Ok, at the risk of getting tarred and feathered for not using the search function…
Ironman France in June. road bike or tt?
I know there have been discussions on this before but not recently. Some comments have been made about the pros riding tt bikes, but is that due to them having sponsorship commitments, rather than it being faster?
My tt is a p5 and the brakes and handling seem pretty good on downhill sections.
thanks
I’d do a road bike, not a TT bike.
If you do decide on a TT bike, maybe switch out gears for something that’s not as… intense on uphills.
Ok, at the risk of getting tarred and feathered for not using the search function…
Ironman France in June. road bike or tt?
I know there have been discussions on this before but not recently. Some comments have been made about the pros riding tt bikes, but is that due to them having sponsorship commitments, rather than it being faster?
My tt is a p5 and the brakes and handling seem pretty good on downhill sections.
thanks
I’ve done IM France on a TT bike, and would easily do it again. Passed 1150 people on the bike leg, can’t have been the worst choice of bike. 
TT bike will be faster if you can descend decently on it.
+1 that TT bike is faster overall. But you’ll see tons of road bikes there, and the descents are tough. If you’re ever going to use a road bike for an IM, this is it. Maybe just put clip-on extensions for the flat portions.
***Ok, at the risk of getting tarred and feathered for not using the search function… ***
Ironman France in June. road bike or tt?
I know there have been discussions on this before but not recently. Some comments have been made about the pros riding tt bikes, but is that due to them having sponsorship commitments, rather than it being faster?
My tt is a p5 and the brakes and handling seem pretty good on downhill sections.
thanks
Nice!
Ok, at the risk of getting tarred and feathered for not using the search function…
Ironman France in June. road bike or tt?
I know there have been discussions on this before but not recently. Some comments have been made about the pros riding tt bikes, but is that due to them having sponsorship commitments, rather than it being faster?
My tt is a p5 and the brakes and handling seem pretty good on downhill sections.
thanks
I have done Ironman France and did it on a TT bike, but I am an above average descender. I actuallly passed several hundred folks on the long technical downhills, but I am also light (was 138 lbs or the race), which means there is less of my weight pulling me off the road on a technical descent (think slalom skier size versus big downhiller). The P5 is a good bike for descents given its low 8 mm drop bottom bracket and decent braking. The only thing you want is a bare bar with a bit of "up turn"to push back against and counter steer. If your base bars are flat then they are minus 10 percent going down a 10% grade relative to gravity and yuo can feel like your hands are sliding off the front.
If I had a P5, I would go with it. I hope to head back to IM France next year. The thing I would caution about that course is that you really need to pace the bike or the heat on the run will absolutely kill ya. Lots of people arrive in T2 on a totally empty tank. There is no place to hide on the Promenade des Anglais in the seering mid day heat. Count on 33-38C with pavement temperatures going way past that. It makes Kona feel very cool.
I agree that it mainly comes down to your honest ability to ride a bike when it gets technical. I am a former pure cyclist and found the course (when I rode it last April on my road bike) to be nothing special from a technical perspective, and would surely ride my tri-bike if I were to do the race.
If you love to ride descents, love to rail turns and feel good and confident in your tactical road positioning, it will be a fun descent.
Jack
I used a road bike with clip on aerobars for IM France. You’ll see both kinds of bikes there so it’s totally personal choice. I am admittedly a wimpy ninny when descending so my experience is perhaps best ignored. In my observation however there were only 3 sections of the course where I remember being aero … the beginning of the ride out to the airport, a straight flat bluff that if I remember correctly falls about halfway and then the last section roughly from the airport to the finish.
I did road bike with tri bars.
Why ? I watched the race coverage from the year before and 75% of the pros were on road bikes. You always see crashes on the bends.
Dev,
How quick does France sell out?
I would use a good handling and aero tri bike, properly set up with drop bars (and clip-ons), kind of like some of these.
Greg @ dsw
Thanks all. Some good feedback.
it sold out this year in a couple of weeks I think.
I’m signed up for this year and taking my tri bike. Was going back and forth for a while but decided that I just feel more comfortable on it relative to my roadie. Planning on riding up Alpe d’Huez after the race on it also.
SSF: TT bike is fine. I used my Kestrel Airfoil there last June. First time using a TT in an IM. You’ll spend more time climbing than descending so choose the bike set-up that will help you be comfortable and fast there. Doug