I primarily race sprint distance. I compete within my age group. Sure podium at small races, more of a challenge, but sometimes achievable, at regional ones. I enjoy the competition.
I have a 2015 (I think) Cannondale Slice. It’s fine, but probably a size small for me. I think I’m between sizes frankly. I don’t have a road bike at the moment.
So, if you were in the market for a new bike, would you replace the tri bike, or go road and clip on some aero bars/flip the seat post?
Does your answer change if you foresee the occasional olympic distance in your future?
Faster is faster. Why wouldn’t you want to race a sprint on a tri bike?
You need to ask yourself what your use cases are. If you have intentions of group riding having a road bike is a good idea. But if all you really do is race tris, you might as well stick with the tri bike, especially if your goal is to be competitive
Faster is faster. Why wouldn’t you want to race a sprint on a tri bike?
You need to ask yourself what your use cases are. If you have intentions of group riding having a road bike is a good idea. But if all you really do is race tris, you might as well stick with the tri bike, especially if your goal is to be competitive
We have a winner. If you race triathlon - use a tri-bike.
If you race NASCAR - should you by a formula 1 car?
If you are racing sprints, every second counts. I have lost a podium spot by 5 seconds in a sprint. After the loss, I bought sockless shoes to save those few seconds in T2. I have regularly been within a few seconds of losing a spot in other races. Sprints, as much as every other distance, demand the fastest gear if you are racing for podium. Unless you are a rock star, the margins between the top 5 are often very narrow.
I am looking forward to a sprint at the end of April. The last time I did it, the time difference between first & second male masters was 11 seconds, and second to third was 7 seconds. You can bet your hiney that every tiny bike advantage mattered in those placements. (I had a crappy ride - missed a turn - and finished 2nd in AG. I beat the AG winner in the run, but I could not overcome my bike deficit.)
I primarily race sprint distance. I compete within my age group. Sure podium at small races, more of a challenge, but sometimes achievable, at regional ones. I enjoy the competition.
I have a 2015 (I think) Cannondale Slice. It’s fine, but probably a size small for me. I think I’m between sizes frankly. I don’t have a road bike at the moment.
So, if you were in the market for a new bike, would you replace the tri bike, or go road and clip on some aero bars/flip the seat post?
Does your answer change if you foresee the occasional olympic distance in your future?
You are just like me. I do a lot of Sprint and Olympic races and do about 2-3 70.3s a year. I used to ride a road bike for sprints and couldn’t place in my age group. After I went all out with tri bike with rear disc and whatnot. I place most of the time. Stick with tri bike and buy a cheap used road bike for local rallies, group ride, training and stuff. That’s what I do and it’s been working pretty well.
I started out doing sprints and used a road bike. Shorter courses with hills (lots of those where I live) helped me on a road bike, and I got multiple podiums against some great area triathletes.
I will use a tri bike this year for the “seat time” and, at 55, every ounce of experience I can absorb will only help me for OLY and 70.3 distances.
I used a road bike for my first five years in the sport and now race on a tri bike. My current thinking is the exact opposite of yours. Tri bikes are uniformly faster than road bikes. I don’t think that is even debatable. But my guess is that the speed difference is magnified at higher speeds – because wind resistance increases the faster you go. Sprint events are, of course, raced at higher speeds. Also, I’ve seen studies that say racing on the bullhorns of a tri bike is slower than being in the drops on a road bike. This also suggests tri bikes are better for shorter distances, as you are far more likely to maintain an aero position for an entire sprint, and much more likely to get out of aero over the course of a longer race.
Honestly, this mostly comes from my doubt about how real those aero gains are.
I sometimes have a hard time believing the number when I consider how much imperfect roads are relative to the wind tunnel.
The gains on the TT bike are real. Want to find out? Find a local USAC time trial where they have both TT and Merckx class). Usually they’ll have 5K or 10K distances where you can do more than one run. Do your first run on the road bike with fresh legs. Then do the second run on tired legs with the TT bike. See which one’s faster.
Or just do the above on your own. The advantage to the USAC event is that you should have a little extra adrenaline giving you more of a race pace effort.
I have place for only one bike and one set of wheels…Therefore I use it for everything : indoor training, group rides (kindly ask before and stay on the hoods), sprints to full IM’s.
Last september I used my tri bike for the first time in a sprint distance, it was awesome, you can go full gaz, and who cares if you explode during the run ? Its a 5k.
Just because testing isolates individual variables doesn’t mean it’s invalid. Besides, numbers from aero testing have been used to accurately predict race results.
Do you ever want to try qualifying for ITU age-group worlds at the sprint distance? If so, it’s draft-legal format so you’ll need a road bike. No tri bikes allowed. I’ve been racing exclusively on my road bike for 3 yrs now.
I’m someone who rides into the wind everytime I do an outdoor ride it seems. But I also seem to only race tris that are so hidden in the woods most of the time that wind is less an issue and dealing with punchy hills and potholes are more of a concern.
