Home Chat General Chat

How much time saved....

Hey,



just curious, how much time do s**t hot tri bikes save you? You know, if everything else remained constant but you just changed bikes from lets say an entry level road bike to a good level tri specific bike. How much time would this save you? Are we talking seconds or minutes?



cheers

B

Comments

  • MGMG Posts: 470
    A top spec tri bike over a £500 road bike, the top spec bike would save you minutes over a 40km TT. Aero dynamics, frame stiffness, the best components, wheels, groupset etc all together will be a huge benefit. You have to ask yourself though, "is it worth it?!" for some it most certainly is, no doubt!! For me though, nah, there much better things to spend four grand (plus) on, I'm not really a bike freak (unlike some) and the times I do on my bike are more than respectable. I get a certain amount of satisfaction in overtaking guys on their P3s and DAs.



    You probably, nah, definately would be quicker on a top spec rocket ship, but its entirely up to the individual whether its worth the premium........
  • First timerFirst timer Posts: 139
    I agree with MG it gives great pleasure passing people on there tri bikes.it dont matter what you ride you still need to be fit enough to ride it[:)]
  • Having recently moved from £250 alloy to £1500 Cannondale carbon I'm well positioned (for once) to answer.



    I beat my previous 16 mile PB by 2.30 mins on my first ride on the Cannondale. I didn't push it at all, maintained high cadence and cruised the distance.



    I do think the double benefit will be in the run as I PB'd my 5k post cycle run off the carbon machine and felt so much fresher than having flogged myself on the alloy.



    I'm sure there's more to come from the new bike once I become far more used to clipless pedals, the different gear changing points and going full aero.



    Only you can say whether the cost is worth it but if you love triathlon and it's not a passing fad in your life I'd go for it as you'll enjoy the whole experience so much more.
  • woodywoody Posts: 52
    I guess it depends on what road bike you already have. If you have a light, well speced road bike then the difference may not be much, but a cheap heavy alloy, with low spec components and toe clips or platform pedals, then the difference will be a lot more, provinding you can actually ride in the aero position comfortably.



    If you watch a few tri's on TV, you will see most of the pros actually using normal road bikes, with add-on tri bars and deep section wheels sometimes.

  • ZacniciZacnici Posts: 1,385
    See my post 'The Old Question, which bike etc?'



    Beat my PB on a short 12K route by 2 1/2 mins on a sub £1K Focus tria compared to my £500 Giant SCR2, so didn't spend a great deal more on the bike. It is a game of diminishing returns as same route would have taken me 5 minutes longer on my Halfords £60 mtb. Focus Tria is a tri specific bike and the geometry also more suited to my runners legs so it enables me to cycle more efficiently and transition to run without the jelly legs.
  • WannabetriWannabetri Posts: 219
    As Harlow Yellow and Zacnici have already said, I've taken a couple of minutes off my bike splits by upgrading from a bottom of the range Saracen to the Merida Warp 5 (reviewed this month).



    Gotta agree with the others though, and that it was great passing tri bikes on my road bike! Particularly because it was so crappy! However, I now feel part of the 'hunted' even though the bike was only a touch of £1000. [image]http://forum.220magazine.com/micons/m9.gif[/image]
Sign In or Register to comment.