why don't more people ride time trial or tri bikes?

[Damian]

Hi I have been a commuter cyclist around (120km wk)for most of my life
(42yrs) and always rode a road racing type bike. I moved to Singapore
a few years ago and am now missing the bike and so I am in the market
for a new bike. I had always thought that for a rider who 90% of the
time (or more)rides alone that a time trial style bike would be an
obvious choice for a bike.

So why don't more riders ride time trial or triathalon type bikes? I
presume they are both designed for non drafting type riding. Or are
they there and I not seeing them on the road

thanks
Damian

 

[Zoot Katz]

10 Aug 2004 19:28:19 -0700,
<[email protected]>,
[email protected] (Damian) wrote:

>So why don't more riders ride time trial or triathalon type bikes?

Tight clearances, full aero position, lack of mounting for racks or
fenders make them less than ideal commuter bikes.
--
zk

 

[Alan Hoyle]

On 10 Aug 2004 19:28:19 -0700, Damian wrote:
> Hi I have been a commuter cyclist around (120km wk)for most of my life
> (42yrs) and always rode a road racing type bike. I moved to Singapore
> a few years ago and am now missing the bike and so I am in the market
> for a new bike. I had always thought that for a rider who 90% of the
> time (or more)rides alone that a time trial style bike would be an
> obvious choice for a bike.
>
> So why don't more riders ride time trial or triathalon type bikes? I
> presume they are both designed for non drafting type riding. Or are
> they there and I not seeing them on the road

TT bikes don't give you access to brakes in as many hand positions as
road bikes or flat bars. If you're not in a controlled environment,
brake access is probably more important than an efficient aero
position.

-alan

--
Alan Hoyle - [email protected] - http://www.alanhoyle.com/
"I don't want the world, I just want your half." -TMBG
Get Horizontal, Play Ultimate.

 

[gooserider]

"Zoot Katz" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> 10 Aug 2004 19:28:19 -0700,
> <[email protected]>,
> [email protected] (Damian) wrote:
>
> >So why don't more riders ride time trial or triathalon type bikes?
>
> Tight clearances, full aero position, lack of mounting for racks or
> fenders make them less than ideal commuter bikes.
> --

Add to that iffy handling and you have a recipe for disaster.

 

[Rick Onanian]

On 10 Aug 2004 19:28:19 -0700, [email protected] (Damian)
wrote:
>So why don't more riders ride time trial or triathalon type bikes? I
>presume they are both designed for non drafting type riding. Or are
>they there and I not seeing them on the road

The most aero position is not necessarily the most comfortable
recreational position.
Off-the-shelf TT bikes are more expensive than other road bikes.
TT bikes often lack the versatile positions offered by drop bars.
TT bikes usually have very narrow, very high pressure tires, which
means an excessively rough ride for many people.

And all the other stuff said by other people.

It's kind of like asking why most drivers don't drive Top Fuel
dragsters.
--
Rick Onanian

 

[Doug Huffman]

road racing, time trial and triathlon are specializations of road bikes that
are themselves a specialization of bicycle. With each specialization the
prices go up.

Look at the other side of the dichotomy; mountain-bikes came from paper-boy
bikes and became BMX, ATB, downhill et cetera ad nauseam.

What you do with what you have is more important than what you have.


"Damian" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
| Hi I have been a commuter cyclist around (120km wk)for most of my life
| (42yrs) and always rode a road racing type bike. I moved to Singapore
| a few years ago and am now missing the bike and so I am in the market
| for a new bike. I had always thought that for a rider who 90% of the
| time (or more)rides alone that a time trial style bike would be an
| obvious choice for a bike.
|
| So why don't more riders ride time trial or triathalon type bikes? I
| presume they are both designed for non drafting type riding. Or are
| they there and I not seeing them on the road
|
| thanks
| Damian

 

[H. M. Leary]

In article <[email protected]>,
"gooserider" <[email protected]> wrote:

> "Zoot Katz" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > 10 Aug 2004 19:28:19 -0700,
> > <[email protected]>,
> > [email protected] (Damian) wrote:
> >
> > >So why don't more riders ride time trial or triathalon type bikes?
> >
> > Tight clearances, full aero position, lack of mounting for racks or
> > fenders make them less than ideal commuter bikes.
> > --
>
> Add to that iffy handling and you have a recipe for disaster.
>
>
>

They are uncomfortable, too. They are built to go very,very fast if the rider is
capable.

I see a lot of ³time trial bikes² riding on the local MUP. None of these riders
can go 30mph for even a short stretch along the flats.

How fast do the pros go on TT bikes?

HAND

--
³Freedom Is a Light for Which Many Have Died in Darkness³

- Tomb of the unknown - American Revolution

 

[David Reuteler]

Damian <[email protected]> wrote:
> So why don't more riders ride time trial or triathalon type bikes? I
> presume they are both designed for non drafting type riding. Or are
> they there and I not seeing them on the road

heh, i did commute on one during 2001 from the south side of minneapolis to
plymouth (about 17 miles o/w) 4 days a week. it was all right, kind of fun
actually. that commute had long stretches of uninterrupted flats often
with pretty good winds and that made pretty good use of the bike. i really
grew to like the position (real far forward) .. it suited me pretty well.
i could fly on that bike. my more urban commutes wouldn't have been so
well suited to the bike, but hey ..

i sold the bike to buy a touring bike and now i use the track bike for
commuting. i have a history of using the "wrong" bike to commute.
--
david reuteler
[email protected]

 

[Chris BeHanna]

On Wed, 11 Aug 2004 13:52:59 +0000, H. M. Leary wrote:

> How fast do the pros go on TT bikes?

In this year's TdF prologue, > 30mph, averaged over 4 miles.

In the final TT, > 25mph, averaged over > 30 miles.

--
Chris BeHanna
Software Engineer (Remove "allspammersmustdie" before responding.)
[email protected]
I was raised by a pack of wild corn dogs.