Road Bike to Tri Bike

Like ChrisM I added aero bars, I did move my seat way forward on the rails and lifted the post a bit so its closer to standing on the pedals. Took some getting used to but I can see a difference in the cadence I can set and the muscle groups used. I finished 17th out of 226(Bike leg) in my race last weekend past lots of expensive tri / road bikes (mine is a 20 year old road racer) so I think it approximates it. And I still can't justify a Tri bike yet I know I can get more speed from mine still.  Hope it helps.

I do have aerobars, but with the way the bike was set up I felt more aero in the drops than tucked (although using the aerobars relieved some of the strain of leaning on my hands all the time). I was wondering about the other things like the forward seat post and maybe a shorter stem because I'm a little wary of messing with the bike fit on my own and maybe the other components would allow me to keep a good fit and get more aero at the same time.

I am in the process of configuring a vintage Bianchi racing bike for triathlon use. Basically, I'll be adding aerobars and clipless pedals, everything else will remain original. I bought the bike for $10 (deal of the century) and will be adding approx. $250 in parts. Most of the techs at the local bike shop are drooling over the bike.

When I tried to ride in the aero position on my road bike I was all over the place. I couldn't hold a line on the road to save my life. It is different on my tri bike. I am more comfortable and feel more stable.

I have also just added Aero bars to my 10 year old road bike. I feel I get lower in the drops, but I am a lot more comfortable in the bars.

You can adjust your bike by yourself, just do it in small increments at a time.

I have just started to adjust my bike, lowering the bars just a little, moving the seat just a little, in an effort to find a better aero position. But the most important thing is to find a position where you are comfortable !!!  

Once you start changing your setup - you are changing the fit. If you go with a shorter stem and forward seatpost - it is going to change all kinds of things (reach, centre of gravity, seat height, etc) which is going to change how you fit the bike.

However, what type of aerobars do you have? You might want to consider some shortie bars if you don't already have them as they can help you with your aero position.

Shane

I did, and gave up, bought a tri bike...it really is a square peg in a round hole, you sort of it get it, but it will never fit well....I still ride my road bike but as a road bike....

I agree. Add clip on bars, move your seat forward SLOWLY. Find the right fit. Dont move your seat too forward, may mess with the weight/balance of the road geometry.

While I haven't done it myself I recall seeing other threads that recommended Jammers as opposed to other aero bars. Apparently they're made for road bikes and allow you to rest in the aero position without experiencing many of the problems people experience when simply adding aero bars to a road bike. Try a search of the forum for more info.

The single biggest fit factor in adapting a road bike to aerobars is the reach.

Quite often, when roadies slap aerobars onto a nicely-fit road bike, the result is that the rider has to lean too far forward to get down in the bars.

This has several bad consequences:
1) you have to collapse your chest down into your knees, and so you lose considerable power - even with "better" aerodynamics, you might actually be SLOWER.

2) If the aeroposition is uncomfortable, then you won't stay in it, thus negating any aero benefits (and just adding useless weight). I had a pretty good "tri-fit" on my wife's road bike for an IM, but still was sitting up on the handlebars for most of the 5th & 6th hours. On a well-fit tri-bike, I am now MORE comfortable when aero, and was happiest for miles 180-200 of STP in the bars.

3) Loss of control - as you move forward, so does your center of balance. All tri bikes feel a little less "stable" than a solid road bike. But if you are too stretched out, your control is hopeless.


There are 3 primary ways of counteracting this effect:
1) Angle the aerobars either up, for a more relaxed aero position, or down for an agressive position. The angle reduces the reach, and you can get a pretty good benefit with minimal fiddling.

2) Use short ("jammer") aerobars. You'll see these in draft-legal ITU races. For instance, look at Hunter Kemper - he rides an Orca with these tiny tiny aerobars. Lets him get down on the bars when possible, but doesn't mess the road fit (ITU courses have more hills and turns, and so need better handling). In fact, for a really hilly tri course (such as Monaco 70.3), it can be better to use a road bike, both for climbing and descending.

3) Rather than reaching forward, the correct way to achieve a proper aero position is to ROTATE THE COCKPIT. In a classic tri-fit, you bump the seat up, push it forward, and lower the handlebars. (Essentially, you take the point-of -contact triangle of seat-feet-hands, and tilt it forward.) This will generally shorten up the reach, making the aerobars just about the right length. This is what I did for my 2nd IM, and the position was good-but-not-great. Worked very well for a half-iron, though. For a setup like this, you might do well with a second (forward) seatpost and saddle, which makes switching positions easy - just swap the entire post/saddle, raise or lower the handlebars, and add or remove the clip-ons.

As always, the most important factor is FIT. If it's not comfortable, it's not powerful.

When properly set up, a "tri-fit" won't fell all that different from a "road-fit" - you can actually keep the same hip angle, and your arms should actually keep a similar angle relative to your torso. The biggest pain, so to speak, is in your neck, which has to crane more to look forward.

Yeah, a dedicated tri bike is great, if you can get one. (I have a Cervelo P2SL, and I love it). But if you can't, a little tweaking, done properly, can give you a pretty good setup.

Good luck!