Slowtwitch newby here, been doing sprint and olympic triathlons last 3 years. Really got the bug this summer, ended up doing 3 olympics and an Xterra over the summer,and loved it. Looking to do a 70.3 in July. Do I really need a tri specific bike to do a half iron distance? I have a very nice full carbon road bike with aero-bars that I’m able to average 20 mph on all my races. Any advice, suggestions?
Tri bikes will be faster because they put you in a more aero position. Otherwise, you don’t need one. It’s just faster.
Any good road bike will do. As long as it shifts and rolls well you will be fine.
I’m actually in the same boat as you - been doing long course (but less than 70.3) and olympic distance tri’s for a few years now (but not with a nice road bike…a crappy hand-me-down), and now that I’m stepping up to the 70.3 distance and training for it, I’m considering getting a real tri bike. I think it really depends…if you have the budget, I don’t see why you wouldn’t. I personally find the aero position to be much more comfortable over extended rides. That said, if you already have a really nice carbon road bike I wouldn’t say that you NEED a tri-bike, but it would certainly be a nice to have, budget allowing.
I’m currently looking at the Felt B2, Shiv Pro, and Cervelo P3.
If you have a good fitting road bike then stick with the road bike. I did my first 70.3 on a road bike and there were a lot of other people on them. You can always buy one later but I say if it ain’t broke then don’t fix it. Good luck
Did my first 70.3 on an eight year old Trek 1000 (very entry level bike) with some clip on aero bars. I had a great bike split for that race. That being said, I now ride a TT bike, and have even better splits.
So do you need one, no! Will it make you faster, yes! How much faster, depends on the course. My 70.3 on the roadie was a hilly course, so I think that helped keep me in competition with the TTs out there.
As others have said, it is not a must but might help. Just finished a 70.3 on a Specialized Aleez with clip-on bars and had the 4th fastest bike split in my AG. Yet, I’m looking for a tri bike. Consider a used bike in the ST classifieds. There are a lot of used ones in great condition that can be purchased for a significant discount.
Here’s something to think about, I did a comparison between my road bike and my tri bike on consecutive days where the weather was very similar.
I road ~40 miles on my road bike at 160 watts and came in near 2:05
I road the same course on my tri bike at 163 watts and came in 1:59:30
So over 40 miles on a training day I was ~5 min faster on my tri bike with nearly the same effort. Now there are no aero bars on my road bike like you have so I would expect your times to be a little tighter. Maybe give another minute for the next 16 miles and you will probably have near 6 minutes difference between your road and a tri bike.
So is it worth it to you? That’s the $3000 question, to me it is and I really like riding my tri bike more.
Your results may vary.
jaretj
You don’t need one but they are nice to have. I raced my first 5 times with a road bike and clip ons. The only thing I can add is I seem to like running off my tri bike more than my road bike but there are a lot of variables at play with that statement. I have more experience, better fitness and do more bricks since I last raced my road bike. Now though, I just like riding my tri bike better than my road…right until I have to climb something, then I miss my road bike. But, as others have said, you don’t need one. You will be a bit faster at the same effort due to the inarguable aero benefit.
Slowtwitch newby here, been doing sprint and olympic triathlons last 3 years. Really got the bug this summer, ended up doing 3 olympics and an Xterra over the summer,and loved it. Looking to do a 70.3 in July. Do I really need a tri specific bike to do a half iron distance? I have a very nice full carbon road bike with aero-bars that I’m able to average 20 mph on all my races. Any advice, suggestions?
“Need”. That’s a funny word.
Of course you don’t need one. However, they will give you an advantage if you use one that is properly fit and you are comfortable riding in the aerobars for the vast majority of the ride.
No. Put some vision shorty aero bars on for 70 bucks and enjoy…
Your good. If you had said I really want to shave some time off my bike splits and get more competitive in my AG then yes get a tri bike.
You are the only one who can answer the need question.
Is it faster, yes.
You also don’t need a wetsuit. Or aero helmet. Or Zipp wheels. Or powermeter. Or tri suit.
No.
A guy did IMWI using a hybrid bike this year…
i’ve done 1 ironman 7 half irons and olympics and sprints that i can’t even count with a road bike and slap on aero bars.
if you have the money, go for it. i just enjoyed cycling past guys with 10k tri specific bikes on my road bike.
i’m finally getting into a tri specific bike and the reason is that i can finally justify buying it. looking to break 4:50 for 2 half irons and do back to back ironmans. don’t buy it unless you can:
- afford it
- bike in the top 20% of your age group
just my 2 cents! good luck!
john
Don’t need it but would be awesome. I’ve done sprints/oly/HIM on a hand me down Trek 5200, had a decent bike split, but it’s not about the bike right?! Also depends on what your goals are, if you are looking to crush time and place then tri specific for sure, if you’re doing it because you enjoy it and like the experience no need to get one. Or if you are just a beast you can place without a tri bike too, like others have said it is fun to roll past a dude on a 10K bike and smoke him. But look at your long term goals too, what do you want to do in your tri lifetime? How many? What distance? How much are you training? Also your budget plays a huge roll.
Most important is have fun and kick ass on whatever machine you choose!
I don’t mean to take over your thread - but I have a related question for the experts out there. What if you only have $2,000 to spend? Right now I have a Felt road bike with aerobars. I feel very comfortable on this bike - I had no problems staying in aero position for most of a full IM. What would be a better investment - spend the $2,000 on race wheels (or some other component)? Or a used relatively inexpensive tri-bike?
Keep in mind that I’m going back to school - so, in about 3 years I would be able to afford a more expensive tri-bike.
I wouldn’t say you need one. I did my first 70.3 on my road bike with clip-ons (which is all I have and can afford right now, ~$900 2011 orbea aqua), and I got passed by a guy on a road bike (in a road position), but I also passed plenty of people that were on carbon rocket-ships with all the bells and whistles. Like some others have said, I think you need to justify buying by being pretty good on the bike. Get some sweet wheels if you want to upgrade.
I guess if you want to feel like you’ve really moved “up”, then yes, you need a tri bike. Not sure why this is a move “up” though, makes sprints and Oly’s seem like what?
I don’t mean to take over your thread - but I have a related question for the experts out there. What if you only have $2,000 to spend? Right now I have a Felt road bike with aerobars. I feel very comfortable on this bike - I had no problems staying in aero position for most of a full IM. What would be a better investment - spend the $2,000 on race wheels (or some other component)? Or a used relatively inexpensive tri-bike?
Keep in mind that I’m going back to school - so, in about 3 years I would be able to afford a more expensive tri-bike.
invest that 2k in a dividend yielding stock. then when you graduate in 3 years, have a good job and make good money spend 6k on your dream bike!
go big or go home.
john