login
Road bike with tri setup
-
No new posts
|
 2008-05-12 8:57 AM |
Champion  11989      Philly 'burbs |  Subject: Road bike with tri setupI'm new to the sport and purchased an entry level road bike (Specialized Allez) and will be getting clip on aero bars and a fast forward seat post/saddle for races. Question is; when and /or how often should I train with the tri setup? Based on handling and comfort the guy at the LBS recommends only a couple of rides before races in order to get used to it. Seems to me I need to get in at least a couple of "long" rides with the tri setup. Maybe even one ride a week (out of 3)? Anyone else have a dual setup for their road bike? If so, how often to you use the tri setup? For those with a tri bike and a road bike, how often and why do you ride each different bike? Thanks! |
| 2008-05-12 9:00 AM in reply to: #1396071 |
Veteran 320 Lowestoft, England | Subject: RE: Road bike with tri setup I have tri setup on my road bike and train that way all the time. I guess the theory is train the way you are going to race. |
| 2008-05-12 9:02 AM in reply to: #1396071 |
Resident Curmudgeon 25290 The Road Back Gold member | Subject: RE: Road bike with tri setup From a practical standpoint, I can't see you changing out the seatpost and re-tuning the fit several times a week to go between road and tri setups. I would think once you get it set-up and dialed in you would leave it in the tri mode. For those with a tri bike and a road bike, how often and why do you ride each different bike? About 80% road and 20% tri, due to comfort and versatility issues. |
| 2008-05-12 9:36 AM in reply to: #1396092 |
| Denver | Subject: RE: Road bike with tri setup the bear - 2008-05-12 9:02 AM From a practical standpoint, I can't see you changing out the seatpost and re-tuning the fit several times a week to go between road and tri setups. I would think once you get it set-up and dialed in you would leave it in the tri mode. For those with a tri bike and a road bike, how often and why do you ride each different bike? About 80% road and 20% tri, due to comfort and versatility issues. Can someone please explain to me teh difference between a road bike and tri bike?? Thank you. |
| 2008-05-12 9:37 AM in reply to: #1396071 |
Champion 5117 Brandon, MS | Subject: RE: Road bike with tri setup mrbbrad - 2008-05-12 8:57 Anyone else have a dual setup for their road bike? If so, how often to you use the tri setup? For those with a tri bike and a road bike, how often and why do you ride each different bike? Thanks! I bought an extra saddle to go along with the forward seatpost. Got a quick release seat post clamp, so changing that takes a few seconds. The clip on aeros are put on or taken off in few minutes. So, it's pretty easy for me to go back and forth. If I am on a training ride, I'm in aero. If I'm just on a ride, I stick with the road set up, especially if a pace line is involved. This time of year, Nearly all of rides are in aero. Earlier in the year, I was doing more road set up riding. |
| 2008-05-12 9:46 AM in reply to: #1396197 |
Resident Curmudgeon 25290 The Road Back Gold member | Subject: RE: Road bike with tri setup ousooner45 - 2008-05-12 9:36 AM Can someone please explain to me teh difference between a road bike and tri bike?? Thank you. |
| 2008-05-12 9:51 AM in reply to: #1396200 |
Champion 11989 Philly 'burbs | Subject: RE: Road bike with tri setup the bear - 2008-05-12 10:02 AM From a practical standpoint, I can't see you changing out the seatpost and re-tuning the fit several times a week to go between road and tri setups. sesh - 2008-05-12 10:37 AM I bought an extra saddle to go along with the forward seatpost. Got a quick release seat post clamp, so changing that takes a few seconds. The clip on aeros are put on or taken off in few minutes. So, it's pretty easy for me to go back and forth. What sesh said... I'm told I won't have to do a lot of retuning. Just swap the seat post. The height of each will be marked and each will have their own saddle. |
| 2008-05-12 10:17 AM in reply to: #1396071 |
Master 2202 St. Louis | Subject: RE: Road bike with tri setup First off... do you NEED the FF seat post? You should be able to get into a decent aero position on your roadie without it, if the bike fits right. You also need the right aerobars clipped on. I always reccommend the Profile Jammer GT or Carbon Jammer GT. The other thing is, once your bike is dialed in, you shouldn't be changing it all the time. When I only had my road bike, I just left my aerobars on all the time. Worked very well for me, as there is no real reason to be taking them off and on all the time. |
| 2008-05-12 10:37 AM in reply to: #1396083 |
Expert 1027 Zürich, Switzerland | Subject: RE: Road bike with tri setup hagakure - 2008-05-11 4:00 PM I have tri setup on my road bike and train that way all the time. I guess the theory is train the way you are going to race. x2 |
| 2008-05-12 10:50 AM in reply to: #1396071 |
| Extreme Veteran 562 | Subject: RE: Road bike with tri setup I ride a Cervelo Soloist Team with aero bars. I don't change the seat and get into aero as soon as conditions allow on my rides. |
| 2008-05-12 11:01 AM in reply to: #1396297 |
Champion 11989 Philly 'burbs | Subject: RE: Road bike with tri setup ranger5oh - 2008-05-12 11:17 AM First off... do you NEED the FF seat post? You should be able to get into a decent aero position on your roadie without it, if the bike fits right. You also need the right aerobars clipped on. I always reccommend the Profile Jammer GT or Carbon Jammer GT. The other thing is, once your bike is dialed in, you shouldn't be changing it all the time. When I only had my road bike, I just left my aerobars on all the time. Worked very well for me, as there is no real reason to be taking them off and on all the time. Need? Does anyone "need" a tri bike, or even a road bike? Couldn't we all ride beach cruisers? My understanding is that the FF seat post will give me a more aggressive position and will be a more comfortable fit on the aero bars. I'd leave the aero bars on all the time and only have to swap the post to go from "tri" to "road". |
| 2008-05-12 11:03 AM in reply to: #1396071 |
Master 1989 New Jersey | Subject: RE: Road bike with tri setup I used to have a road bike with the clip-on aerobars. I would put them on during the tri-season, so for a month or so, I'd have them on all the time. Then when I'm not doing tri's, I take them off. Why? Because you should never ride in the aerobars during group rides, and I was mostly riding in groups, so no benefit there. Because getting the bike in and out of the car was more difficult with the bars. Because the bike seemed lighter and handled better without them. I then replaced my road bike with...another road bike. For the half Im' doing this year, I'm probably not even going to add the aerobars. It's a hilly course, so I won't be aero that much anyway, plus I just feel more comfortable in the drops. And if your tri is a technical course, again, not as much benefit to be aero. It's your decision, but I would definitely not recommend putting them on and off all the time. Just leave them on, you can still ride without being in the aero position. |
| 2008-05-12 11:10 AM in reply to: #1396385 |
Champion 11989 Philly 'burbs | Subject: RE: Road bike with tri setup Plissken74 - 2008-05-12 11:37 AM hagakure - 2008-05-11 4:00 PM I have tri setup on my road bike and train that way all the time. I guess the theory is train the way you are going to race. x2 Train the way you're going to race when you are training the way you're going to race, i.e specific race conditions or strategies. Don't we all do "specialized" training; repeats, sprints, hills, hard, easy, periodization, etc., etc. ? Do we do triple bricks every training session? I see using road/tri the same way. Not every swim/ride/run is done the same way it will be done in a race. |
| 2008-05-12 11:42 AM in reply to: #1396071 |
Master 2202 St. Louis | Subject: RE: Road bike with tri setup mrbbrad... "train the way you race" doesnt mean do a triathlon everyday. It means, dont change your riding position, dont try a brand new nutrition plan, dont start using new shoes .. etc.. .on the day of the race. I asked about the "need" for the FF seatpost because that FF seatpost wont turn your bike into a tri-bike specific position necessarily. You have to remember that the tri-bike geometry, with a short headtube matters too. There are other variables like the length of the chainstays, and the fork angle... etc. Most of the time, road bikes fit well without those seatposts. You can almost always just take the seatpost you have, and turn it 180 degrees too, which will put the setback forward. Try that before buying a FF post and see if you like it and if it truly makes you more aero, whilst maintaining power. |
| 2008-05-12 2:09 PM in reply to: #1396634 |
Champion 11989 Philly 'burbs | Subject: RE: Road bike with tri setup There is so much info out there on bike fit, geometry, components, etc. that my head starts to spin. I just want to go as fast as I can as comfortably as I can without spending all my time and money doing it. I don't want to have to call my nephew the math major to figure out what bike is "best" for me.  I wonder if folks who come from a bike background pay more attention to the mechanics and such than those who come from other sports. I have been primarily a runner, only biking and swimming for recreation or occasional cross training. I don't get all excited about the latest peddle or crank, or get all worked up about the length of my top tube. In fact, I don't even know what it is. I met a guy I trust who has a bike shop and I bought my bike and fit from him (Brian @ Keswick Cycle). He suggested the FF seat post and aero bars. I don't have blind trust, but what he's told me makes sense based on my research. This bring me to something I wonder about a lot; Isn't K-mart brand stuff (bikes, golf clubs, shoes, etc.) better than the stuff professionals used 20+ years ago? It's nice to have the latest and greatest but races were won and records set with relatively crappy equipment. I doubt I will ever win a race, or even an age group (unless I keep at this for a looong time) so I'm not getting too crazy over a few onces of weight in my running shoes, or a few degrees of angle in my seat post. |
| 2008-05-12 2:19 PM in reply to: #1396071 |
Expert 1169 Charlottesville, VA | Subject: RE: Road bike with tri setup I've got a road bike with aero bars -- regular seat position, etc., so no adjustments necessary. How much I use the aerobars depends on the day, my mood, and what my training plan is. For example, I did a nice relaxed 30 miler over the weekend and didn't touch the aerobars once. The weekend before I was working hard and probably spent 75% of my time in aero. |
| 2008-05-12 2:23 PM in reply to: #1397173 |
Expert 1169 Charlottesville, VA | Subject: RE: Road bike with tri setup mrbbrad - 2008-05-12 3:09 PM I wonder if folks who come from a bike background pay more attention to the mechanics and such than those who come from other sports. Coming from a running background myself, I tend to agree with you. Isn't K-mart brand stuff (bikes, golf clubs, shoes, etc.) better than the stuff professionals used 20+ years ago? It's nice to have the latest and greatest but races were won and records set with relatively crappy equipment. Don't mistake older, heavier, etc., for "crappy." I'd take an older, somewhat heavier bike that shifted smoothly, rolled true and smooth, and would last, over a cheap piece of crap, even if it is lighter and newer. |
| 2008-05-12 2:33 PM in reply to: #1397214 |
Champion 11989 Philly 'burbs | Subject: RE: Road bike with tri setup Love the signature!!! I guess you never feel like you are leaning too far forward to reach your aero bars? Do you have "short" ones? |
| 2008-05-12 2:40 PM in reply to: #1397173 |
Expert 1049 Burnaby, BC | Subject: RE: Road bike with tri setup mrbbrad - 2008-05-12 12:09 PM Isn't K-mart brand stuff (bikes, golf clubs, shoes, etc.) better than the stuff professionals used 20+ years ago? It's nice to have the latest and greatest but races were won and records set with relatively crappy equipment. I doubt I will ever win a race, or even an age group (unless I keep at this for a looong time) so I'm not getting too crazy over a few onces of weight in my running shoes, or a few degrees of angle in my seat post. Well, that's debatable. The problem with K-Mart brand stuff is not so much the materials, but the care and attention that goes into the manufacturing of it. Assuming the welds are decent (that's debatable!) with some effort you could convert a K-Mart bike into a decent, but heavy bike. Don't get me wrong, if you just want to tool around the neighbourhood with the kids, it'll work as is. To improve it, you'd probably need to replace all the bearings and fasteners. Definitely relube everything with a good lubricant. And the biggest expense would be a new set of components (derailleurs, shifters, brakes...) There'd be too much plastic in these to be any good. |
| 2008-05-12 2:56 PM in reply to: #1397245 |
Master 2202 St. Louis | Subject: RE: Road bike with tri setup mrbbrad - 2008-05-12 2:33 PM Love the signature!!! I guess you never feel like you are leaning too far forward to reach your aero bars? Do you have "short" ones? A correctly set up road bike with tri bars wont have you reaching farther. Its only if you buy the wrong bars will it screw up the geometry. Thats basically the purpose of the shorty style bars, to maintain correct position. |
| 2008-05-12 3:03 PM in reply to: #1397199 |
Champion 5781 Northridge, California | Subject: RE: Road bike with tri setup kenail - 2008-05-12 12:19 PM I've got a road bike with aero bars -- regular seat position, etc., so no adjustments necessary. How much I use the aerobars depends on the day, my mood, and what my training plan is. For example, I did a nice relaxed 30 miler over the weekend and didn't touch the aerobars once. The weekend before I was working hard and probably spent 75% of my time in aero. X2. Actually, I now have two roadies with clip-on aerobars and regular saddle position. I generally ride solo or just with one other triathlete (i.e., my wife) so I don't really have any reason to take the bars off. It's gotten so that I'm more comfortable riding in aero, frankly, and tend to do so whenever conditions allow it. I have the PD Jammers on my first bike (a compact geometry K2 roadie, which is now my commute bike) but opted for PD T2+ bars for my new Scott S40 (more traditional road geometry). I have to say I like the T2+ bars better than the Jammers, in spite of all the comments about the Jammers being more adapted to road bike geometry. YMMV... Edited by tcovert 2008-05-12 3:05 PM |
| 2008-05-12 3:19 PM in reply to: #1396071 |
| Member 198 | Subject: RE: Road bike with tri setup I have a road bike with clip-on aerobars. My seat is adjusted so that it is comfortable in aero and "regular" positions. I have the aerobars with the flip-up armrests so I can use more of the handlebars. They're not your fanciest high-dollar carbon bar-end shifting wonders, but I like them. It is not my goal to ride in aero position for an entire race. I use the bars intermittently when it is windy, when I am on a long flat, or when I just need a change of position. I guess my point is that, like any piece of equipment, they are only a tool and you can use them in whatever way works best for you. That said, I would start out keeping them on your bike all the time and using them whenever you feel like it. I don't think I agree that you only need to practice in them a couple of times before a race, though. You might find, as I did, that you are very wobbly at first and need to get used to keeping the upper body still. I can't imagine identifying an entire ride as "aero-only" and trying to stay in them the whole time. I am in and out of them a lot over the course of any ride. Semi-related question: do people actually ride in pacelines with their aerobars? Isn't that a) dangerous and b) not really helpful, as far as getting much drafting benefit behind someone in aero position? |
| 2008-05-12 3:35 PM in reply to: #1397328 |
Champion 11989 Philly 'burbs | Subject: RE: Road bike with tri setup ranger5oh - 2008-05-12 3:56 PM mrbbrad - 2008-05-12 2:33 PM Love the signature!!! I guess you never feel like you are leaning too far forward to reach your aero bars? Do you have "short" ones? A correctly set up road bike with tri bars wont have you reaching farther. Its only if you buy the wrong bars will it screw up the geometry. Thats basically the purpose of the shorty style bars, to maintain correct position. Yeah, I figured that and it make sense. What about the "more aggressive" positioning of a FF seat post? Seems like there are speed benefits there. On a related note; I used to wondered why the more aggressive geometry was not used in road races (Tour de France, etc.) if it's that much faster. I have since learned about sanctioning body rules against certain frame angles. Live and learn (hopefully!) BTW - hope nobody thinks I'm being a d1ck. I just like to ask questions a pick at answers. Drives some people crazy |
| 2008-05-12 3:51 PM in reply to: #1397375 |
| Veteran 247 CA | Subject: RE: Road bike with tri setup cpfint - 2008-05-12 1:19 PM Semi-related question: do people actually ride in pacelines with their aerobars? Isn't that a) dangerous and b) not really helpful, as far as getting much drafting benefit behind someone in aero position? You answered your own question. Aero bars should not be used in pacelines (unless you're doing a team pursuit or time trial, if you want to get technical) Edited by AnthonyF 2008-05-12 3:52 PM |
| 2008-05-12 6:34 PM in reply to: #1396297 |
Elite 3779 Ontario | Subject: RE: Road bike with tri setup ranger5oh - 2008-05-12 11:17 AM First off... do you NEED the FF seat post? You should be able to get into a decent aero position on your roadie without it, if the bike fits right. You also need the right aerobars clipped on. I always reccommend the Profile Jammer GT or Carbon Jammer GT. The other thing is, once your bike is dialed in, you shouldn't be changing it all the time. When I only had my road bike, I just left my aerobars on all the time. Worked very well for me, as there is no real reason to be taking them off and on all the time. I'm going to concur with ranger5oh, not because I'm an expert on how bikes should be setup, but becuase the expert who added my jammers to my Trek Road bike said almost exactly the same thing. When I asked about the FF post, he looked like he wanted to slap me. He explained that we just went through a 2 hour fitting process so that I'm in an optimal position whether in aero or riding on the hoods, with this setup - hence the reason for picking bars like the jammers. My two cents - and the guy to whom I paid my money for his opinion. |
|
|
|
|
View profile
Add to friends
Go to training log
Go to race log
Send a message
View album
CONNECT WITH FACEBOOK