TT bike vs road bike

ben@31
ben@31 Posts: 2,327
edited September 2012 in Road general
Watching cycling events such as the grand tours or the Olympics on TV, I've always wondered why competitors have 2 different bikes? Why not use the same bike for all the stages? Is there much difference between road bikes and TT bikes on a flatish road?
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Comments

  • declan1
    declan1 Posts: 2,470
    TT bikes are for maximum speed on a TT stage - more aerodynamic position and bike equal faster times on a short stage.

    Road bikes are more comfortable for longer stages.

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    I have no idea what's going on here.
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    Look at how low and aerodynamic tt riders are compared to road riders.

    Some of the further flung early season races don't allow tt bikes - but that's mainly to cut costs so teams don't have to air freight out another set of bikes.
  • napoleond
    napoleond Posts: 5,992
    TT bike - Faster/more aero dynamic but not very good handling, not allowed in group riding due to this and the handlebars - hands are not near the brakes.
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  • diy
    diy Posts: 6,473
    TT bikes are amazingly cool until you ride one. Then you crave a road bike.
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  • danowat
    danowat Posts: 2,877
    diy wrote:
    TT bikes are amazingly cool until you ride one. Then you crave a road bike.

    Odd, I love my TT bike, so much faster than a roadbike for the same effort, I've ridden mine for 12hr's with no problems :D
  • slowondefy2
    slowondefy2 Posts: 348
    danowat wrote:
    I've ridden mine for 12hr's with no problems :D

    That's nothing, I've done 176 hours on my road bike so far this year!

    :wink:
  • danowat
    danowat Posts: 2,877
    slowondefy2 wrote:
    danowat wrote:
    I've ridden mine for 12hr's with no problems :D

    That's nothing, I've done 176 hours on my road bike so far this year!

    :wink:

    I meant 12hr's in one hit :)

    I am roughly at 400 hours on my road bike so far this year
  • owenjones
    owenjones Posts: 30
    I think it's interesting how in professional triathlons (including the Olympics), the riders use road bikes rather than TT...the brownlee's for example use boardman road bikes. I did the London Triathlon last weekend and everyone had TT Bikes!!

    Why is this?!
  • graeme_s-2
    graeme_s-2 Posts: 3,382
    owenjones wrote:
    I think it's interesting how in professional triathlons (including the Olympics), the riders use road bikes rather than TT...the brownlee's for example use boardman road bikes. I did the London Triathlon last weekend and everyone had TT Bikes!!

    Why is this?!
    The Olympic-style triathlons are draft legal (you can ride in another rider's slipstream) so you need a road style bike. In virtually all amateur triathlons drafting is illegal and riders caught drafting will be given a time penalty. This means the bike leg is ridden like a time trial and those who can afford it will use a time trial bike.
  • danowat
    danowat Posts: 2,877
    In short, a TT bike will always be faster solo, in a group situation, it makes little (to no) difference.
  • psittacosis
    psittacosis Posts: 97
    riding on tt bars in a group situation can be a mistake.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaQJB_bW ... re=related

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