I have been shopping for my first tri bike after riding a “standard” road bike for years. All would agree that it is a very confusing process. While looking for close out deals on Cervelo and Quintana Roo I came across a very, very sweet deal on a 06’ Trek TTX time trial bike. Assuming, of course, a proper fit, would the time trial geometry be as efficient as the advertised “triathlon” frames. Your thoughts are greatly appreciated.
Assuming, of course, a proper fit, would the time trial geometry be as efficient as the advertised “triathlon” frames. Your thoughts are greatly appreciated.
Get fitted and you’ll find out if you’re better suited for a steep bike or shallower bike and then look at bikes that fit those parameters. Don’t worry about what they are called because it’s irrelevant. There are relatively steep “time trial” frames and relatively shallow “triathlon” frames.
Here’s a simplistic stab at this:
The difference between a TT bike and a Tri bike comes down to the steepness of the seat tube angle, primarily. Tri bikes are “steeper.” They put you a little farther forward. The primary idea is that you keep your hamstrings stretched out a bit more and you’re better when you come off the bike to head into the run.
That Trek seatpost is reversible. You can remove the saddle, spin the seatpost around, remount the saddle and you will have steepened the effective seat tube angle. I don’t know to what degree. Maybe you can investigate that.
Time trial bikes have seat post angles that are less steep in part because riders don’t have to get off the bikes and run, but also in part because of a stupid rule by the international cycling governing body that says the nose of the saddle has to be 5 cms behind a vertical line drawn through the center of the crank axle. That’s just FYI.
Hope this helps some.
What’s a P3?
What’s a P3?
Good point. The UCI rule is irrelevant here because it only applies to UCI-sanctioned races which are few and far between. Time trial and triathlon frame names are just semantics.
You call that a P3? Now this is a P3. (spoken like Mick dundee)
I don’t think that there is a TT vd Tri geometry, unless you mean over/under 76 degrees
My TT bike is 78 degrees
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i’ll be over 80 when all is said and done… does it help?? hell if i know but it sure can’t hurt.
Grant
My Trek Equinox is at 80 degrees right now, seems like you can probably get a great tri fit if the sizing is right.