I have a question concerning road bike fitness vs. tri bike fitness. I do triathlons and consider my bike leg to be respectable. I would like to even improve my bike times and am considering getting a road bike so I can do some road racing and faster group rides. If I spend a lot of time on the road bike (road geometry) will I improve my tri bike (tri geometry) fitness, or will the 5 degrees in seat tube angle use different muscles and not really do much for me (or hurt me) when I get back on my tri bike?
Good question. I can only relate my personal experience: I seem to be able to readily adapt from road to tri geometry and the fitness seems to translate nearly 100%. Going from “road” to “tri” seems a bit tougher than back from “tri” to “road” but I can still manage no problem at all. I think they translate easily.
It depends. Going from a pro tri to a pro/1/2 road race is alot tougher than going from a MOP tri to a catIV road race. The faster races are just that…faster. The jumps are harder, the pack is moving faster, the changes in speed are more sudden and frequent. It is a different kind of fitness. While road racing will improve your tri bike split, it will be hard to excel at either and not compromise the other.
While I am no expert, and have plenty of my own questions on this topic, it seems to me that a road bike is a good idea. There is a pro (fastest bike split at Wildflower and won the Vineman and Ironman Wisconsin in 2002) that lives in my area, and I see him out on his road bike (and his Bianchi Pista fixed gear) quite a bit. He also does some of the bigger group rides out here - specifically one called the “House of Pain” which gets some local cycling pros as well as some of the USPS masters team out there from time to time. This type of riding seems to work for him.