Someone enlighten me. I’ve been using a road bike with aero bars for the last 5 years. Last year I invested in a TT bike (a cheap one that I mail ordered but still has the TT geometry). Since I started riding it, my bike splits have been definitely slower (1 mph average). So I went back to the road bike.
Everyone says that TT bikes are faster, but proof is proof. I would like to hear from a bike expert with an explanation why I seem to be an exception to the rule (or am I busting a myth that was generated by the bike industry in order to sell expensive tri bikes?)
Where to start??? Did you put the pads and seat of the new bike in the exact position of your old bike?? Are the positions different? Did you train on the new bike for a month or more to get accoustomed to it, or decide after one ride? Were you even properly fit in the first place???
Here is what should happen. If you are fit properly on a road bike with clipons(usually foreward seatpost, and other after market stuff)and you transfer that fit to a tri bike(which usually doesn’t need all that after market stuff), you will go exactly the same speed. What is under you has very little importance to speed, but the fit does. Now handling, control, weight(which will matter in hilly courses), can all be affected by getting a tri bike…
Let me add that a really aero frame on a tri bike, will save a couple watts over a round tube road bike, but a lot of road bikes these days also come with aero tubes…
and what proof are you offering? that on different days, with different conditions, with probable different power outputs, on different bikes, on different courses you went different speeds?
shocking.
now, if you want to borrow a PM, do field tests to measure CdA, and then compare power outputs for given bike/CdA arrrangements, then we can have a discussion about the benefits of a dedicated tt/tri bike
Someone enlighten me. I’ve been using a road bike with aero bars for the last 5 years. Last year I invested in a TT bike (a cheap one that I mail ordered but still has the TT geometry). Since I started riding it, my bike splits have been definitely slower (1 mph average). So I went back to the road bike.
Everyone says that TT bikes are faster, but proof is proof. I would like to hear from a bike expert with an explanation why I seem to be an exception to the rule (or am I busting a myth that was generated by the bike industry in order to sell expensive tri bikes?)
Umm…are you using the same tires on the TT bike? Just figured we’d cover all the bases…
For clarification sake, what TT bike and what road bike are you comparing? Also, as Monty said above, is your position the same on both?
Oh yeah, since your body accounts for 70-80% of the aerodynamic drag, your position on either bike is going to make more of a difference than the aerodynamics of the bike itself.
Ditto what others have said. Are you riding the TT bike the way it’s meant to be ridden: aero position, proper fit, etc.?
Other considerations: How has your run been after the tri bike? Same, better, worse? My running has been better off my tri bike than my road bike (with the exception of BSLT this past Sunday).
Yea, I made sure that all of the elements were taken into consideration. I use the same wheels with both machines. The races that I used for comparison had very similar courses and conditions. I’ve ridden just under 500 miles on the TT bike (but I guess compared with 10 years of riding road bikes that’s very small). As far as position, I did take some measurements and both bikes are set up pretty close as far as that goes. I am going to go back and really try to dial in the TT bike so it’s as close as possible to the road bike. I’d sell the TT bike if I could but it’s just not moving and I don’t want to firesale it. BTW, the TT bike is a Motobecane Nemesis and the road bike is a Gios steel road frame. To be fair, I have ridden a lot of miles on the Gios since 2000.
Well you bought a cheap TT bike…maybe it isn’t really an aero frame at all. If you apply aero bars to a road bike carefully its going to be just as fast as a crappy tri bike.
Maybe the tri bike has a crappy bottom bracket and other gear that is slowing you down.
Hard to pin down, but my guess is your posistion has taken some of your wattage away. You have to be careful that your new position does not compromise your leg strength or breathing.
(I just got a TT bike and recently PR’ed an 18 mile route (1,100ft) by almost 3 minutes from my roadbike. Position is good and power is good but it took some adjustments and tweaking)
I agree with John A: one of the points of switching to a TT/Tri bike is to be in a more aerodynamic position. Even if you lose a few watts of power it will be more than offset by the increased aerodynamics. To just set up the two bikes the same defeats the purpose.
I had an early model Giant TCR set up with clip-ons and a neutral seat post for about 75/76 degrees, Hed Jet 60 front and disc cover rear. I then bought a QR Kilo, 2000 model with the big fat ovalish tubing and Hed jet 90/60 combo. Set it up in the FIST approved position steep position. But I was consistantly slower on the QR than the TCR. Couldn’t figure it out. Still can’t.
Then i bought a Cervelo P2K and was faster than both previous bikes. So maybe the legitimate aero tubing does have something to do with it. Plus I think my position was fined tuned best on this bike.
I switched to a Kestrel Talon for this year and going back to a less steep 76ish seat angle ala Macca style. Will be interesting to see how it works.
To me, the only purpose of a tri bike is to ride low and steep, so if you buy one for any other purpose, you are wasting your money. Thus it has to have a steep seat tube and low head tube. I don’t know what the magic number is–say a minimum of 12-18 centimeters of saddle to armrest drop–but at some point less than 12 centimeters a person should just keep their road bike and ride with short bolt-ons. All other things remaining constant, a tri bike will only be faster when it helps you to remove more of your chest from blocking the wind.
Chad
My recent experience: my Cervelo Dual encourages me to pedal smooth circles and puts me in a very aerodynamic position. The result is that I can go at the same speed with less effort than on my old Norco CRD-2 with clip-ons and a forward seat-post. I also find that I can go up hills smoothly in harder gears than formerly, but that may also be due to the training effect of excellent indoor workouts pre-season.
I also find that I can go faster with a similar effort, and running off the bike has never been easier - though, again, that may be due to better understanding of how to manage the bike-run transition in different circumstances, and more intelligent pacing (2 PRs so far this year).
In the case of the OP - I’m pretty sure he has trained very specific muscles to make the best use of his old bike, and has yet to fully adapt to his new one.
I find that being in aero is advantageous not just in descents (where my Dual is much more stable than my old bike too) but also results in a faster pace when cycling into the wind.
I’ve changed too many things to be able to say precisely what causes what though; I suspect many or most of us are like that.j
well i was alwasy told you can pretty much set up a road bike with clip ons to be like a TT bike. not only that but you can move the seat forward for racing and move the seat back for climbing. depending on the race you are doing on your Road bike. As far as the aero frame of the TT bike all the data they use to say it is more aero is done at over 24mph or over 300 watts for an hour. now I can hold 24mph for an hour but it will not be 300 watts. So i figure i would just go with the road bike and have it set up with clip ons. As everybody basically told me there is not much of an aero advantage from a tt to a road frame(comparing frames only). sure if you are TT at 30+mph it may make more of a difference but i couldn’t hold that speed for more than a few minutes. unless it was down hill!!!
Quote: “Last year I invested in a TT bike (a cheap one that I mail ordered but still has the TT geometry). Since I started riding it, my bike splits have been definitely slower (1 mph average).”
ArchStanton,
Where to begin? You don’t want to hear what follows.
First off, is your position on the tri bike optimized? Were you fit for the tri bike or did you just purchase a 54 tri bike mail order on the cheap because you ride a 54 road bike? Saved more money by not wasting time or money on a proper fit. If you did, then it is very likely that your tri frame is far too big for you. This likely causes you to be “stretched out” more than you should be. It also causes your breathing to be compressed and restricted resulting in reduced ability to perform.
Am I way off the mark here?
If your tri bike fits you and your position is optimized, then when you are on your tri bike you should find yourself in a very comfortable aero postion that permits you to breath well and generate maximum power for a sustained period. You should always be able to ride faster for longer in this postion than on your road bike unless you are motorpacing and drafting the pacing vehicle on your road bike. But then the conditions aren’t equal that you are comparing.
Is a great deal on a bike that does not fit really a great deal?
Then again, maybe you are just training less this year than last year.
You bought a cheap tri bike and somehow you are breaking the myth generated by the bike industry in order to sell expensive tri bikes? I think that you just confirmed the myth.
You bought a cheap tri bike and you get what you paid for. All you confirmed is that a cheap tri bike is no substitute for a good road bike. Nothing more nothing less.
