A correct bike fit and a tri bike allows you get into a much faster position than a road bike due to it’s geometry. All rights reserved. 4.Triathlon bikes are heavier than road bikes. No tri bars and 60mm race wheels: 30.8kph – 154km, Trek Speed Concept full race set up, 60mm race wheels: 33.1kph – 165.5km, Aluminium Trek road bike with 50mm carbon wheels: 28kph = 6h25, Trek Madone road bike, road position. After the triathlon bug bites, you may want to consider a new bicycle. The answer is almost universally yes. To get your triathlon bike sizing right, it important that you try the bike before you buy it. Between MSRP $1,500 and $3,000 So a 54cm model in one brand can be a slightly different size to a 54cm model in another brand. Careers There’s a fair bit of difference in how your body sits on a bicycle between a road bike, and a triathlon bike is for. You can see in the image below that the rider on the left presents a much taller profile to the wind (A) compared to the rider on the right’s profile (B) and as such is creating a lot more drag (you will have to excuse my non-existent photoshopping skills). So it’s a combination of both the bike being faster and the rider also being in a more aerodynamic position that gives the big increase in speed. Cookie Policy And if so by how much? This eliminates inconsistencies in effort level. Radioactive Red Bontrager Aeolus Comp 5 wheelset Bontrager Aeolus Comp saddle Bontrager elite bars and stem Bontrager R3 tyres Shimano Ultegra, Project One Trek Speed Concept. I can only go on my personal experience here and explain how I came up with the numbers I’m quoting. The actual difference of a tri bike is most noticeable when cycling hard down a straightaway. This allows you reach further forward and at the same time get a lower position without closing down your hip angle. Please see your Privacy Rights for how your information is used. So yes, a lighter bike may make a difference. Greater aerodynamics comes with speed, and you can expect the triathlon to perform better than the road bikes. 45 comments. Knowledge doesn’t produce results, action does. The biggest part of it really comes down to position. Support & Feedback The position we can ride in while remaining both comfortable and powerful. Posted on 21/03/2018 by rob in Featured, Triathlon // 0 Comments. From smoker to back of the pack triathlete to the Ironman World Championships. On a triathlon bike, the seat tube is steeper than a road bike. The two areas where the right bicycle can make the most impact are comfort and speed. Privacy Settings Does the geometry of a triathlon bike make a significant difference in how my legs will feel for the run? She's worked as one of the few World Cup coaches and delivered coached education training for the Triathlon Union's Sport Development Team. or If a bicycle fits correctly, you're more likely to enjoy cycling and find it easy to spend time riding. One main difference is simply the way the seat is positioned. This is over an hour off your Ironman bike split. Privacy Policy However, one thing is universally true. The lower seat tube angles found on these bikes is considered a "more relaxed" frame geometry. Case closed. Thousands of athletes have had successful training and racing experiences using Gale's ready-to-use, easy-to-follow training plans. If you want to spend money on something, then spend it on the best triathlon bike wheels and tyres you can afford, rather than an expensive carbon fibre seat post or static components. How to Track and Watch the Race, 2020 Trek Checkpoint SL7 gallery and highlights, Aluminium Trek road bike with 50mm carbon wheels: 28kph – 140km, Trek Madone road bike, road position. A good fit also reduces the likelihood of cycling-related injuries. Specifically, I am referring to the seat tube angle. The frame geometry for mountain bikes is designed for heavy off-road riding, single track, and going over rocks and other trail obstacles. In contrast, time trial riders get off the bike completely spent. There are way too many variables to say just how fast a bike costing £x would make you, but IMO, it does make a difference. Over an Olympic distance race of 40 kilometers the difference would be about 12-13 minutes from the slowest to the fastest set up. To conclude, aero helmets do make a difference. Is it just seconds or does it save you minutes? There’s a training session we do which includes long intervals done at Ironman race pace. There are also a couple of races where a road bike might be faster but not many. Sitemap It is not that you cannot take your triathlon bike on the road for a round of biking, but it is a fact that triathlon bike is a special road bike that is designed to improve the performance of an athlete in triathlon through optimum aerodynamics. Triathletes often ride through hilly terrain, cover distances up to 112 miles during races and must transition to running quickly and efficiently. This works well for someone who tends to ride in a group because a road bike has excellent handling skills and all of the controls are up on the handlebars in one area. It is also available as a paperback at Wheelworx. More: On the Bike: Fit Versus Technique. Look for this banner for recommended activities. 83. This difference might not sound like much, but in a high-speed competition, every second matter. Aeolus Comp 5 TLR, Trek Speed Concept Project One Custom Builds, Triathlon & Ironman Workshop With Bryan Mc Crystal & Emma Bilham, Irish In Kona 2019: The Start List. That ratio difference remains huge even with her … So if I ride the same session on the same lap in similar weather on back to back weekends whatever speed differences you are left with from one week to the next should to be as a result of the bike. If you want to follow the numbers more closely I’m on Strava as Rob Cummins Wheelworx or if you’re more of a pictures instead of reading type I post on Instagram as wheelworxrob. Closing the hip angle might help improve aerodynamics as you get lower at the front but at the same time it would compromise your power output. All three sessions were five hours long and included three times one hour at Ironman race pace efforts. Although there are a couple of points to note first. The question is—what type of bicycle is right for you? Lighter Bikes Will Invariably Cost More. save. The answer is almost universally yes. They also (confusingly) measure the frames differently. Some bicycles that are based on their light weight can cost upwards of $10,000. You could either get a dedicated tri bike (expensive) or clip on aero bars for your road bike (cheap). These design features are intended to minimize drag and increase speed (more on this later.) Then that right posture will help you to transfer more power to cranks while saving you more gas in the tank for run. So what is the difference? Relared: Trek Project One Bikes Part 2: 2018 Trek Speed Concept: Standard model and P1 Now. We stock Trek, Felt, Scott, Raleigh bikes. The frame geometry measurement people talk about most often is the seat tube angle, or the angle that the tube supporting your saddle makes in relation to the ground. Sign In, Join Active It was probably a combination of both, but I would say that most of my bike control skill came by working on it over time. Fully loaded, Trek Project One Bikes Part 2: 2018 Trek Speed Concept: Standard model and P1 Now. Triathlon bikes … Because it is very measurable and consistent it’s easy to compare bikes on it. So you’ve entered your first triathlon but you’re worried about needing lots of expensive equipment? Races such as Embrunman the long distance triathlon in the French alps might be one example. The weather was similar during the three sessions and there was only fifteen days between the first and last ride so there wasn’t going to be any great difference due to an improvement in fitness over such a short period. Find Camps & Activities for your Active Kids, The 2020 Holiday Gift Guide for Triathletes, Understanding GI Distress in Triathlons—and How to Prevent It, A 12-Week Triathlon Training Plan For Beginners, How to Decrease Injuries with Mobility Exercises. Although there are a couple of points to note first. It was much faster than I had expected it to be. By design, triathlon bikes are made to go the distance. I tried a road bike and didn't like it, uncomfortable to ride, scary skinny tyres and just don't seem to be made for cruising. If you scan the transition area of beginner-friendly triathlons, you can find a wide range of brands and bicycle types. Triathlon bikes have been carefully engineered to ensure that there’s a lot of rolling resistance on the ground, and the drag is kept at minimal. (They are a product of kickstarter too!) Jack has been riding and fettling bikes for his whole life. So if plan on competing in Sprints or Olympics you pr… If your finger is too tried to scroll these are my favorite ones right now right now-no TOOLS required once set up to get on and off easily. The eBook is now available to buy as an eBook on Amazon UK or Amazon US. The bike must be the correct size and must be fitted correctly for it to be faster. The most common bicycles found in a typical race transition area include triathlon, road, mountain and hybrid. 48. A difference of 20 grams matters to NASA getting to the moon, but it's not going to make a lick of difference to you trying to make a breakaway." How much time does a triathlon bike save? Better, lighter components require less effort to move, also, there is a big phsycological effect of riding a "nice" bike. Triathlon Bike Sizing. It also tends to be a long ride of four to five hours. Maybe it’s a bit more obvious why a regular aluminum bike is slower but how is the Speed Concept so much faster than a top of the range aero road bike like the Trek Madone? These are obviously not laboratory or wind tunnel conditions but I’m not trying to measure tiny differences. The aero position of a triathlon bike looks very uncomfortable, especially for 6-7 hours. © 2021 Active Network, LLC and/or its affiliates and licensors. This ensures you can confidently handle the bike and have a significant power transfer. No tri bars and 60mm race wheels: 30.8kph = 5h51, Trek Speed Concept full race set up, 60mm race wheels: 33.1kph = 5h17. But it tends to only be the most extreme races with a lot of long sustained climbs and descents that are better suited to riding a road bike. All brands and models are different and are aimed at different markets. ACTIVE also makes it easy to learn and prepare for all the things you love to do with expert resources, training plans and fitness calculators. For most people this is a typical improvement that you would see after a year or even two years of consistent hard training. Running Shoes|Fitness Apparel|Sports, Daily Deals: Wheelworx - Ireland's biggest and best specialist triathlon shop. In this book I share some of the lessons I learnt between being a back-of-the-pack beginner to qualifying for the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. But triathlon bikes are also much more expensive. Posted by 5 days ago. You can see in the two images below that they both have a similar skinny, wind cheating looking front profile. For its triathlon bike, it focused on static and dynamic comforts to make an overall high-quality ride. The major difference between the triathlon bike and the traditional road bike lies in the geometry of the bicycle frame. The Tri To Make A Difference sprint Triathlon is a USA Triathlon sanctioned event. In the cycling business, lightness equals money, sometimes very big money. With that being said, getting into an aero position will make a noticeable difference. But it tends to only be the most extreme races with a lot of long sustained climbs and descents that are better suited to riding a road bike. This is a fairly massive difference in speed. “Helmet choice can make a massive difference in racing, especially over the 180km Ironman bike leg,” says the Scot. 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