Hi there. After 11 years on the same race rig I’ve got the bike itch. However, given the prices of the new crop of tri bikes I’m curious - how much time saving are really there?
I’m currently on a fairly “optimized” 2014 Speed Concept. Vision Metron bars w/Profile ASC extensions, HED 90/disc wheel set up w/GP5000s and latex tubes. 23c. 12spd SRAM AXS. Would moving to a more current bike setup gain any noticeable time savings over the 40K distance? My split is typically around an hour for that (if that matters).
It’s quite limited. Easily more gains from positional improvements, trisuit, aero helmet, wheels/tire combos. Even using calf sleeves vs no calf sleeves or aero socks vs no socks could quite possibly give you a greater benefit. When you factor in the cost of a new frame, it’s a much worse proposition. Will a new frame be faster than your 2014? Probably. Maybe. But very likely not enough to tell, and at a very high cost.
Short of reading through dozens of posts in the above-referenced thread (plus countless others), there probably is not much gain in going from a 11 YO very good bike to a modern very good bike.
I am doing a similar upgrade. I have a 2016 Felt IA 16 that I have massively upgraded with Tririg cockpit & brakes, HED 90/disc and GP5K tires with latex. About the only differences are I am running 23c/25c tires and 11 speed Di2.
I think the biggest gains I will get will come from running tubeless 25c/28c tires on wider wheels. Then, I may get minor gains from maybe a slightly better fit with more extension angle and better BTA configuration.
But, the driving reason for the new bike is that I want it. My bike is 10 years old, and I want to qualify for 70.3 on a new rig. (The great irony is that I will likely ride my road bike in Nice 2026, not the new tri bike.)
The ones I’m aware of are compatible with most older triathlon frames. I agree if you’re using an older frame not compatible with a good modern aerobar cockpit then it shifts the debate somewhat.
I swapped from an Argon E114 to a Trek Speed Concept last year. Argon was very much not optimised (position was, bike wasn’t), and was a gen before your bike. The difference has been huge in both performance, comfort and practicality of carrying tools/food.
Ability to run tyres wider than 23mm I think is a big factor on the rough roads that I ride on.
I just have more ‘fun’ riding the new bike and given this is a hobby then that’s a massive thing that I really think we shouldn’t overlook as a benefit.
I asked a similar question a few years ago. The answers were ‘it depends’ to ‘not much’. So of course I purchased a new bike. I’m about 1mph faster, but I also kicked up my training mileage. Bottom line. Depending on how long your triathlon future is you are probably going to get a new bike someday. The sooner you get it the more time you’ll have to enjoy it. Also, you will be familiarizing yourself with modern bike technology; electronic shifting, hydraulic brakes, tubeless tires, crank based power meter, etc. This logic worked surprisingly well in discussions with my wife!
I’ll disagree with this having packed and flown a rim and then disc bike in the same box, both Tt bikes. Disc was no harder than the rim. The only thing extra I did was put brake spacer plastic pieces in the disc brakes with the wheels off which took less than 20 seconds total.
This was also an important reason for me to buy a new bike. An old friend of me used to say: “maybe it is not absolutely necessary, but it is good for the morale”.
More reasons: athough everything still worked, I got more and more worried about availability of spare parts when something brakes down. And a new bike is not quickly bought. My disc-wheel needed replacement because the brake surface is worn out but I was reluctant to invest in rim-brake equipment.
I like disc-brakes over rim-brakes.
I wanted sram e-tap because you can easily clip the batteries off to put them in hand-luggage when flying (you can get trouble with the battery in checked luggage if they see it because there is a max Wh figure).
So I decided once more to go for it on my old days (64 yrs).
Always. But again - I train on the disc brake SC with 28’s all around. A little more comfortable. The 2nd gen is basically my race-only bike. Shakeout rides and races, then thoroughly cleaned and put away for the next one.
