Use the road bike for duathlons or get a real TT bike?

Didn't think that I would be doing triathlons when I dropped a bundle on a Trek 5700. I really love
the bike. However,I want to make sure equipment won't be the excuse for not winning when I race
next season.

Is a dedicated TT bike significantly better for TT/tri use than a good road bike with aero
improvements (i.e. with aero bars and wheels)? Also, anyone have pointers to wind resistance
comparisons of clip-on versus full-out aero bars?

thanks!

Jens

 

In article <Qu3X9.1270$z%[email protected]>, Jens Kurt Heycke
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Didn't think that I would be doing triathlons when I dropped a bundle on a Trek 5700. I really love
>the bike. However,I want to make sure equipment won't be the excuse for not winning when I race
>next season.
>
>Is a dedicated TT bike significantly better for TT/tri use than a good road bike with aero
>improvements (i.e. with aero bars and wheels)?

Seat angle is by no means a settled issue among triathletes, there are those that like it steep and
those that like it slack. You might consider getting one of those goofy seat posts if you want to
see what 78 degrees feels like for a few weeks, before getting rid of a perfectly good bike.

You might like reading this:

http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/techctr/basebar.html

> Also, anyone have pointers to wind resistance comparisons of clip-on versus full-out aero bars?

Don't know but I suspect any meaningful evaluation of wind resistance has to involve you on your
bike in the test and not some other guy fitted some other way on some other bike with various types
of handlebars.

If you're on the 5700 and have not altered the seat angle with a goofy seat post, then a clip-on
designed for use on drop bars is most likely to give you good fit. For a real aero bar most likely
your 5700's top tube is too long.

Given that you've already paid for the 5700, I think the best route is a clip-on bar and a few weeks
of trying it out and working on fit before doing anything rash.

--Paul

 

Jens-<< Didn't think that I would be doing triathlons when I dropped a bundle on a Trek 5700. I
really love the bike. However,I want to make sure equipment won't be the excuse for not winning when
I race next season.

Really depends on the course but if it's a more road race type, with climbs, desents, etc, where you
may not always be in a tri postion, a conventional road bike may be a better idea. Also, unless ya
got two bikes, ya gotta train on it as well, in varied road conditions.

A well fitting road bike is faster than a poor fitting and specific TT bikeRoad bike with tri bars
may not fit you)

Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St. Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535 http://www.vecchios.com "Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"