Upgrade Road Bike or buy Triathlon Bike ???

Forrester76

Hi

I currently own a ladies BeOne Leontien Team Replica roadbike, I'm not sure whether to upgrade this bike with some aerobars, better rims and tires or to buy a triathlon bike ?
I'm thinking of either a Planet x stealth pro, Quintana Roo CD.01 or Felt B16.
I basically want to increase my speed when I'm racing (Triathlon sprint & middle)
I average 17-19mph in races and 14-16mph in training.
One other thing I don't understand the difference between different chainsets: Eg 53/39, 52/38......

Thanks for your help !

C

cyco2

Greg Lomond, I think won the TDF on a modified road bike so your in the same company if you don't want to pay out for a specialised bike. The lower number of toothed chainset would, I guess, be better for a woman (debatable) unless you ride like Nichol Cook.

Wirral_paul

Greg Lemond last won the TdF in 1990 so that was 22 years ago (and 23 years since he won the TT on tri-bars) - not exactly a great reason to recommend sticking to a road bike really

If you fancy getting a TT bike then ideally try one out. You will need to be quite flexible to get the best out of the aero position available, and for some i'd say they would be a waste of time if you cant get comfortable on one. If not then some clip on aero bars or maybe even a full set of TT bars and a shorter stem may well work with your current frame (not so great for long training rides however).

Chainsets - as above, given your stated speeds then i cant see any reason why you would need anything bigger than a compact with 50/34 rings. You could get a spare inner ring with a 38 or 39 teeth for the flatter courses - you'll soon work out which rings are best for what courses. A fairly close ratio cassette should be ideal for racing unless it is very hilly.

Hope this helps

nochekmate

Get yourself a Cevelo S1 - superb aluminium frame, wonderfully responsive as a road bike. Flip the seatpost, brings the saddle forward, pop some aero bars on and have a decent TT set-up. Best of both worlds. Problem with dedicated TT bike is that they are not really made for everyday road riding. With the S1 you can meet both needs and secondhand can be had for approx. £800 or so I would suggest.

markos1963

As you already have a road bike then why not get a Tri bike. It is your main sport so get equiped for it, you wouldn't run in a pair of hiking boots because you need shoes for every occasion and it's the same for the bike. Get a proper fit done in a good store, you will soon get used to the position it's just a question of regular training, try getting an adjustable stem so you can experiment with position. I agree with getting a compact chainset 50/34 or if you can get it 50/36 as it's more suited to your event, unlikely to get very steep hills in a race.

mallorcajeff

I had the same dilema I bought carbon clip ons and tried them twice and never got on with them due to the road bike being too big to get any real benefit from them was very stretched out so sold them and hunted for a good used TT bike and as they are quite use specific they dont get much use from a lot of people so there is some bargains out there. I picked one up last week at a good price so Ive ended up with a road and TT bike. If you can afford the TT specific Bike I would buy one its built for the job. Check sizing though as they are very different from road bikes. Most seem to ride either small or medium. I ride a 56cm Road bike but got a medium BMC Timemachine.

dawebbo

If your sole goal is faster tri's, then a dedicated TT bike is the obvious choice. The compromise is that you'll probably only be using it for events/turbo, as you can't do group rides on it and tbh a road bike is much nicer to ride when you're doing more than going up and down A roads.

Forrester76

Thanks for all your help, I think I'll go for a TT Bike which I'll just use for racing and keep the road bike for training, can anyone recommend any good cycle shops around Cambridgeshire/Norfolk/suffolk ?
If I'm going to spending that sort of money I'd prefer to try the bikes out first and see what suits me best....

Thanks again

Claire

markos1963

Forrester76 wrote:

Thanks for all your help, I think I'll go for a TT Bike which I'll just use for racing and keep the road bike for training, can anyone recommend any good cycle shops around Cambridgeshire/Norfolk/suffolk ?
If I'm going to spending that sort of money I'd prefer to try the bikes out first and see what suits me best....

Thanks again

Claire

In Norfolk I'd use Fatbirds at Hunstanton, bit of a trek but keen to let you try out the bikes. Pedal Revolution in Norwich have a good stock of TT bikes in store but can be very busy at weekends. Specialised Cycles(not the brand) in Connaught St, Norwich are very good for repairs servicing etc but don't have a massive stock but could give you the best advise.

alwaystoohot

Hi Claire,

I'm in the same position as you, I do Sprint and Olympic tri's and don't know what to do. To some extent you don't 'need' a tri bike unless you do half Ironman, a good road bike with tri-bars will get you through the Olympic 40k ride effortlessly. I would definitely NOT sell a road bike to get a tri bike however as they're simply too darn uncomfortable for general use. Remember you're transferring your weight/mass up and forward and your wrists downwards which doesn't make for pleasurable sunday afternoon rides through the park. I'd love to get a bike but its difficult to justify as I'll struggle to do more than one sprint and 2 Olympics this summer anyway. Bottom line I'm not sure its justified for an Olympic considering the outlay.

Says he, running out of the door!
Richard