I am a triathlete for 2 years.I have a roadbike (Vitus frame) and I want to ask something. Should I purchase a new tribike or stick with mine and getting aerowheels and aerobars.I am racing Olympic and sprint Olympic distance triathlon.
Much of what you ask depends on your budget. If you can afford it, by all means get a tribike. The advantage of this is you can have your present road geometry bike to train on in the early and late season and use for group rides( if you do that sort of thing). If you are thinking retro-fitting your road bike with aerobars and a forward position seatpost be aware that you could change the handling properties of the bike and it may not handle as well. I did this and it worked out ok but I also bought a tribike the next year.
Additionally, if you want a very aggressively low position it may not be possible to achieve this on your road bike because of a higher head tube than on a tri bike.
You also need to ask yourself if you are more comfortable riding in a road type position or want to ride in an aero position. If the answer is you want to ride in a “big slam” type road position then get some shorty aerobars and keep the bike you have.
Also If you get the aerowheels for your road bike now and decide to get a 650 wheeled tribike later you will end up needing another set of aero wheels.
Richard
That is a tough question. It’s nice to have a tri bike as well as a road bike but don’t assume that everybody is automatically faster on a tri bike. Don’t sell your road bike to get a tri bike. If you can have only one bike then keep the road bike as it is far more versatile than a tri bike. Tri bikes are designed for one thing - triathlon. If the roads in your area are flat and strait and you always ride solo then a tri bike as your only bike is OK. Forget it if your roads are hilly with curves and you want to go for group rides with the roadies.
Also consider the types of bike courses in the events you enter. If they are flat and strait then a tri bike would be likely best. If hilly and cured you likely could be faster on the road bike.
If you have to limit yourself to one bike (like many of us!), either keep your road bike and see if you can adapt to a slam position, or see if you can do OK with the handling after getting more forward on it, OR get a bike that can do both jobs fairly well, like the Cervelo P2K, or Cervelo Dual, or Kestrel Talon. The best thing to do is spend the time (and little bit of money, if required) and get an experienced fitter to evaluate the different positions for your particular strengths, weaknesses, and physical characteristics. You’ll have to trust that they know what they’re doing, so make sure you go to one that is well know for doing a good job.
I went to one that told me he just didn’t have the bike in stock that he’d recommend for me, and it would take about 8 weeks to get it…and it cost less than two of the bikes I tried that he had in stock in his shop that felt OK to me. That’s the kind of guy that is really out to keep you for as a customer for a long time, not just out to sell a bike today. Find out who is like that in your area.