I will be building a TT bike i the coming months, i’ve got a idea about what parts to use on it (Hed3 and disc, probably on Oval bar), but i’m still looking for a frame.
I know i should (only) be looking at frames from a ‘performance’ (and fit) viewpoint, but as i kinda like to look of compact frames i trying to find a good (and good looking) compact TT frame. (I really like the Giant ONCE Time trial bike from last years Tour (and the new Giant T-Mobile TT bike, but according to Giant they are not going to be selling it to the general public :-\ )
Anybody have some suggestions of frames i should be looking at ?
Heh, funny you mention VanTuyl. They make pretty nice frames, i’ve been to their shop late last year (I live in The Netherlands) to have a look at this frame.
The salesperson told me i better wait a while as they were working on a completely new TT frame, which they would release in januari. Ofcourse nothing has been released upto now, and they won’t tell shit about the new frame when i asked them a couple of times…
I was going to mention the Santa Cruz as well. What about a Yaqui DL. I’m not sure it’s technically “Compact”, but it does have a sloping top tube. You can get some sweet aero tubes with it.
I have a DL with the aero tubes, great bike - best I have ever ridden, but not a TT bike - the head tube is too tall and you won’t be able to get low enough to get truly aero - but if you can have only one bike, this would probably be the one to get. Since Ves makes custom bikes, maybe he can come up with something that will look appealing to you and have a low enough head tube…
At the other end of the spectrum, there is the BP Stealth AC Tri, but the picture in the Inside Tri buyers guide looks a little bizarre…
So there is one thing that bugs me about compact geometry as a TT frame. So a TT needs to have a low head tube, but the seat height needs to be pretty high. So you start with a low head tube, then add the sloping top tube, and the distance between the BB and the TT is pretty darn small - smaller than a traditional compact geometry. This leads to a very long seat post with not much support on it. Seems to me this post would be prone to flex, especially if it was a carbon.
“This leads to a very long seat post with not much support on it. Seems to me this post would be prone to flex, especially if it was a carbon.”
You are correct that you will get more flex out of a long seatpost than you will with a short one. However, most people consider this to be a GOOD thing, as it’s more prone to add vertical compliance. As long as the frame itself is decently stiff (and compact frames usually are), you won’t have handling or power transmission problems from a flexy seatpost.
But you bring up a good point. To avoid the excessively long seatpost (350+ mm) you mentioned, most manufacturers seem to make their compact tri frames with a longer head tube. This is perhaps a good thing for some people, but not everyone.
Check out http://www.yamaguchibike.com/jpg/TU%20CR3TT%20Muscle%20tt%202.jpg
from Yamaguchi Bikes. Very intriguing design. I have a Merlin Agilis which have raced in more technical Duathlon bike courses. Slapped a pair on aero wheels and Deda clip ons made for a pretty comfortable ride. Cannot vouch for its “aeroness” however.
