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Advice on riding a tri bike!

I was given an opportunity to but a cheap carbon tri bike! I have been riding a trek 1.2 for the past year, done a triathlon & a couple of duathlons and my riding has improved so much. I know it sounds like a stupid question but how do you ride a tri bike? ie with a different gearing postion. How do you climb? How long spent riding on the tribars ie is it just in straight flat line.

Hope you can help !

Comments

  • Hi - I'm no expert on a tri bike but generally in my humble opinion a tri bike is built for straight flat roads, they can be a handful when getting used to them (especially in wind) but once you have the knack of being able to relax the shoulders and keep straight and aero they are a great way to ride, as for riding uphill / round sharp corners come off the bars and ride like a normal road bike ............ there'll be many opinions and advice - hope that helps ??[:D]
  • ZacniciZacnici Posts: 1,385
    First of all have a look at this:

    http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/techctr/bikefit.html



    You may also want to have a search through my postings as I think I have commented on something similar before.



    With a Tri bike stay aero as long as possible even on climbs and at slow speeds, only when you have to do you come up.



    Do not grip the bars, you engage all sorts of muscles whose names I do not know but which are counter-productive if you do so on 78deg Tri bike and buggers you up for the run. Time triallists do that I believe but then a TT bike is 76deg, they engage different muscles and they do not run afterwards. You rest on the bars, your arms and back are relaxed, your legs do all the work.



    The geometry of a tri bike is such that it affords less constriction of the diaphragm i.e you breathe better than a road bike with aero bars.



    Headwinds and crosswinds are better IMHO than a road bike as you have a reduced profile.
  • shadowone1shadowone1 Posts: 1,408
    I'm confused now as I'm looking to buy a triathlon specfic bike.



    I was reading the following article



    http://www.powertri.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=24



    which kinda says that a tri specific bike will help you on the run, some forumites suggest otherwise.



    Do I know go for a pukka road bike or a tri bike which comes out for races only?????
  • ZacniciZacnici Posts: 1,385
    A tri geometry bike will give you a better run - end of story. Search for the 'Garside Study'



    Also see here:

    http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/bikes/difference.shtml They do some excellent article here!



    If you read my post 'The Old Question - Which Bike etc' You will see how I go through my rationale for getting a tri specific bike. I am not a cyclist, I am by inclination a runner and 78deg tri bike allows me to run better and also achieve a faster bike time. I have proved that to myself beyond doubt that going for a tri geometry was the best choice for me.



    A road bike in the hands of a cyclist will go faster than a runner on a road bike. A runner on a tri bike will grab back some of that advantage. The advantage is not all down to aero. Dropping aero bars onto a road will achieve aero savings but at the cost of reduced power output, the marginal gain from aero offsets the power loss. A tri geometry achieves aero but not at the expense of power output. Cyclists go faster on road bikes with aero bars than me because they are better cyclists but I am a better runner in the main and with a tri geometry bike I pull back some of the advantage they have.



    So if you have enough cash to get a tri bike and use it for racing and training only get one but a road bike is probably best in your first season - try your local bike or tri club for second hand ones - not ebay.
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