Racing Road Bike that can be used as a Tri bike

CrazySmudge

Greetings

What racing road bike can I buy for £1500 max that I can use as a racer and tri bike? Do not want to get a TT bike as I have heard that hill climbing isn't thier strong piont... correct? So fast on the flats and capable of climbing...

ideas please

Thanks

Al

fleshtuxedo

The posiition on a TT bike doesn't lend itself to climbing, or to comfort over long rides.

Any road bike you put clip on bars to would therefore do you fine. If you want to get the most advantage you can for tri/TT riding, then you could get a road bike with an aero frame and some deep wheels. TBH you'd get best value second hand (and loads of this sort of bike gets sold on with very little mileage on, so you can get great value). Bikes I'd start to look for are Felt AR series and Cervelo Soloist. You'd get a nice one second hand for £1500 (try ebay), but I think if you look around you'd find a new Felt AR4 for not much over your budget

Alternatively if it has to be new, you could get a Planet X SL carbon with a motly SRAM red spec for £1200 and have £300 left to upgrade the wheels to something deeper.

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/CBP ... n-sram-red

nochekmate

Cervelo S1 is marketed as a suitable bike for both road and TT - should be available within your budget

mroli

TBH, I'd just get the best road bike for you at that price and chuck on some clip on tri bars.

I've done tris on my road bike without clip ons quite happily - just get in the drops.

bigpikle

I wouldnt worry too much - loads of people ride all sorts of bikes in tri's and I've seen plenty of fast guys on flat bar bikes passing slow blokes on tri bikes.

If limited I'd just get the best bike you can that allows you to ride and train as much as possible and ride in the drops or use clip-on bars if you can get the fit right.

Monty Dog

Getting your position dialled in is key to going fast. The number of go-fast bikes with a 3 inch stack of spacers just goes to demonstrate that you can make a fast bike go slow

wildmoustache

Yeah, it's all about position and adaptation over time. That last point is fundamental but often overlooked.

Traditionally, you'd go for a bike with a shortish head tube and steep seat tube for a TT/Tri bike, so look out that geometry as a starter. BUT it depends on your position/fit etc.

must-tri-harder

just get a road bike and throw on Tri bars as already stated. The reason you'd want a TT/Tri bike is to get the best out of yourself over a given distance, but the bike is the least best value bang for your buck part of that equation. Position and power are king followed by the marginal gains given by: TT bars, helmet, wheels and finally frame i believe is the order of precedence. If you can get comfortable on a road bike there's no reason why you cant compete.

great satisfaction sailing past someone on a TT bike on your road bike during an event.

Cervelo S1 would be my first choice, it is touted as being fit for this exact purpose or Felt AR series as already mentioned.

My Felt F55 does the job quite well, top 6 at my local tri on the bike last year, with no rear disc wheel, no TT bike and no pointy hat.