Using a time trial bike on the Marmotte...

Triafro

Hi everyone,
I'm doing the Marmotte for the first time this year. As a triathlete I have an alright time trial bike (Giant TCR1) and a old rubbish steel road bike for winter training (definately not dragging it around the Marmotte). In a bid to avoid forking out a couple of £k on a new road bike I was wondering if I can do the Marmotte on my time trial bike? Given the scale of the climbs I'm obviously a bit worried about the sitting position being more vertical, but I was wondering if anyone had any views on how worried I should be...
Any advice welcome, thanks!

weeve

err ..not sure how to put this nicely ...if its just set up just with aerobars wont you die on the first significant descent?.

Anonymous

no. this is wrong on so many levels.

how about hiring a bike?

Ken Night

Anyone wearing tri shoes/vest and riding a tri bike gets hissed at and generally reviled for having lack of class at the best continental sportives.....you need a new bike, you know you do.

Oh, there has never been a better time to buy a new bike

I can't remember if it was the Marmotte or elsewhere in France, tri bars are banned in sportives

No reason why you shouldn't do it having changed the bars, but you really do need a new bike don't you?

Hope that helps :twisted:

MrChuck

A TCR is just a normal road bike though isn't it? Take off your Tri bars and you should be fine, although you might want to think about a compact chainset I'd imagine.

dennisn

Ken Night wrote:

Anyone wearing tri shoes/vest and riding a tri bike gets hissed at and generally reviled for having lack of class at the best continental sportives..... :twisted:

I like the hissing idea for tri people. Think I'll give it a shot when I do the Colorado tour this year. Just to piss them off. You're right - "a lack of class".

Dennis Noward

Kléber

I think there might be a bike shop or two in Bourg d'Oisans where you can rent a bike, you might want to contact them. But if this is the case, give it a good try before, you don't want to start the day on a new bike, you should be comfortable with it.

But a tri bike? No, just don't do it. I suppose it is possible if you want a challenge but it will be frowned upon and you'll find the lack of positions - don't even think of using the tri bars - will be very tiring in no time.

fnb1

most of the bike sportives have an anti tri-bar policy (although you do still see a few who ride with them regardless)

Tri bars and big bunch riding are not a good mix, either from a control point of view

Other than that as prevoius posters say, TCR is a fairly standard machine, depends how you have specced it, e.g. very deep rims, could be troublesome (and more tiring) if the conditions are windy, also whether you have a specific TT bar set up or standard drops with clip ons, if the latter, whip the clip ons off, check your gearing, depending on your mountain experience, a compact would be the way forward, (Marmote would not be a place for 'standard' TT gearing) and as earlier mentioned consider the wheels at the same time.

Maybe find a 'friend' who might loan you a machine or possibly the bits to get a more 'sportive' or road set up on your TCR?

Meantime, good luck with the Marmotte and enjoy the views at the tops, they are are hard earned!

Triafro

Thanks for the responses - I have standard drop down handlebars with clip on aero bars, don't worry, I was definately not considering doing it with aero bars, sorry for the confusion.
Sounds like I might be able to modify the TCR to more of a road set up - I'll look into that first and then consider buying a new bike.
Cheers
Matt