I know the differences in dimensions between a road and a tri bike. I know that position is always the most important thing. but lets say I'm riding a mid quality road bike and averaging 22mph. If i road a triathlon bike that is also mid quality, what kind of gains can i expect in terms of speed? would i be going 2-3 mph faster? im looking for a numerical value here. this is speaking also that all conditions are similar to the T. same air temp, same force out put etc.
what kind of gains will i get going from a road bike to a triathlon bike?
- Thread starter aquamaniac
- Start date
Assuming your position is the same and you ride with the same: helmet, wheels, etc. you should see close to a 1 mph advantage at those speeds on a dedicated and aero tri frame. That's just pure aerodynamics, you'll likely see a bit more improvement over the course because you'll be able to stay down and shift from your most aerodynamic position instead of having to reach to shifters mounted on your road drop bars.
But realistically you'll likely set up a better position on a dedicated tri bike as well, no guarantees there but they're built for a steep angled tri fit and their geometry is tailored to steady handling with ultra steep effective seat angles, something the road bike isn't really designed for.
Here's a good breakdwown of aero contributors that looks at exactly the kind of question you're asking: http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/article/how-aero-is-aero-19273/
-Dave
But realistically you'll likely set up a better position on a dedicated tri bike as well, no guarantees there but they're built for a steep angled tri fit and their geometry is tailored to steady handling with ultra steep effective seat angles, something the road bike isn't really designed for.
Here's a good breakdwown of aero contributors that looks at exactly the kind of question you're asking: http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/article/how-aero-is-aero-19273/
-Dave
thanks so much dave ryan of wyoming. this is the type of article i've been searching for for days.
now you said i would see 1mph gains. but the article seems to state different, "Or another way, if you can ride a road bike at 40km/h and switch to a time trial bike and helmet, you can do over 44km/h."
40km/h = 24.84 mph
44km/h = 27.324 mph
are they referring to ideal wind tunnel conditions?
now you said i would see 1mph gains. but the article seems to state different, "Or another way, if you can ride a road bike at 40km/h and switch to a time trial bike and helmet, you can do over 44km/h."
40km/h = 24.84 mph
44km/h = 27.324 mph
are they referring to ideal wind tunnel conditions?
Yes, they show the sort of gains you listed for going from road drops and road helmet to full TT bike, aero bars and a time trial helmet. I took your original question to be road bike with clip ons (or else your position would change dramatically) and the same helmet whether or not you go to the full TT frame. The frame alone accounts for about 1.25 to maybe 1.4 kph at 40 kph(so a bit less than 1 mph) with perhaps a bit more from the ability to stay in your best position when shifting.
I tend to agree here. We've experienced it this year with a guy that was riding a fairly good road bike set up as a tri bike (the frameset was a Devincy) who switched to a P3 (Cervélo) this year. Problem, the situation that triggered this new purchase was that we couldn't achieve the fit we wanted to achieve on his 'mutant' bike. Couldn't get his back parallel to the floor etc...
In the end, same power, he gained between 1.6 to 2kmh (little over 1mph) at 300w (moving from 39kmh to 41 roughly).
In the end, same power, he gained between 1.6 to 2kmh (little over 1mph) at 300w (moving from 39kmh to 41 roughly).
You could give us more details. Are you using clip-ons, an aero helmet, or deep section wheels on the road bike? Because if you are and you have a good position setup then you won't save a lot by moving to a TT bike other than you might be able to get your position a bit better. On the other hand, if you're using regular drop bars and road setup and switch to a TT bike then you'll immediately gain a bunch.
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