roubaix, modified with aero bars and seat post for tri positioning on the bike. Just did a sprint distance race (15 mile bike) and averaged around 21 mph. How much time would I be able to save by switching to a tri bike? Anyone done any research on sprint, international, half iron and full iron distances? I’m looking to maybe purchase a tri bike next year.
None unless the tri bike fits you rather well. Look around next time you go to a tri or du. About 60% of the field looks like they are sittng up while on the aerobars. It’s more about the motor than the bike (although that goes against this entire board at times). A good fitting bike will feel better. I’d say ride many different models, get what fits you the best. Do the training and then watch the times drop.
Depending on what you get I’d say .5 mph to 2 mph
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no way to know, too many variables
here is one to ponder, what if your new tri bike does not fit as well, you gain aerodynamics but lose comfort and power
how much faster will you be??
best bet is to go to a good fitter and practice flexibility, along with massage
I have been practicing flexibility, every day, to the point where I can ride a very low position with comfort, and standing I can bend at the waist placing my hands flat on the groud without bending my knees
good practice, it really makes a difference
According to the Letsrun peeps , you can buy speed. So therefore just get the most expensive bike your home equity loan will allow for and you will be fine 
Don’t worry about the fit… it’s all in the sales receipt.
Ahhhh, it’s not about how much faster you go on the bike. It’s how much faster you go on the run…
If you are thinking of moving up to half or ironman distance, it might be a considration. For olympic, you are already clipping along pretty good, I might stick with what you have.
My fastest times have still been on my road bike, I have been conned by the marketing men again !
Hey I have the same bike with the same setup. And I want a tri bike too! What a coincidence. When you get your awesome new tri bike could you let me know how much faster you go so I can be more specific when I rationalize why my bike splits suck and maybe rationalize the purchase of a new tri bike. Thanks.
Much of the sexy allure of lighter, more aero, tri-specific, carbon, titanium, etc is based in fact meant to sell to the majority. Real aerodynamic advantages in frame and seat post usaully aren’t seen significantly until the rider can average 25+ mph. In many instances a good road bike with light weight componenets will weigh in less than a tri bike, though you will lose some of the aerodynamic advantage of the tri frame (see last sentence).
The big concern should be the motor you bring to the bike. Your position should be checked for posture and minimizing frontal area (which can save up to 1 min per 10 miles) by a knowledgeable and repuatable bike fitter. Once you are positioned right, train hard and race harder.
Be careful not to sacrifice run speed in an attempt to up your bike split by .5 mph. If your time gains on the bike aren’t greater than the time loss on the run, the changes aren’t worth it.
Not enough to justify the purchase. The bike frame itself has a rather negligible difference on the aerodynamics of the entire vehicle. Your position on the bike will have the greatest aerodynamic impact (which may or may not require a special TT frame), and wheels certainly will make a difference, assuming you buy legitimate aero wheels.
However, there are pleny of other reasons to consider buying a tri bike (possibly improved comfort, more aero position, more convenient shifting, more enjoyment, et cetera).
wow, that’s impressive. how long did it take you to achieve said flexibility?
BTW, flexibility is going to be a huge focus of mine after a ride Sept 3…
Read what Dan has written about time savings on a tri bike. The best estimates are significantly greater than, and very different from how people originally supposed the time would be saved.
Dan frequently sites a block of infomation referred to as The Garside Study.
In a nutshell, Garside is a university study that theorized the primary effects of tri geometry compared to road geometry were (was) an improvement on the run. This study did nothing to evaluate or quantify the aerodynamic benefits of an aero position (aero handlebars).
The results of Garside are significant. Participants in the study appreciated savings of several minutes during the first 5 kilometers of a 10 kilometer running time trial on a treadmill after a 40 kilometer cycling time trial on an indoor trainer.
So, the benefits of a tri bike appear to be quite significant.
As long as your current bike is comfortable and allows you to stay on the aerobars for the entire race (minus technical corners) then you might not gain anything on a tri bike.
When I first put aerobars on my road bike fifteen years ago when I was only bike racing, I did nothing to alter my position from the norm. I just bolted them on and expected them to make me faster. I never could ride faster because my hip angle was really acute and couldn’t develop any power. I suspect that’s what happens with a large percentage of today’s triathletes. Their local shop has road bikes, they bolt on some aero bars and off they go. However, they rarely ride in the aerobars because it is too uncomfortable.
It has taken me years of experimenting to finally arrive at a position I can ride all day. If you can do that on your current bike then save your money.
Chad
P.S. One additional point—if you are using a forward seat post on a road bike then you may have some handling issues. Just guessing, because I certainly did. I would read Dan Empfield’s treatise on how a tri bike should be built with long front-center and plenty of fork rake. My Yaqui that replaced my other bikes has the all-day comfort and handling that I looked for over three years.
I can only speak from my results:
I have done 3 sprint Tris–all on the same course. The 1st 2 were on my Lemond Versailles road bike w/ aerobars (proper fit), the 3rd on my new P3SL w/ ZIPP 404s:
Bike Splits:
1st: 00:34:41 | 12 miles | 20.76 mile/hr
2nd: 00:33:53 | 12 miles | 21.25 mile/hr
3rd: 00:31:55 | 12 miles | 22.56 mile/hr
(Cadence was 95-105, in 80s on climbs, for all rides.)
And, not only did my bike split come down, I felt better going into the run as well:
Run Splits:
1st: 00:26:35 | 03.1 miles | 8m 35s min/mile
2nd: 00:28:29 | 03.1 miles | 9m 11s min/mile-I think this time was slower than my 1st because of the push on the bike
3rd: 00:26:04 | 03.1 miles | 8m 25s min/mile
Cheers,
Rob
The study is interesting, but one variable left undiscussed (at least in Dan’s summary of the Garside paper) is that of cadence. I think there’s a tendency to spin a faster cadence with a steeper STA, which could have a dramatic effect on one’s running speed. It would be interesting to know the average cadences of the normal and steep STAs for this study.
Thanks for the information. I’ll read Dan’s writing on the subject. Sounds like fit, comfort and positioning are important.