I was just wondering what the majority of us ride the the majority of our training.
I have a road bike that I love, and I find I’m riding it a lot because I do a lot of my training with a cycling team that I’m on. I love my tri bike as well, but it is set up pretty steep and agressive so it’s a lot easier for me to get out on the road bike for my quick training rides.
It got me thinking about Faris and Normann and all the hardcore time trialists in Ironman. I was wondering how often they do their training rides in their aggressive positions on their tri bikes.
Personally, I mix it up a lot. I do tri bike, road, MTB, and fixie. However, for my key long bike sessions I always use what I am racing on.
Thanks a lot. I try to get on the tri bike when I can. I was just wondering how necessary it is.
All of my trainer rides are on a tri bike with the same setup as my race bike, so I’m not too worried about my neck and shoulders.
One thing…I wouldn’t spend so much time on a trainer though.
Same as triyourbest…I mix it up, but always use race bike (tri-bike) for long sessions or when I’m doing bricks because if you don’t train on it you won’t like it during races. Remember one of the purposes of a tri bike is to engage different muscle groups and to help you transition better into the run…less calf muscle on a tri bike than a road.
I used to train on a tri all the time- it was my only bike. Now, I’m of the belief that training on a roadie most of the time, 60-80% of my rides, is more of a benefit for me.
Of course, this is a debate that is as old as the tri bike. I’m sure you’ll get lots of various responses.
I used to train on my road bike about 80%, just this past week my seatpost on my road bike I usually ride broke so I have been doing all my riding on my tri bike. I did about 100 miles over the weekend where I usually do all those rides on my road bike. What a difference in the muscle groups used, I can easily see how riding the tri bike more will drastically improve my race times. I was totally sore after the rides that wouldn’t bother me in the least on my road bike. The difference in the angle really does recruit muscles in different ways so getting used to your tri bike will definitely make for a more confident race day.
100% on my tri bike. It’s all I have though.
I was just wondering what the majority of us ride the the majority of our training.
I have a road bike that I love, and I find I’m riding it a lot because I do a lot of my training with a cycling team that I’m on. I love my tri bike as well, but it is set up pretty steep and agressive so it’s a lot easier for me to get out on the road bike for my quick training rides.
It got me thinking about Faris and Normann and all the hardcore time trialists in Ironman. I was wondering how often they do their training rides in their aggressive positions on their tri bikes.
I’m on my road bike about 95% of the time. I’ll get on my Tri bike a few times before a race and do a long ride or two on it before an Ironman but otherwise my Road is so much more comfortable!
One thing…I wouldn’t spend so much time on a trainer though.
works for andy potts
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Road bikes are for training. TT bikes are for racing TTs (or triathlons).
Really, I’m lucky if I get on my TT bike an average of once per month. It’s just not necessary. It doesn’t handle as safely and isn’t as fun to ride.
I do 80% on my road bike 15+% on my MTB.
Whatever you do, don’t show up to a group ride with a TT bike.
In an interview with Normann he said he keeps to the road bike mostly until 6 weeks out of HI. You can just get in more miles feeling less fatigued. I use my road bike with a fast forward seatpost (off brand) and all the way up on the rails so the switch isn’t so bad.
You only need adaptation time on your TT bike if your hip angle on the TT bike is much different from your road bike. The hip angle can and probably should be the same on both bikes. I would prefer the approach of adjusting my road bike to make it similar to my TT bike before I’d do a lot of my training on my TT bike…I guess I think more like a roady than a triathlete since I actually used to be a roady.
You only need adaptation time on your TT bike if your hip angle on the TT bike is much different from your road bike. The hip angle can and probably should be the same on both bikes. I would prefer the approach of adjusting my road bike to make it similar to my TT bike before I’d do a lot of my training on my TT bike…I guess I think more like a roady than a triathlete since I actually used to be a roady.
What about neck muscles - holding up the head - for long course? Also, “taint” adaptation for the rotated pelvis?
Yes to those…but most people assume you need to adapt to the TT position for power output reasons…and you would if your hip angle were significantly different between bikes…but they shouldn’t be.
You will need to get used to having more weight supported by the shoulders, you will need to get a different contact point toughed up on your underside, and your neck will need to get used to the position.
These things aren’t an issue for me since my longest race ride is 40k and I can handle being uncomfortable in those spots as long as I’m racing well. For those people doing longer tris, you do want some time on your TT bike to adapt to those pains so that you don’t suffer too much in your races.
Road bike on the trainer and road bike when it is raining outside. Tri bike when the weather is dry.
Carbon tri bike never touches trainer.
-Steven
I often hear people say that their road bike is just so much more comfortable.
Personally, I find that I prefer to ride my P3 over my road bike for comfort, even on long rides. I may be the exception, but I hop on the tri bike every chance I get. It did take me a while to tune in the fit. Reading and re-reading the FIST info helped enormously. Perhaps there are many tri bikes on the road that just ren’t fit properly or the wrong size/geometry for the rider.
Go figure.
I ride about half and half. Maybe a little more road bike. I have to agree with a previous response; you shouldn’t have much adaptation if you have a good hip angle on both bikes. The exception might be Ironman folks who need to spend a lot of time in the aero position simulating a long five to six hour ride. I only do an occasional long race, but I have a fairly odd superman-ish position and it requires a little more adaptation that a normal position so I ride the tri bike every other day or so.
Chad
Yes to those…but most people assume you need to adapt to the TT position for power output reasons…and you would if your hip angle were significantly different between bikes…but they shouldn’t be.
why shouldn’t they be different, particular for an aggressive tt setup?
because you should be sliding the seat forward to keep the hip angle the same, or close to the same.
why shouldn’t they be different, particular for an aggressive tt setup?