speedsuits and tri specific bikes?

I believe the most recent triathlete mag had a write up on the specifics of speedsuits, may want to check that out.

I have never owned a road bike, only multi speed bike I have ever owned is my Kestrel KM40, so can't help you there.

But I do know that even a road bike setup with aero bars is going to require a change in the setup of that bike, and you will want to go aero on the longer races, maybe even oly's too. And if money is there, a tri specific bike would save you from going from tri setup to road setup if you wanted to do that.

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Edited by JeepFleeb 2008-03-01 6:31 PM

I've dropped my run time from 13 minute miles to 9:30 in my last race. My bike times improved from 12.9 to 17.4 in my last race. I have a race coming up in 2 weeks and think I can go sub 9 on the run and push 18mph on the bike. I race in the clydesdale division and weigh 255 at the moment. I have 20-25 more pounds I'd like to lose and that in itself should help more as well. I'm just a competative person and want to go as fast as I can.

hey im brand new to this triathlon thing (only been training for two weeks lol) but when i was at our local tri-shop asking every question that comes to mind, i ended up asking about the aero helmets. She told me that in order for them to be doing anything at all for you, you have to be riding faster than 18 mph, so i would assume that would apply in much the same way for bikes.

point is: unless you'll be averaging 18+ mph on the bike in the oly, spending the extra money wont get you hardly anything.

Stephen

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Since you said you love your road bike, I would stick with it for a while. Tribikes are great and they are faster, but the time you will pick up for the $'s spent makes it lower on the list. If the new bike will make you train more then it could be worth it.

I have a race bike with aerobars, a bullhorn and a forward seat post.
The forward seat post gives me the same seat post angle as a tri bike.
The bullhorn and aerobars with bar end shifters give me the same steering as a tri bike.
With this setup I have got to a position on the bike which is comfortable for me and more aero than a standard race bike with only aerobars setup. I don't think I would gain more than a few seconds on a oly distance with the extra aerodynamics of a tri bike frame (with the same position as on my current bike. Maybe my position could be improved but I could achieve that on my current bike).
The disadvantage of this setup is that the front wheel caries more weight than with a tri bike which makes the bike very responsive... but I'm used to that now.
This setup cost me about $350 (aerobars, bullhorn, bar end shifters, brakes and shorter stem).

I noticed some change from my 'cross bike to my TT/Tri bike, but the biggest gains have been in my overall fittness.  Before I was doing solid 12min/mi runs, now i'm 9:30's...  Mind, I do want to go get some fancy gadgets for the TT bike, but I'm not at a point where I think they'd make much a difference.

I just switched from a road bike to a tri bike a few weeks ago and the biggest differences I've noticed are:
1) Head winds aren't nearly the problem they were on the roadie. And here in Kona we get some pretty good head winds.

2) tri bikes are quad burners and it takes some time to get used to using different muscle groups.

3) Coming off the bike to the run I feel much fresher. My last tri two weeks ago I road at 85 to 95 percent on the bike (14 mile bike course) just to test the claim that tri bikes save your running muscles. And sure enough, when I got off the bike my legs felt pretty fresh. I ended up 10th over all when before I got my tri bike I would finished in the high 20s or 30s.

4) Comfort. I had earobars on my road bike and never could get comfortable on them. My tri bike is more comfortable than any bike I've ever ridden. I just went on a 42 miler today (a recovery day from a Sunday race) and just took it easy and it was way more comfortable than my roadie, which I've had for 5 years.

5) Cost. My road bike cost less than a grand. My tri bike cost more than my car, my scooter, my rent ( and I live in Kona hawaii and rent is a lot ...), my computer, my flat screen TV, my ...