i am a new member but have been following st for a few months now. on to my question. i currently have a Pinarello FP Quattro road bike. it is built up with sram red components and zipp carbon acessories and fc404’s. the bike currently weighs in at 17lbs. I have the opprotunity to buy a 2013 Felt B16 (in my price range) and was wondering if this bike would be faster in triathlons and if its worth it. the last olymic distance i did was two weeks ago and i mainatned 24.4 average on the pinarello with clip on aero bars. the only reason im asking is because i know the pinarello is not the most aerodynamic design out there. so to sum it up i just want to make sure there will be gains in speed before i shell out the cash because if not i will just keep riding the pinarrello with clip ons. looking forward to hearing the wisdom of all you st’ers.
I just recently got a Felt B14, which is supposed to be a step up from the B16. I have noticed some increase in speed due to the aero effect, I too had clip-ons prior to this purchase. I think if you swapped the components from your road bike to the B16 you might be happy with it. However, I think your components and set up you currently have is much better than what comes with the B16. You may increase a bit with the aero design if you get a good fit, but you may not be happy with wheels and shifters compared to what you currently have.
thank you for your response. i would be using the 404’s on the felt for now as well. it has also been upraged with a zipp carbon base bar and the vuka alimina aero bar extensions. if that info helps at all.
nny you mention that. i actually did the enw orleans half and it was horrible. due to the fact that my stubborn ass had just bought the zipp carbon handlebars and didnt want ot scratch the finish by putting the clip on aero bars on so i rode it without them. having the luck that i do it turned out to be a windy day and me barely being able to maintain 20.4 avg due to the fact that staying in the drops the whole time was very uncomfortable.
A TT or tri bike will most likely make you faster on and after the bike. The biggest gain to made on a properly fit tri bike is in rider position. You’ll generally gain 2+ mph due to that alone. You’ll be more comfortable in the aero position because you’ll have a more open hip angle than on you roadie. So you’ll get outta the wind, be able to generate more power in the aerobars, and be fresher for the run.
Is it worth it?? That’s up to you. Why do you compete? For the personal challenge? For AG podium spots? For overall podium spots?
On a side note, I’m not sure why riding a half iron without aerobars caused discomfort. 56 miles on a road bike should be pretty comfortable. Even if you were in the drops for a lot of it. Maybe if you got in the drops the whole time, I guess that wouldn’t be as comfortable.
Just to offer a different idea: you could just get a Fast Forward seatpost and an Adamo-type saddle. This is what I did to convert my old road bike for a TT position. I gained 2 mph and was a lot more comfortable for the run, and all for about $250.
thats what i have been doing up until now. i had clip on bars and a tri specific saddle and it has worked well. i just want to get all i can in every race and if buying this felt even speeds me up .5 mph on my average then ill take it. i just wasnt sure if going from a high end road bike with clip on aero bars and tri specific saddle to a mid range tri bike would gain anything. i guess there is only one way to know for sure. thanks for all your guys input im going to buy the bike and give it a shot.
You’ll definitely be much faster on a TT/Tri bike. I’m generally 1-2 mph faster on my tri bike (Blue Triad) than on my road bike (CAAD 10) at the same watts on the same terrain.