Are TT bikes comfortable?

nickyhoward55

Ive been interested in TT bikes for a while, i love the idea of the layout and now more company's are producing 'relaxed' TT bikes they seem like a viable option for everyday riding. I could be and probably am wrong though....

Something like http://www.cube.eu/en/road/tria/aerium-pro/ seems ideal to me. I dont have any ambition to race at the moment but it could be something for the future.

Does anyone use one for general riding/fitness/long distance and what are they like?



Ta

cougie

Lots of people use them in 24 hour races. They can be comfortable if you get the fit right but normal road bikes still make sense to me. Easier to climb on a road bike and dodge potholes and bunny hop etc...

verylonglegs

Why would you ride a TT bike when you have no intention of doing TT's or racing?! Casual TT bikes? the marketing boys are having a laugh surely...

nickyhoward55

As stated above, its something im going to look at in the future. I generally do a 20mile loop from my house. Call it an un-official 20 mile TT race with no competition (i always win...woohoo)

rozzer32

Just use a normal road bike, if you want to do TT's in the future then buy a pair of clip on aero bars.

Zingzang

nickyhoward55 wrote:

what are they like?

I would go as far as to say they are extremely comfortable. They have a pair of nice padded elbow rests up front so you can really get into your chill zone, and you can get so low on them it is almost as if you are lying down; the risk is that you may actually fall asleep while riding the bike.

With this risk in mind you need to be careful if you use one for racing. Most people find it is only the prodigious quantities of lactic acid flowing through their legs, the heart rate of 190 bpm, and the consequent difficulty they experience even focusing on the road ahead that keeps them awake.

This is why it is definitely best to reserve them for racing.

Sleeping_menace

I wouldn't say a properly fitting, properly set up TT bike is comfortable, as much as it's not painful. They're not at all designed for comfort, they're designed to put you into a position where your body will disturb the air as minimally as possible.
I do quite a bit of training on my TT bike, and yes, I can do so in relative comfort (relative being a key word here) for 25 miles, but they're not a bike you'll want to hop on for an all day gentle ride.
I'd suggest to you that the 'Everyday TT bike' you've seen marketed is someone trying to take advantage of the 'cool factor' TT bikes seem to carry, whist suggesting that they're fine for every day usage..but it's not really the case.
To take an extreme view, look at the seating position and weight distribution for the rider on a 'comfort bike', then look at the same on a TT bike - they're about as far removed as it's possible to be on two wheels.

It all boils down to this : If you're enjoying that 20 mile loop and getting faster, and just want a TT bike to enjoy that loop on with the forward view to perhaps racing one day -- Go for it! I did something similar years back and I absolutely LOVE TT racing now.
If, however, you're looking for a comfortable, 'all day in the saddle' bike on which to have a relaxed ride : look elsewhere.

shinyhelmut

My TT bike is comfortable, but then it's set up for 6hrs/112 miles followed by a marathon. If it was set up for local 10s or 25s it would be bearable rather than comfortable.

I ride it regularly during the dry months but only when I'm out on my own, riding on aero bars is not a good idea in a crown. I've got a regular road bike for club rides and winter riding.

markos1963

Yes my TT bike is comfortable for a race bike but it isn't a comfortable bike. To ride it in the right position you have to balance on the nose of the saddle and that is the limiting factor. I can manage about three hours on it before the whole of my groin goes numb. The other factor is your neck, you'll find on a TT bike the constant lifting back of your head to see where you are going will hurt at first. You'll also find the ride quality worse as TT bikes tend to be designed to get all the power you make to the wheel so are very stiff, factor in as well deep rimmed wheels which give you more of a battering and you'll soon see why TTers like smooth dual carriageways! So up to two hours I'd say ok but after that things get tough.

cougie

Zingzang wrote:

nickyhoward55 wrote:

what are they like?

I would go as far as to say they are extremely comfortable. They have a pair of nice padded elbow rests up front so you can really get into your chill zone, and you can get so low on them it is almost as if you are lying down; the risk is that you may actually fall asleep while riding the bike.

With this risk in mind you need to be careful if you use one for racing. Most people find it is only the prodigious quantities of lactic acid flowing through their legs, the heart rate of 190 bpm, and the consequent difficulty they experience even focusing on the road ahead that keeps them awake.

This is why it is definitely best to reserve them for racing.

My pal has actually nodded off on his tri bars. Just for a second - he woke up rather sharpish !

shinyhelmut

markos1963 wrote:

Yes my TT bike is comfortable for a race bike but it isn't a comfortable bike. To ride it in the right position you have to balance on the nose of the saddle and that is the limiting factor. I can manage about three hours on it before the whole of my groin goes numb. The other factor is your neck, you'll find on a TT bike the constant lifting back of your head to see where you are going will hurt at first. You'll also find the ride quality worse as TT bikes tend to be designed to get all the power you make to the wheel so are very stiff, factor in as well deep rimmed wheels which give you more of a battering and you'll soon see why TTers like smooth dual carriageways! So up to two hours I'd say ok but after that things get tough.

Try an ISM Adamo saddle. Groin numbness is no longer an issue.

markos1963

ShinyHelmut wrote:

markos1963 wrote:

Yes my TT bike is comfortable for a race bike but it isn't a comfortable bike. To ride it in the right position you have to balance on the nose of the saddle and that is the limiting factor. I can manage about three hours on it before the whole of my groin goes numb. The other factor is your neck, you'll find on a TT bike the constant lifting back of your head to see where you are going will hurt at first. You'll also find the ride quality worse as TT bikes tend to be designed to get all the power you make to the wheel so are very stiff, factor in as well deep rimmed wheels which give you more of a battering and you'll soon see why TTers like smooth dual carriageways! So up to two hours I'd say ok but after that things get tough.

Try an ISM Adamo saddle. Groin numbness is no longer an issue.

I was thinking about it, I have a Selle Italia T1 which is pretty good especially for climbing.

christurbo

TTing is completely different from a roadie. If I were you I would try before you buy because you may find you hate the position, the back ache, the twitchiness, the loneliness, etc. There again you might just get sucked into the sport and spend every minute of the day and the remainder of your savings on the sport!

kev77

rozzer32 wrote:

Just use a normal road bike, if you want to do TT's in the future then buy a pair of clip on aero bars.

What Rozzer states, i have just purchased a set of clip-ons in case TT's are not for me.

danowat

My TT bike isn't inherently uncomfortable, heck if it was, I wouldn't dream of riding it for over 4hrs, however......

The position is certainly not something I would choose for day to day riding, why would I?, going fast in training is irrelevant, the only time I want to go fast is during a race.

If you really want a day to day "TT bike" get a roadie with a semi-aero frame and stick some clip-ons on it, best of both worlds

Would you use an F1 car as a day to day runabout?

andy_wrx

To the OP, I'd suggest you read this article which talks about bike position and debates pros & cons of a full-on tri/TT bike vs a roadbike
http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/ ... kefit.html

I'm not sure about that Cube Aerium which you link to
- ignoring what Cube's marketing says, is it actually a tri bike or a roadbike ?

It comes with clip-on tribars but with a conventional drop bar and STI's
Seat tube is 76degrees, headtube 73degrees, top tube 555mm on a 55mm frame

But the Aerium Race is the exact same frame (different colour !) and with Profile pursuit basebar and longer full-on tribars with bar-end shifters
And the Aerium HPC is a carbon frame, again with pursuit bar and bar-ends, very minor different geom of 5mm more toptube and 4mm less headtube, but again with 76degrees / 73degrees

So, as the Slowtwich article says about the Giant and Cannondale (models no longer sold, this article is a few years old), what we have here from Cube is either a tri/TT frame which will be compromised with drops and STI's, or a road frame compromised with pursuit bars and bar-ends

nickyhoward55

Thanks for the replays folks! Some great info and opinions.

As for the last reply from andy_wrx. I was confused by this bike as well. The geometry is very similar to that of a normal road bike with only a shorter headtube and greater seat tube angle compared to a similar sized normal frame. I've seen some of the more extreme bikes with there crazy angles and while everyone is correct with what they have said so far about the 'aero position' the cube seems to be a sort of middle ground between the 2 if there is such a thing.

I think I'll do what many have suggested and drag myself to my lbs and give one a try.

Thanks again.