shaper Posted February 12, 2018 Share I am looking at a TT bike for quite a number of different reasons: https://gearwestbike.com/articles/tri-bike-or-road-bike-pg54.htm Agree with the article! Much faster and less fatigued on my TT bike in comparison to RB. If you can afford it... do it !! Canyon FWIW. If you going to buy 1 TT bike, get the best frame you can afford, components can be upgraded/changed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmJayZA Posted February 12, 2018 Share Much faster and less fatigued on my TT bike in comparison to RB. Is your TT position very aggressive? And, how is your comfort on your TT compared to your road bike? I am expecting a few weeks to adjust to the new position. I am however flexible enough to sustain the TT position, I am just expecting some pains in my neck, back and shoulders until I adapt - and then hoping that the comfort will be roughly the same. We talk a lot about gains, but many people don't seem to comment on comfort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_ Posted February 12, 2018 Share Is your TT position very aggressive? And, how is your comfort on your TT compared to your road bike? I am expecting a few weeks to adjust to the new position. I am however flexible enough to sustain the TT position, I am just expecting some pains in my neck, back and shoulders until I adapt - and then hoping that the comfort will be roughly the same. We talk a lot about gains, but many people don't seem to comment on comfort. My neck (and traps) get very stiff. You're lucky you're already on a great tri saddle because that took me a long time to get used to when changing to the different bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IceCreamMan Posted February 12, 2018 Share So I do agree with you. TT bikes also allow you to set up way further forward that a traditional road bike. The handling on the tri bars is better on a designated TT bike and it's way easier to set up properly. I have done IM on bikes ranging from an all carbon TT machine to a 1976 steel peugeot single speed with bull horn bars. For an average athlete looking to go between 11 and 17 hours the bike makes WAY less difference than getting bakgat strong for the run. A 6:30 bike plus 4 Hour run still gives you a comfy sub 12 hour IM, while a 6 hour bike and 5 hour marathon makes it less likely. Shifting an hour off your run time is way easier and cheaper than shifting 30 min off your bikeThat’s a fact. Mate of mine did his first IM on an old 3x7 nail that he paid 700 rand for second hand. His bike service which included 2 tyres cost more than the bike. I concur that a strong run is a better goal however nothing preempts going for both strategies. Improving time at IM is about marginal gains aN many combined make the difference. If you look fast an feel fast an feel comfortable. You will be faster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jewbacca Posted February 12, 2018 Share That’s a fact. Mate of mine did his first IM on an old 3x7 nail that he paid 700 rand for second hand. His bike service which included 2 tyres cost more than the bike. I concur that a strong run is a better goal however nothing preempts going for both strategies. Improving time at IM is about marginal gains aN many combined make the difference. If you look fast an feel fast an feel comfortable. You will be fasterVery true That feeling of being comfy is super important. The thing is, buying a TT bike on a budget usually means an older one, which often means that they were designed before it was a thing to run anything bigger than a 23c tire at a gazillion bar so tire clearance is an issue. Newer TT bikes will more likely have space for a 25c run slightly softer, which means that you will feel WAY less beaten up at 140km, especially if the roads aren't great. So there are trade off's to being aero and feeling fast but also getting beaten up. As you say, stealing time off an IM is all about getting what you can where you can, but there are always trade offs. My advice is to make sure your prospective TT bike has decent tire clearance and then get bakgat strong on the run! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaper Posted February 12, 2018 Share Is your TT position very aggressive? And, how is your comfort on your TT compared to your road bike? I am expecting a few weeks to adjust to the new position. I am however flexible enough to sustain the TT position, I am just expecting some pains in my neck, back and shoulders until I adapt - and then hoping that the comfort will be roughly the same. We talk a lot about gains, but many people don't seem to comment on comfort. TT is aggressive and yes takes time to adjust to the position. Even when in the off season and am racing on my RB as soon as I go back to the TT bike it takes a few rides to get use to the position and rebuild neck and shoulder muscles. Setup is vitally important for comfort as well as aero. Once am use to being on my TT bike again I can happily ride 6hrs or more I got so comfy at IMSA2017 that around 150kms started to daydream and loose focus. But also as Jewy says, buy the best and newest frame you can afford else all the aero and money is wasted if you don't become a good and solid runner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eldron Posted February 12, 2018 Share By turning your seat post around and slipping your saddle all the way forward you can generally mimic a good TT set up. My advice is try the TT clipons first. Once you're happy riding on them ( steering takes some getting used to as well as some interestingly muscles get stretched out) then splash out on a new bike. The TT clipons will also help you figure out what is important on a TT bike ( longer top tube, stiffer frame, low front end etc). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eldron Posted February 12, 2018 Share Double post... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurkerza Posted February 13, 2018 Share Need some advise please. I am looking at buying a TT bike soon. I have two choices so far. The Liv is great value for money, but I hate the pastel colours. So need to find a colour sceme I can live with. Anyone here or has a G/F or wife that rides a Liv TT? I am interested in things such as comfort and ability to customize a fit. Anyone can comment on the comfort and customization of their Canyon? Any other opinions? https://www.canyon.com/en-za/triathlon/speedmax/speedmax-wmn-cf-7-0.html https://www.liv-cycling.com/za/bikes-avow-advanced-2018 Also - I have never ridden a TT bike. Is it worth putting TT bars on my bike (I will get a fit) to start getting accustomed to the position while I wait for my TT? I have the 2017 Canyon CF 9.0 and an Adamo Attack saddle and it is an absolute beast!! East London last year on a felt TT bike I did the bike in 3:06, this year on the canyon I did a 2:47. The setup on the canyon is hugely flexible so getting a comfortable ride position should be very easy for 99% of riders (you can't please everyone!!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwissVan Posted February 13, 2018 Share I am looking at a TT bike for quite a number of different reasons: https://gearwestbike.com/articles/tri-bike-or-road-bike-pg54.htmOn long distances a triathlon bikes geometry is IMO definetly more comfortable. I played around with tri bars on my spaz Roubaix for many years but when I decided to do an IM distance tri bought a tri specific frame..... big difference from a comfort perspective in favour of the Tri bike. It’s easier to ride in the TT position for long periods compared to my road bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rudi-h Posted February 13, 2018 Share much has been said and valid points were raised re tt bikes and road bikes on all levels maybe just one thing that seems to have been overlooked is the effect of a power meter on a race like IM. I've done 2 IM's to date. First time i was too conservative on the bike and knowing that I overcooked the bike the second time around... Also worth noting that I didn't even have a heart rate monitor for either race, purely because the strap chafes me after many hours on the road so I had no pacing information for either attempt. the theory is that the optimal TSS for the bike leg should be around 350. That is said to give you a solid cycle but also leaves enough fuel in your engine to put in a decent run. With a PM it's possible to hit this number within 5%. In addition to achieving the TSS value alone which is a great pacing tool by itself, you can gauge your "smoothness" by ensuring that your normalized power does not exceed your average power by more than 5%. Checking these two numbers as the day goes by must be great pacing tools and also perhaps keeps your mind occupied out on the open road. Although I have never done an IM post my PM purchase, I can't help to believe that a perfectly paced bike leg at optimal "smoothness" is likely the biggest advantage that you can achieve being an amature competitor. I would be surprised if any items such as a bike selection of minor setup changes would have a comparable gain to a well-paced bike effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmJayZA Posted June 14, 2018 Share https://www.canyon.com/en-za/factory-outlet/category.html#category=triathlon-bikes&id=22690 Canyon Speedmax CF 8.0 2017 in XL for USD1 659.00. I would snap that up in a heartbeat. What an amazing price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirkitech Posted June 14, 2018 Share This thread has been amazingly wonderful, insightful, interesting and exciting! It's really cool learning about all the things to consider and know about TT bikes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amr63 Posted June 14, 2018 Share https://www.canyon.com/en-za/factory-outlet/category.html#category=triathlon-bikes&id=22690 Canyon Speedmax CF 8.0 2017 in XL for USD1 659.00. I would snap that up in a heartbeat. What an amazing price. Just put my measurements into the Canyon calculator & I fit a Large... don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_ Posted June 15, 2018 Share Just put my measurements into the Canyon calculator & I fit a Large... don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing... if you stand on your toes, maybe you can fit the XL worth it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurkerza Posted June 15, 2018 Share Just put my measurements into the Canyon calculator & I fit a Large... don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing... I don't know how accurate that sizing calculator is - although considering they only sell online i would imagine they want to get it right 99.9% of the time to avoid customer complaints. Using that calculator I was told that I needed to get a medium size, but when I measured up my bike that I was riding i was well within the large size so ordered the large and I am very happy I did! I am not at all stretched out on it and there are so many adjustments that you can make to get comfortable on the bike that I recommend you rather measure up your current bike and compare that to the frame geometry on the site. In case it has any relevance I'm 1.8m tall and bought the CF9.0 with mavic rims in large. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.