road bike vs. tri/time trial



SaintAndrew

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Jul 4, 2006
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hey cooldudes i'm at a point now where i'd like a bike for long road rides and i'm weighing out whether to get a road bike or a trial bike. i don't plan to race at all- just fitness. i see a lot of guys riding tri bikes around me, and i always thought they were ****'s, but now i'm not so sure. i mean they are the fastest bikes, and i'd be riding mostly solo.

what do you guys get more use out of?
 
SaintAndrew said:
hey cooldudes i'm at a point now where i'd like a bike for long road rides and i'm weighing out whether to get a road bike or a trial bike. i don't plan to race at all- just fitness. i see a lot of guys riding tri bikes around me, and i always thought they were ****'s, but now i'm not so sure. i mean they are the fastest bikes, and i'd be riding mostly solo.

what do you guys get more use out of?
What type of riding do you plan on doing? Dont expect to paceline with a tri bike and i can see it being a very lonely endeavor when riding the tri bike. I hate riding my roadbike by my self and always ride with groups any chance i get, i cant imagine the boredom of only having a tri bike (sorry to all you tri freaks out there). And just cause you buy a road bike doesnt make you obligated to do races. Luckily in my town there are 4 different road clubs and a tri club soo there is something for everyone. I'd see what your town has and decide accordingly. :confused:
 
SaintAndrew said:
...what do you guys get more use out of?
I do three to four rides per week on the road bike and one or two on the time trial bike. If I had to chose only one it would be the road bike hands down.

But unlike the previous poster I do most of my training solo and enjoy solo rides. Yeah the TT bike is very fast and it's fun to hold those kind of speeds but it's a lot less comfortable, a lot less versatile, and definitely a specialty bike.

You can always clip aero bars on your road bike if you want to do some time trials or just train in that position, that's a lot easier than limiting yourself to a single tt specific bike.

Good luck,
-Dave
 
SaintAndrew said:
hey cooldudes i'm at a point now where i'd like a bike for long road rides and i'm weighing out whether to get a road bike or a trial bike. i don't plan to race at all- just fitness. i see a lot of guys riding tri bikes around me, and i always thought they were ****'s, but now i'm not so sure. i mean they are the fastest bikes, and i'd be riding mostly solo.

what do you guys get more use out of?
Do you ride on flat/hilly roads?
 
If you are riding for fitness and dont plan to race a time trial, i would suggest a road bike as speed/time doesn't really matter....
 
the area i live is pretty flat. i can pick some rides with rolling hills, but nothing crazy (se michigan).

i actually prefer to ride solo though. i just like being able to ride as much or as little as i want and at whatever pace i want.
 
SaintAndrew said:
the area i live is pretty flat. i can pick some rides with rolling hills, but nothing crazy (se michigan).

i actually prefer to ride solo though. i just like being able to ride as much or as little as i want and at whatever pace i want.
I do the same kind of riding that you want to do and I could not imagine being restricted to a TT bike. I tend to do longer rides, 50+ miles and the thought of riding only in the ultra-aero position of a tri-bike makes me cringe and send my back into spasms. Definitely get a road bike so that you can vary your position a little.
 
TT bikes are TT bikes because they're for TTs. They're typically more expensive and in some cases weigh MORE than a similar size road bike because they trade some weight for aero-ness.

Unlesss you're racing against the clock in a TT, you want a road bike.
 
I'd go as far as saying that if it is only one bike, you are not racing and not living in a perfect sunny climate I'd go for a cyclocross bike with two set of wheels. One for road and one for trail. You lose very little and gain amazing versatility.
 
SaintAndrew said:
hey cooldudes....I see a lot of guys riding tri bikes around me, and i always thought they were ****'s, but now i'm not so sure. i mean they are the fastest bikes, and i'd be riding mostly solo.

what do you guys get more use out of?

Dude, try hanging with a few of those **** triathletes!
I can give you one piece of advise HTFU, then let's ride!
 
SaintAndrew said:
hey cooldudes i'm at a point now where i'd like a bike for long road rides and i'm weighing out whether to get a road bike or a trial bike. i don't plan to race at all- just fitness. i see a lot of guys riding tri bikes around me, and i always thought they were ****'s, but now i'm not so sure. i mean they are the fastest bikes, and i'd be riding mostly solo.

what do you guys get more use out of?
I have a road bike and I've done plenty of miles on it, but the fascination with the TT Bike was always there. So I just went and purchased 2008 Cervelo P2C, and I got fitted for the bike also. This thing flies, and I found it comfortable to. The thing about TT bikes and group rides is not to get in the middle of the pack, hang back some and then when you feel the need to flex a bit of power and speed take the opportunity and enjoy. The group ride by the way is a regular 55 miles.
 
SaintAndrew said:
hey cooldudes i'm at a point now where i'd like a bike for long road rides and i'm weighing out whether to get a road bike or a trial bike. i don't plan to race at all- just fitness. i see a lot of guys riding tri bikes around me, and i always thought they were ****'s, but now i'm not so sure. i mean they are the fastest bikes, and i'd be riding mostly solo.

what do you guys get more use out of?
Seriously, riding a TriBike should be a comfortable and energy efficient experience. If, and this is a big if, you are FIT properly by a highly qualified shop you shoudl not experience any discomfort or pain.

Remember that most of the longer distance triathlons such and the IronMan is a 112 mile bike race after a 2.2 mile swim. The rider must also run a 26.2 mile marathon after the bike so he or she needs to keep their legs stong.

Riding an Ironman could take from 4 to 8 hours in the aero position. A good fitter can set up the bike based upon your fitness, and body type to provide a pain free experience.

With all of this said, the TriBike is designed for speed. Comfort will not come easily if you are not lean and have a strong core. If the majority of your weight is on your seat and bum, you will have problems on a TriBike.

Joe
 
SaintAndrew said:
hey cooldudes i'm at a point now where i'd like a bike for long road rides and i'm weighing out whether to get a road bike or a trial bike. i don't plan to race at all- just fitness. i see a lot of guys riding tri bikes around me, and i always thought they were ****'s, but now i'm not so sure. i mean they are the fastest bikes, and i'd be riding mostly solo.

what do you guys get more use out of?
A road bike is more versatile
 
Don't buy a time trial bike just because they go faster if your after fittness training. As most other people seem to say, stick with a road bike.
 
Don't base major buying decisions on misconceptions. Tri bikes aren't faster, it's the set up of the rider on it that is intended for faster riding... but it's only for relatively short races, and definitely not for great handling or much climbing. Tri bikes position the rider more forward and down. The only advantage is a more aero position, but it's not the kind of position that a normal person would want to ride in on a regular basis for long rides. If you really want to experience the thrill of a fine handling bike that will allow you to make the best of your abilities in a variety of conditions, get the road bike. There's nothing stopping you from positioning yourself more as on a tri bike on the road bicycle if that's what you want, but at least with the road bike, you get the versatility.

Road riding is not about sheer speed at all times. Any bike which positions the rider forward is a bike that must be ridden all out at all times, or else it quickly becomes very uncomfortable due to having all your weight forward.

As an analogy, think of the hot rod with super wide tires at the back versus the sports car. Which would you rather be driving around twisty, hilly country roads?

On the other hand, if you get the tri bike, that should generate a lot of interesting future questions about saddle pain, back pain, hand numbness, etc.
 
A road bike is a versitile bike that will function for many purposes but a tri bike is a specialty bike made for racing tri's which you don't plan to do. If I only had one bike it would be a road bike. But I don't do any off road riding either.
 
slowbutnotdead said:
A road bike is a versitile bike that will function for many purposes but a tri bike is a specialty bike made for racing tri's which you don't plan to do. If I only had one bike it would be a road bike. But I don't do any off road riding either.

What the hell are you talking about? a TT bike is perfect for training.