So I have IM Chattanooga in 3 weeks time and I’m debating my bike choice.
I have a Cervelo P3 and an S5. Due to the fact that I prefer the S5 for training rides and various mechanical issues with the P3 recently, I’ve only actually used the P3 for about 30 Miles in the past 2 years (vs 000’s on the S5). I’ve also had a new cockpit fitted on the P3 this year which is not properly dialed in. I fully meant to use it more, but sadly it hasn’t worked out.
So my question is… which bike should I use? Clearly the P3 will be quicker, but from your experience, would the minutes gained be lost on the run due to worse form. As guidance I’m shooting for a 5.30 ish bike and a 3.30 ish run.
Also the P3 is still in my local bike shop getting fixed (di2 issues). Best case is I get it back in time for next weekend which would mean 1-2 rides max before I ship it off to the race.
When you did used to ride the tri bike, did you have to log a lot of miles to get powerful/comfortable or did you adapt pretty quickly? There seems to be a lot of variation in this, I know people who have spent a lot of time dialling in their fit and training in it, whereas I and others seem to be able to switch to the tri position fairly easily without too much riding. I think in my case it might be because I have a pretty aggressive road position, and do a lot of riding in the drops, so it’s not too big a transition.
I know if it was me I would be looking to get that bike back from the shop next weekend and log a meaningful ride on it (50+ miles). If there were no issues I’d race on it. It’s not just the free speed, it’s also the ability to rest your weight skeletally rather than having to use your muscles to support yourself, I find that to be a big benefit on the run. When I used to race on my road bike I’d be running with tired and sore upper body. Worst case scenario, you have issues on the tri bike and just switch to the road bike which you’ve logged 1000s of miles on.
I’m in exactly the same quandry with a local fairly hilly IM 70.3 in a couple of weeks. My choice is either my Slice or my lovely new Cervelo R3…
I’m not going to get a PB on the whole thing as i’ve had varous training issues this year such as plantar fasciitis and a car hitting me, so my swim and run are not optimal but i am now fast again on the bike… So i fancied a fun day out and the thrill of out-riding a lot of people on my new bike, wearing proper shorts (and socks!) and then trudging through a run afterwards. I also haven’t ridden the TT bike for a whole year since i crawled off it at the end of an IM ride.
I did a recon ride of most of the course yesterday on the R3 and averaged 20mph. I compared this to my last time i raced this 2 years ago on the Slice which was 20mph as well. But i was a bit slower then and didn’t have the benefit of a PM on the bike… So arguably I could go a bit faster now.
So fast, fun and pleasurable on my road bike or hunched over, head down racing, slightly faster on my TT bike… The trouble is my vanity - i’ll post a slower bike leg than i could/should…
I’ll recon it this weekend on the TT bike i think. If it’s 2mph difference then i’ll do it. Otherwise i’ll stick with plan A and use the roadie…
There’s no kona slot coming my way but I do want to get as close to 10hrs as possible. If it was a technical, hilly course id go for the road bike for sure but Chattanooga doesn’t look too tough. I can adapt to the tt position pretty easily but my main concern is really the muscular differences coming off the bike.
I think I’ll make sure the P3 is back for the weekend. I have a 90 miler planned so a perfect test, especially with a brick run to finish. If I’m not feeling it, then so be it.
I did Chatty 70.3 this year (same bike course, I believe) and I didn’t find it technical at all. Doing a test ride on the TT and deciding from there seems like a sensible approach. But it’s not a course that benefits from road bike handling (like Nice or something).
FWIW — I feel just as fresh running off my road bike as my TT bike. It just hurts different places. I’m not really sure I buy into the whole “easier to run off TT bike†line of argument. The published research in this area is quite weak IMO.
I just did Placid 70.3 and froze. Not enough experience in the cold and my body seized up. Ended up sitting up for the last 20k or so. I’d say people on road bikes were definitely having more fun there being able to move around a bit.
I’m fairly new to the sport so I don’t have a tri bike yet. I have aerobars on my roadbike but rarely practice with them. Long story short, I used them in a race and totally ate it going 20 MPH. For me it’s less about comfort and more about handling. My experience has been the handling in aero is way different and less stable. I ride almost 100% indoors but when I race again, I will be practicing outside and in aero to get comfortable handling in aero. I’m not sure what your experience is but it might be worth at least a ride or two to get your handling squared away.