Coach Fred Matheny Replies: Your road bike can work well for time trialing . The advantages of a “real” TT bike are aero frame tubes and better handling when you’re on the aero bars with weight forward.
Can a TT bike be a road bike?
While road and time trial bikes technically fall under the same umbrella of ‘road bikes’, they could not be more different. To put things in automotive terms, a road bike is a bit like an F1 car, while a TT bikes is a straight-up dragster .
Can you commute on a time trial bike?
Re: Commuting on a Time Trial Bike
Do it! It’s the sure way to win the Commuter Cup when the course suits . If you don’t know, you want long flat stretches to gain maximum leverage.
Can you use a TT bike everyday?
Can you do it? Sure. However, using a tt bike a an everyday ride is like using your Ferrarri as a daily commuter .
Is a time trial bike worth it?
| Bike/position Watt saving vs baseline | TTE time trial bike, to travel 40kph, at 40kph 86 | TTE time trial bike, narrower arms, at 40kph 87 |
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Are time trial bikes faster?
The BikeRadar website claims the advantage a TT bike gives you is 60-70 watts at 40 km/h, that is, it takes 270-280 watts to ride a road bike at that speed and 220 watts to ride a TT bike. Translated into seconds, a TT bike gives you 9 seconds per kilometre advantage . This is six minutes in a 40 km time trial. Insane.
Are TT bikes heavy?
The weight of a TT triathlon bike is around 20 Lbs (pounds) or 9 Kg while ranging from 18 to 21Lbs, or 8 to 9.5 KG . We can also conclude that a TT triathlon bike is heavier than a road bike.
Are triathlon bikes good for long distance?
Tri-bikes have steep seat tube angles and often don’t handle that well. They are made to go fast in a relatively straight line, with the rider in a very low aero position. Not a good bike for typical distance rides .
How much faster will a tri bike make me?
In general you will see a 1.5 mph – 2 mph boost in speed between a TT and a road bike... assuming the rider is using regular shorts, jersey and helmet along with no aero wheels. Most of that is due to the differing rider position (i.e. more aero).
Do time trial bikes have gears?
A standard time-trial crank typically has a gearing of 54×42 and has solid chain-rings instead of the hollow metal rings found on road cranks. High end time-trial chain-rings are made from solid carbon fiber with the exception of the teeth.
Do time trial bikes have brakes?
On a modern time trial bike, the brakes are usually hidden out of the airflow . This means that the front brake is sited behind the fork and the rear tucked behind the seat-tube near the chain-stays. Mini-V brakes are becoming increasingly popular for their smaller size and more powerful braking performance.
What is the difference between a TT bike and a road bike?
How They’re Different. The most notable difference is the design, or geometry of the frame of each bike . Triathlon bikes have a steeper angle of the seat. Seats on a road bike are positioned at, on average, 78 degrees while the angle on a triathlon bike is closer to 72 degrees.
Can you put normal handlebars on a TT bike?
Altered Geometry
TT bikes are not designed for drop bars by default . By putting a set of drop bars on a TT bike, the riding position of the rider is very likely to become uncomfortable and inefficient.
Why are time trial bikes heavier?
Heavier. A time trial bike is typically 1-2kg heavier than a road bike. This is because the main focus is making a time trial bike more aerodynamic rather than lightweight . TT frames tend to be heavier because of bigger ‘aerofoils’ and bigger frames.
How heavy is a time trial bike?
With that in mind, how much does a TT bike weigh? So for those of you that have been asking, “how much does a TT bike weigh” the average weight of a TT bike is 9.25kg (20.39lb) .
How do you make time trials go faster?
Why are time trial bikes faster than road bikes?
What is a good time for a 10 mile time trial?
A ten mile time trial can taken anything between 17.20 (over 34 mph) and 40 minutes . A good target for a fit club cyclist is to break 24 minutes on a standard quiet course. This requires an average speed of 25 mph. To win an open event, depending on the course, the most common time is something between 20.00 and 21.00.
How do you train for a time trial bike ride?
- Get to the race early. ...
- Make sure to complete a specific warmup. ...
- Pre-ride the course if possible. ...
- Don’t blow up out of the gate, go hard to get up to speed, and get into your aero bars as soon as possible.
- Plan your nutrition strategy and make sure you know what you’re going to eat or drink and when.
Is a tri bike faster?
The seat tube is closer to vertical than a road bike’s. This steeper geometry places the rider’s hips over the crankset which engages their quadriceps more for increased power.” Tri bikes are more aerodynamic and are “faster” than road bikes .
What is a roadie bike?
Road bikes are bicycles designed to take you as far and as fast as your legs can manage on paved surfaces . The road bike gets its name from the terrain it is designed to be used on – the road.
What is a good weight for a road bike?
A typical road bike should not weigh more than 18 pounds , pedals and cages included. Compared to other hunting bikes, these bikes are lighter and easier to ride on paved surfaces.
Is a triathlon bike worth it?
When comparing the average and normalised power of both athletes we can definitively say we have an answer to our question – forgoing a severe lack of bike skills or huge gusting winds, yes it is worth riding a TT bike in a non-draft race and although we at JT Multisport specialise in finding every free watt possible ...
Can you put aero bars on a road bike?
Road bikes typically do not come with aero bars, so specialty clip on aero bars can be added . “Clip on” refers to the fact that they are bolted onto the handlebar and can be removed with the right tools. Typically, clip on aero bars are installed once and are not regularly removed.
What kind of bike do I need for a triathlon?
Yes, you will need a bike. No, it does not need to be expensive. We see people do triathlons on their old mountain bikes, hybrids, or other slower bikes — and especially with a couple simple modifications these bikes can do very well. If you can, try to use a road bike, even if you simply borrow one from a friend.
