Obviously the more miles in a race the more important the gear.
Considering I’m only doing sprints and Olympics…
is a tri bike gonna subtract a significant amount of time from my races, or should I just go with a road bike and save myself some money?
Also, regarding wet suits… would the extra time taking off the wet suit not be worth it in sprints and Olympics? I’ve never owned one and don’t know how much a pain in the ass they are to take off.
It would subtract* a significant amount of time. With that said it feels great to pass guys on TT bikes while on your road bike with clip-ons.
Wetsuits also help significantly with the added benefit of saving energy. Taking it off takes about 10 seconds. It’s putting it on that’s the hard part.
Gear is relatively just as important at every distance. A minute saved in an Olympic distance is just as valuable as 5 minutes saved in an IM. Tri bikes are faster than road bikes in (almost) every non-drafting situation - the only exception might be an extremely hilly and technical course. Wetsuits are faster in every situation. If you have a road bike and no wetsuit you are giving time away to competitors have those things at any distance - doesn’t mean you can’t still do well and maybe even podium if you’re talented enough, but you won’t be as fast as you could be.
The only trade-offs across different distances are:
Obviously the more miles in a race the more important the gear.
Um, no, at least not with respect to aerodynamics.
In fact, in a shorter race, you stand to gain more from aero upgrades like a tri bike than in a longer race. It’s true that you won’t save as much time in absolute terms (i.e. minutes) in a short race compared to a long one, but you’ll save more time in relative terms (i.e. percent of bike split). The reason for this is that power to overcome aerodynamic drag is proportional to speed cubed and is therefore greater at the higher speeds typically encountered in shorter races. The relative gains are what really matter. In a shorter race, there will be smaller time differentials deciding the results.
And yes, get a wetsuit. The $/second saved are usually even greater for a wetsuit than for a tri bike.
If you plan on racing tris often enough and have the money, the tri bike will be worth it. I don’t personally race on one for those distances as I can’t afford to buy a new bike, so it can also be done fairly well on a road bike.
Buy a wetsuit though. Even a sleeveless is better than none. With a little practice they come off faster than the time you would lose not wearing one.
A used
Trek speed concept 2.5
Cervelo p2
.
Thanks guys.
You will swim around 10 seconds per 100 faster in a wetsuit and also be more comfortable in cold water,it takes a only few seconds to pull it off.
You will swim around 10 seconds per 100 faster in a wetsuit and also be more comfortable in cold water,it takes a only few seconds to pull it off.
Only if you are a really new swimmer. When I was new I went from 2:05 to 1:50/100m in a entry level wetsuit. Now I go from like 1:32 to 1:28 at cruise speed, in a top end wetsuit.
It’s not the bike itself that will give you the big time differences, it is your body position. And it is very unlikely you will get your body in as aerodynamic of a position on a road bike.
Bike fit is key.
Tri bikes are faster than road bikes in (almost) every non-drafting situation - the only exception might be an extremely hilly and technical course.
Lets clarify on this… the course would need to be so technical to make a road bike faster, that it would probably take on the appearance of paved single track with a minimum grade of about 10% throughout or sharp corners… and every descent requires heavy braking with a maximum speed of maybe 25-30mph. I don’t believe this road exists for more than maybe 1-2 miles… other than dirt trails through the woods.
I’m not sure if you mentioned what your goals are…is it important to you that you make the podium, either overall or age group? If not, and you are just out for the fun of it, a good road bike might be the best, more versatile choice…you can race with it and also do road riding with your buddies. I f you want to maximize your potential and try to make the podium, a tri bike with upgraded wheels will definitely make a difference and is your best choice. Same thing for the wetsuit…Sprint or OLY…will save you time as well…even with the time needed to take it off.
I did say “the only exception might be an extremely…”! And I know at least one race (Helvellyn triathlon) where having done it a few times on both road and tri bike, I’m convinced that I’m faster on a road bike and my times back me up. Not just me either - even amongst the fastest riders in that race there’s a mix of road and tri bikes. I suspect the Alpe d’Huez triathlon might be another.
And no it’s not single track with a minimum grade of about 10% throughout, but it does feature a long stretch of 18-20% gradient climbing, about 1000m total vertical in a 38 mile ride, and a lot of sharp corners. You can get a lot faster than 25-30mph on the descents, but most of the fast stretches are followed by corners that you need to slow down for - so either you need to be comfortable switching from aero onto your pursuits at 45+mph (most people aren’t), or you need to be on the pursuits the whole way down which negates the benefits of a tri bike.
Do you have a road bike already?
When I started triathlon I had only a hybrid. Once I realized I want to tri I only wanted to buy 1 bike that could do everything. I started with a Kestrel Talon with rams horns and clamp on aero bars – since then I was hit by a car and have the same setup with a Kestrel Airfoil. I want something I can do “group” rides on and that I can also race with. The only possible second bike I would buy is a cross – early/late season riding along with non-technical trails.
You can be pretty competitive with whatever you are riding assuming you have the engine and a comfortable aero-ish position.
It’s not the bike itself that will give you the big time differences, it is your body position. And it is very unlikely you will get your body in as aerodynamic of a position on a road bike.
Bike fit is key.
Agreed. Check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rvJ-6Cgnz8
I did say “the only exception might be an extremely…”! And I know at least one race (Helvellyn triathlon) where having done it a few times on both road and tri bike, I’m convinced that I’m faster on a road bike and my times back me up. Not just me either - even amongst the fastest riders in that race there’s a mix of road and tri bikes. I suspect the Alpe d’Huez triathlon might be another.
And no it’s not single track with a minimum grade of about 10% throughout, but it does feature a long stretch of 18-20% gradient climbing, about 1000m total vertical in a 38 mile ride, and a lot of sharp corners. You can get a lot faster than 25-30mph on the descents, but most of the fast stretches are followed by corners that you need to slow down for - so either you need to be comfortable switching from aero onto your pursuits at 45+mph (most people aren’t), or you need to be on the pursuits the whole way down which negates the benefits of a tri bike.
What I meant was that if there’s any flat stretches, the tri bike starts to make up any lost time really ,really fast.
That why I also threw in how comfortable you are. The cornering ability of the bike is really only limited by the line you take and tire grip, not the weight distribution or position of the bars. However, based on confidence level, those can impact the first… the line you take.
As for climbing, that 's just about power generation. A TT bike is slightly heavier, but it’s aero advantage even at 10-15mph will offset a very small difference in the weight of otherwise similarly equipped bikes.
Maybe Jackmott can remind us what the breaking point is in climbing speed where 2lbs (1-1.5%) of weight becomes more relevant than aero. There’s probably a calculator somewhere.
Would you use a bowling ball to play volleyball? They are both balls.
You will swim around 10 seconds per 100 faster in a wetsuit and also be more comfortable in cold water,it takes a only few seconds to pull it off.
Only if you are a really new swimmer. When I was new I went from 2:05 to 1:50/100m in a entry level wetsuit. Now I go from like 1:32 to 1:28 at cruise speed, in a top end wetsuit.
Damn. I’ll bet I’ll really subtract a lot of time considering im a 2:25 100m back stroker!
Looking at your posts, you seem to be very enthusiastic in telling everyone how much you suck at triathlon. Maybe try looking at things in a bit more positive manner?
Also, get a tri bike, its worth it.
How much do you care about your race time?