To buy a TT bike or not

[andydude]

To make your investment in a time trial bike really worth it and to get the full benefit from the bike it will be necessary to spend a lot of time on it and also to follow a more “time trial specific” training programme.

 

Unless you are a pro or a triathlete I don’t think it is worth the money especially as here are unfortunately not many time trials on the local racing calendar.

 

On the other hand if you want to improve your position on certain Strava segments then it might be worth it  

 

Yeah I think I've come to that realisation!

 

And regarding Strava, I actually thought of asking in the eBike used on Strava thread whether TT bikes are allowed for segment hunting 

[andydude]

 Check out PlanetX.co.uk on rear disc wheel GBP416 and tri-spoke front wheels in full carbon GBP333 - insane prices

also you can find aerosuit knock offs on aliexpress for a fraction of the cost and great quality - you just have to be patient with the postage

 

Awesome! I will definitely check it out 

[Duane_Bosch]

Whenever I see a guy on a TT bike I can't help but think cyclist with no friends.

[andydude]

Whenever I see a guy on a TT bike I can't help but think cyclist with no friends.

 

Why do you think I'm on the bikehub? No friends in real life 

[andydude]

The guys that have bought the tribars which clamp on,.did you also change your stem (some change to shorter and maybe downward pointing), lower bars if you have spacers, and adjust saddle forward? I have seen those three things mentioned.

[Mongoose!]

Sell the TCR and get a aero road bike...

Propel ; S5 ; Reacto ; BMC Time machine

 

A While back I had a time trail bike (carbon Argon 18) disc wheel helmet suit and all.

Sold it as there was not enough events to justify keeping the bike.

 

One of my road bikes is now an aero bike (Reacto)

Reminds me so of the time trail bike I had.

 

if I put aero bars on, it will be as close as can be

[andydude]

Sell the TCR and get a aero road bike...

Propel ; S5 ; Reacto ; BMC Time machine

 

A While back I had a time trail bike (carbon Argon 18) disc wheel helmet suit and all.

Sold it as there was not enough events to justify keeping the bike.

 

One of my road bikes is now an aero bike (Reacto)

Reminds me so of the time trail bike I had.

 

if I put aero bars on, it will be as close as can be

Interesting idea. But excuse my ignorance - what is the difference between aero road bike and normal road bike? I would've thought the TCR would do relatively well aero wise?

[Mongoose!]

https://www.bikeexchange.com/blog/aero-vs-endurance-vs-lightweight

[SwissVan]

Unless you are going to do regular TT or Tri's there is no point in buying one for the sake of it. Ok if you have enough spare cash and like to collect bikes....

 

Rather first get some TT bars As they are not to expensive and the next would be aero wheels....

 

You won't get the same geometry / sitting position benefit as with a real tri or tt frame but all the other benefits you can get with bars and wheels.

 

Fancy aero tubing is a gimmick.... unless you ride at avg 40kmh or higher .... or in the specialised wind test tunnel ????

[Mongoose!]

Fancy aero tubing is a gimmick.... unless you ride at avg 40kmh or higher .... or in the specialised wind test tunnel

Ag issi man!

[Banana B]

Do you guys think a TT bike and accessories are worth it compared to only a road bike with perhaps some extra accessories, e.g. TT bars, shoe covers and skin suit?

 

I have a Giant TCR road bike and race on it, but I think it would be nice to also train TT style and also to do the TT races, even though they are not common.

 

Don't want to break the bank, therefore is it even worth it considering the costs and potential time savings? And I have no problem swopping out wheels and pedals (important for one day when I get a power meter) and whatever between bikes if I only get a TT frame and if they are compatible. In essence, could be more like 1.5 bikes than a proper road and proper TT bike.

 

Found these two nice videos which show some aero savings and relevant costs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M644l-iF87w&t=303s and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIkNhSLvuvk

 

E.g. in the second picture you can see an aero frame is very expensive relative to the little aero saving you get while a special skin suit is worth much more in drag and time saving at a relative low cost.

 

Thanks 

 

https://youtu.be/F4wRKUwVlR0 There's your answer mate

[SwissVan]

Ag issi man!

Is so !! Ek se ????

[Cippo]

How much change is there in your reach between normal road and TT positions? I find when I rest my forearms on handlebar I need to shift forward on saddle to get comfortable. Would it then be feasible to buy a zero-offset seatpost with TT specific saddle and some clip-on bars? Take into account not all carbon dropbars are clip-on compatible. Would be interesting to hear from guys here with TT bikes what your saddle setback is as well.

[Alfa147GTA]

I have BMC TMR01 which is basically an aero road bike that I converted to a TT bike. Easily explained, the seat angle is more aggressive than a standard bike and has integrated brakes.

 

I also have a Bianchi XR2 and I can state without a doubt that if I go cruze around the cradle, I will always be 3-4km/h faster over the 100km's.

 

I also had normal bars and then put clip ons at first on the BMC, which does improve it, but without doubt, once full aero cockpit is on, the bike is fast.

 

I hear all the comments about, you must be pro to justify and the long story about how many races you going to do in a year, bla bla bla....  To me its all rubbish.  How many of us buy a bicycle for transport?  Exactly, we buy them to ride around, quite often just around the same roads as well and a nice excuse to have a coffee, so what's the point? You could just buy a exercise bike for home.

 

Yes races are fun, but I am pretty sure its not the only reason we buy bikes. I was in the same position as you once and I remember one cyclist(not very fit) was doing the provincial TT champs, we got chatting and I asked him if buying a TT bike was worth it even if I can't win. His response was simple, "yes, coz its freaking lekka" And that is what it has been.

 

I have since convinced a number of people to buy and they all love it. There is nothing like going out on the TT bike and just smashing the miles away at what ever speed you can - assured you will be faster than when on your road bike. Trust me, its freaking cool and you won't regret.

 

If you can afford it, buy one and enjoy. You will thank me later ;-)