Road bike upgrades for triathlons

aero bars hands down will make the biggest difference.

Bike fit should be above aero bars... the vast majority of the drag comes from the rider, so that's where you should start. Also, proper fit is a balance between aerodynamics, comfort and efficiency. The most aerodynamic position is not always the best if it causes significant loss of power and/or severe discomfort.

Yeah they're for sale

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This is such a helpful thread! I'm looking to upgrade my Marin Portofino and wasn't sure where to start. Now if I can find a thread about which type of aerobars to buy, I'll be all set! Thanks, all.

There are several thing you can do to make your road bike race day triathlon ready.

First of all, a very easy and fairly inexpensive way to get aero is buy a set of clip on aero bars. Profile designs have several different models to choose from, I have the aluminum version. They are still light weight but cost half of the price as the carbon aerobars.

Second, you will want your body to be in more of a tri bike position so you will need to get a fast forward seat post. I opted to buy a used carbon fast forward seat post because I like the way it looked on my bike compared to the aluminum ones. Either kind will change the angle of the seat tube angle and put it into a steeper more tri like position.

Third, get a good set of pedals that you can clip into. I originally bought a cheap set of spd style pedals but opted to upgrade to the speedplay zeros. I am very happy I upgraded as I am a firm believer that you get what you pay for. The new pedals are far better than my originals. So a good set of pedals are a must.

Forth, get yourself an aerojacket disc cover from wheelbuilder.com. Very cheap and easy way to get aero. For $100 you get all the benefits of a disc wheel without the astronomical price tag that comes with buying a true disc wheel.

Lastly, find a nice used front aero front wheel for cheap and you are good to go. Or Flo makes a very good aero front wheel for a reasonable price if you can get your hands on one.

***Note once you have done all of these things to your road bike it is a good idea to get a bike fit. I had a friend of mine that worked at a local bike shop do mine for me and the results were AMAZING! A good fit can help you just about as much as adding a bunch of expensive components to your bike.

I have done all of these things to my road bike and I absolutely love the way it has turned out. I have never been more comfortable riding a bike in my life.
I also added an aero bottle that fits between my aerobars and a speedfil bottle which is not in any of the pictures.

Here is a link to some before and after picture of my bike.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/98846516@N03/


Holy thread resurrection! I didn't realize this thread was from 2011.


Edited by fubar44 2013-07-20 4:01 PM

My very first road bike was a Marin Portofino and once I got her professionally fit with the aerobars we put the hammer down on some carbon TT bikes with race wheels, disk covers etc. The aerobars+fit were by far the biggest game changer with respect to speed. A new stem was required as well but that was not too costly.

The aero helmet is a very good investment, you can save 10-20 watts of power which banks a little energy for the run.