Turning an old steel bike into a TT Weapon!!

drumsmasher

Hi...as a newcomer to time trials i was wondering if it would be possible to turn an old steel road bike into a TT bike. I took the 10 speed Roval wheels off my main bike and fitted them to the frame to see how they went and they fitted fine. So....could i buy some deep section rims (Planet X) and run them?

Also what about bars for the stem which is currently an old fashioned 1" quill stem? Could i buy aero bars and clip ons to fit this?

Or....shall i buy a Giant TCR/OCR and build one of those up instead? It seems a number of guys at the local Club ride those.

Any help or advice would be great. Many thanks.

Pokerface

You can do either (make your steel bike into a TT machine or build up a Giant).

Deep section wheels are a must and will work on either. You can get clip on aero bars or proper aero bars if you are going to make this bike a dedicated TT bike.


It really depends what your goals and budget are - but everything you've mentioned is possible.

drumsmasher

Cheers Pokerface...sounds good to me!

SteveR_100Milers

By far and away the most important part of a fast TT set up is your position. You can indeed fit aero bars and these will have an immediate and big effect. Spend some time adjusting them so that you can get your back as flat as possible, raise the saddle slightly and stretch your body out and open your legs up. The trick is to get as far forward over the front wheel as you can and as low as possible. Then its worth spending money on aero wheels, and only after you have got an aero helmet and got the position of that right.

drumsmasher

Thanks for the info. If i go with the steel bike, will i have to buy 1 " bars and clip ons or will i be able to change the quill stem in any way?

whyamihere

You can use this to fit a standard stem, then you can use any bar you like.

drumsmasher

Thanks Whyamihere!! That will solve my problem and if i actually get faster i can transfer my stuff onto a better frame! Nice one!

richk

I've done a similar conversion on my old road bike :

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/beaconrcc/BEACONOPEN102010#5481211629239720866

Big thing is having a dedicated TT bike, theres no switching around of the set up for a TT or normal road use (which is quite different).

Front end needed bars, tri bars (used existing clip ons), bar end shifters (friction), brake levers & some tape. I've also used a reversible seat post to bring the saddle forward further.

Total cost was just over £100.