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Climbing on a TT bike

sfullersfuller Posts: 628
in General Chat
Is it easy to climb hills with a TT bike?



Im considering a purchase....

Comments

  • TommiTriTommiTri Posts: 879
    In a word yes, I find it as easy to climb on my TT bike as I do on my road bike, in fact its a hell of a lot easier because the TT bike is so light and these cervelos have a huge bottom bracket which transfers all your energy to the hill. In the race the other day I was zipping past people on hills who were standing up on their road bikes as I was still in aero position!



    I also have my pads all the way back due to my short torso and I have no problems with my knees hitting them.

    Don't let the road bike is better for climbing brigade put you off, unless you're racing in the alps you should be faster on a TT bike than on a road bike, as what goes up must come down and fast!
  • EdstgEdstg Posts: 83
    i did lanzarote ironman on my tri bike and there is almost 3000 metres of climbimg - i agree with tommitri, don't let the road bike people tell you how great climbimg ona road bike is, there is no real difference as long as you practise on it.

  • treefrogtreefrog Posts: 1,242
    I agree, I did the hilly IM Switzerland on a TT bike, and I'm just infroma hilly TT which I did on a TT bike (and won)
  • halfanironmanhalfanironman Posts: 129
    on the other hand, in nice last year i passed loads of pretenders on tt bikes on my 800 euro bucket of shite.i recon its the person and not the bike 95% of the time.

  • hillclimb1hillclimb1 Posts: 16
    agree with conehead - bike weight is the key factor.



    If you are comparing a road bike and a TT bike of equal weight then the difference in climbing ability will be not very noticable (in general)



    However most TT bikes (high end ones anway) are heavier than the equivalent cost road bike. So for example if u are comparing a £2k road bike with a £2k TT bike usually the road bike will be easier to climb on because it is likelly to weigh approx 10% less....but this is a very general rule.



    It also depends on what you mean by hills...i.e. the steeper the incline the more the diffference will be noticable. If the climb is steep enough so that you have to get out of the saddle then the road bike will defo be better. Aero benefits of a TT bike are largely nullified if you are standing up!
  • treefrogtreefrog Posts: 1,242
    But its possible to have a sub 8kg TT bike.

    I think that a road bike climbs much better than aTT bike and a lighter road bike climbs even better.

    But back to the original point, Yes you can climb to good effect on a TT bike, provided its well set up and you train on it regularly.

    What it comes down to is your personal preference. Look at the course and honestly assess your ability, you have to take into account the aero advantage, weight penalty if any, nature of the course, distance/projected time on bike and comfort - only the athlete can make that decision.

    The bottom line is a good cyclist will minimise any shortcomings of weight and geometry that a TT bike may have and maximise the aero and speed advantage that the TT bike has.

    The only decent compromise that I know of and I have one is the Cervelo S1 with the flipable seatpost - it gets a decent aero geometry, is aerobar friendly and behaves similar to a roadbike on the hills. It is worth looking at - and is way better than a standard roadbike with tri bars

    But yes it is possible to do hilly tri's on a TTbike
  • WannabetriWannabetri Posts: 219
    In agreement with everyone, and I actually enjoy spinning up hills in the aero position passing road cyclists. I enjoy it even more when I'm also forced to come upright and still looking good in comparison.



    The only really difference in my somewhat limited experience is the feel of the bars in your hands. The tt aerobar can feel like it's not there and with less bar tape it's important to practice. The bull horns on the road bike are for me more secure.



    Given the choice of any race and I'd always chose a TT bike. Advantages far outweigh any negatives, and I wouldn;t say I climb any quicker on a road bike than a TT bike.
  • sfullersfuller Posts: 628
    My ultimate goals in the next couple of years are the Monaco Half Ironman and the Nice Ironman follwing this. I guess what Im asking is could I get away with a TT bike for these as I want one for the tri's throughout the year... but like I said, Monace and Nice are THE goals.



    Samuel
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