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Planet X (Stealth) vs Ribble (7005) vs Wimbleball
benwhitaker
Posts: 8
in General Chat
Hi Everyone
Recently completed my first tri, London, and I completed the Bike leg in 1.13, I wasnt flat out pushing it but plenty of people went flying by on TT Bikes, mainly Planet X Stealths. I am currently riding a Ribble 7005 with Fulcrum 7 wheels. I have tri extensions but I hate them, it feels so twitchy and I am actually slower trying to keep the bike in a straight line, is this feeling less so on a specific TT bike?
I am hopefully next year going to do the UK 70.3, and several sprints and oly tri's, 3 or 4 not including UK 70.3 are 'hilly'. i was thinking of investing in a stealth for these tris however it aint worth spending 2k just for a quicker London Bike (Flat course). My main question is do many of you use TT bikes for hilly courses? is the Stealth really a top bike? Would I be better investing in some aero wheels for my Ribble and just using this for all the Tris.
After watching the Olympic Tri on TV I notcied most triathletes were on top end road bikes, with aero wheels, and tri extensions rather than TT handlebars. Some triathletes didnt even have tri bars on.
I hope this makes sense, I look forward to your advice
Cheers
Ben
Recently completed my first tri, London, and I completed the Bike leg in 1.13, I wasnt flat out pushing it but plenty of people went flying by on TT Bikes, mainly Planet X Stealths. I am currently riding a Ribble 7005 with Fulcrum 7 wheels. I have tri extensions but I hate them, it feels so twitchy and I am actually slower trying to keep the bike in a straight line, is this feeling less so on a specific TT bike?
I am hopefully next year going to do the UK 70.3, and several sprints and oly tri's, 3 or 4 not including UK 70.3 are 'hilly'. i was thinking of investing in a stealth for these tris however it aint worth spending 2k just for a quicker London Bike (Flat course). My main question is do many of you use TT bikes for hilly courses? is the Stealth really a top bike? Would I be better investing in some aero wheels for my Ribble and just using this for all the Tris.
After watching the Olympic Tri on TV I notcied most triathletes were on top end road bikes, with aero wheels, and tri extensions rather than TT handlebars. Some triathletes didnt even have tri bars on.
I hope this makes sense, I look forward to your advice
Cheers
Ben
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Comments
I think like most tri bikes of that type it is built for awesome speed on the flats, but the position and set up is not made for the hills. I would say that if your entering mostly shorter events that are flat or rolling hills the stealth would be ace, but wimbleball? from what i've heard I would say no.
Has your ribble got a carbon frame? If no then I would look at getting either a new carbon framed bike, think focus cayo, or maybe upgrading the odd part if you have the money.
However, aero wheels really are overrated, if you have the money to spare then yes maybe they are worth it, because they may save you a minute over the flat. But not on the hills, or at least not as much. Many aero wheels especially the cheaper ones are heavier than normal wheels, so up hills they may actually be detrimental.
Maybe if you are doing lots of hilly events like wimbleball you may be better looking at some decent lightweight wheels, there are many about, these will save you much more time on hills than deep-sectioned aero ones.
In regards to the elites, they have to be on road bikes because there are strict rules regarding bike geometry and frame profile etc. They also race draft legal, which means that they dont ride in aero position as this would be too dangerous, so they have normal race bike setups. As it is draft legal nothing is allowed to protrude beyond the brake hoods, so only shorty tri bars allowed, which they only use if they get caught out of the pack on their own. Most however, dont bother!
Now for the buts... Aero frames are generally heavier because they have more material, and the finished bike is heavier also due to the aero-bars. Aero/TT bikes are dangerous and not welcome in draft legal races and in group rides as they are difficult to control. In addition to this aero bikes have what's known as agressive geometry - they're built for speed and not comfort, so they are not for the inexperienced in longer events
For a half IM or more I tend to use an aero bike, ( but it is light) as I'm confident in my handling & ability to spend long periods in the aero position. ie an aero bike/set-up allows me to go faster.
This will not be the case for everyone and when chosing a bike with a raft of events in mind there are several things you must account for : Nature of the course, Legality of drafting, Ability/willingness to train regularly and for extended periods in the aero position, Budget amongst others.
In recent times there has been a trend towards a compromise Cervelo's Soloist (available in 3 versions) is perhaps the most obvious but there are others available.