tri-bike vs. road bike

Welcome. Are you also coming here from a non-athletic (i.e., golfing) background?

YOU should first determine what kind of cycling you are going to be doing. If it's strictly triathlons then get a dedicated tri bike. If you're going to be doing club rides, centuries, charity rides and touring as well as triathlons, then you might be better off with a road bike that is modified to do triathlons.

Read this:

http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/bikes/difference.shtml

After all I've learned.  I would NEVER recommend someone to get a tri bike if they don't own a road bike already.

Riding a road bike makes you a better triathlon cyclist...period.  Just like swimming all 4 strokes makes you a better freestyle swimmer.

It's a very common misconception among new triathletes that in order to get fast they need to train fast, in order to bike fast they need to train on their tri bike, in order to swim freestyle fast they need to swim freestyle all the time.

They tend to misunderstand the "specificity of training" concept talked about by many well-known coaches and take this concept to the extreme.

The bottom line is that riding a road bike will make you a better cyclist on your tri-bike and by swimming all four strokes will make you a faster freestyle swimmer.  Counterintuitive isn't it?

There were articles written in recent Triathlete magazines talking about just these topics.  The bike article was written by none other than Steve Larsen and was in the april 2005 issue and the swimming article was written by none other than Terry Laughlin but I can't recall the exact issue (couple months ago though).

So my long winded answer to your question is if you don't own a road bike and want to start doing triathlons....buy a road bike.  If you already own a road bike, buy a tri bike.

My coach is not even having me ride my brand spankin' new tri bike until 3 months before IMWI.  Not because he's evil and knows I'm DYING to ride my tri bike since it is...NEW...but because he also understands this "road bike makes you a better cyclist" concept.

Steve,

You made a bunch of statements, but didn't tell us 'why'.  Why will riding a road bike make a better triathlon cyclist?

TJ

Sorry guys...didn't mean to leave you hanging...

Terry Laughlin states in his article that swimming all 4 strokes (or all 3 in my case...ha ha ha) allows a swimming to really gain a "feeling" for being in the water.  Basically he was saying that by swimming all 4 strokes you become much more "fluent" in swimming.

For example, I lived in Guam for 4 years of my childhood.  I was constantly swimming around (not competitive, just being a kid type stuff) in our pool in the backyard and in the ocean.  I became VERY comfortable in water, comfortable underwater, comfortable diving into water, almost "one" with the water (sorry to sound hokey).  I definately can feel this confidence/comfortableness that I've developed as a child carry over into relatively quick increase in swimming efficiency because when I'm learning a new technique or changing up my swim stroke I feel comfortable doing it.

To panic is a big word for most in the water since most of us are past the "panic" stage of swimming, but if someone were to tell you to do a drill where you couldn't really breathe well you may feel uncomfortable doing the drill because you can't get a good breath or maybe get a little water down your windpipe...this results in loosing the effect of the drill as you may be concentrating more on getting a good breath rather than what the drill is suppose to have you concenrate on.

Now I have no swimming background (besides just fooling around as a child in water a hell of a lot...seriously...like hours a day) and I taught myself how to swim freestyle with Terry's book about 8 years ago.  I would get water in my windpipe but it wouldn't phase me because I would simply continue to try to do Terry's drills and just caugh out the water in my windpipe during the exhale phase of whatever drill I was doing...this I attribute to my comfort in the water from childhood.

So the philosophy is that by doing all 4 strokes, you are able to become very fluent in positioning your body in the water and comfortable with balancing your body in various positions in the water (back, breast, fly, free).  this allows you to really "feel" your stroke and your body positioning while swimming freestyle.

Do you think that college athletes who are 100meter freestyle (or 1500meter freestyle) specialists only swim freestyle in all there workouts?  No, they are great at back, breast, butterfly AND free.

I won't go on and on about writing a road bike to become a better triathlete as I've made this post too long already (sorry...) but I've referenced the Triathlete Magazine and month/year so you can read up on it.  Steve Larsen knows a little bit about cycling as Terry knows a little bit about swimming (ha ha ha).

So in short...swimming all 4 strokes will make you more efficient in the water which will translate into faster Freestyle swim splits.

No, it's not bad and if you are flailing around in the water and can't swim freestyle very well yet...by all means concentrate on getting your form down.  But as soon as you can swim 1,000 meters at a 2:00-2:30/100m pace, it's time to incorporate back, breast, and free into your workout to the tune of about 20-30% of each workout.

Because solely riding a tri-bike limits your ability to develop as a cyclist.

Clip-ons?  Do you mean clipless pedals or aerobars?  If you mean aerobars, I USED to use them when I didn't have a tri bike to race.

I raced on a 1992 Specialized Stumpjumper with aerobars for the first several years of racing as aerobars is one of the guaranteed ways to "buy speed."  When I "upgraded" to my Cannondale R300, I used those same aerobars on my road bike until which time I purchased my first tri bike last year.

Unfortunately my back injury prevents me to execute the butterfly stroke.  After a year off from butterfly, I attemped to do it again but reinjured my back, which didn't heal for about 10 days so I've pretty much conceded to the idea that butterfly is no longer an option for me.  I do back, breast, and free and during cooldowns I even sometimes incorporate the good ol' military stroke....the SIDE STROKE ! !

Has anyone read the articles I've referenced?

Steve,

I've read the articles you've referenced and I've heard you say this before about swimming different strokes. And I don't agree or disagree. But I can say this that I don't need to do the breast and back stroke to feel "comfortable," in the water. It's great to have a survival stroke, say if you get tired of freestyle. And hey if you wanna' learn breast and fly that's cool too. But to say you HAVE to learn other strokes to get faster/better at swimming well, I don't know if I quite buy that argument. Maybe for someone who isn't comfortable in the water. But well, I just don't know if I'd be that adamant. And Terry is the king of T1 and all but he ain't the final authority on swimming and neither is T1. T1 is a technique just like any other coaching technique. Sure thousands of people use it but millions of people went to see Star Wars to and that doesn't make them smart or it a movie worth seeing. Sometimes what "everybody is doing," isn't always the best answer. So I encourage you to read around and research and then in the end go with your gut. If your gut says get a tri bike get one. If your gut says get a road bike get one. The bike doesn't make the cyclist. Time on the bike does. Good luck and keep us posted.

Ok, I never said the bike makes the cyclist, I said the training makes the cyclist and training on a road bike makes a better cyclist.  Again, if you solely train on a tri-bike you will limit your cycling development.

I guess my opnion is that I tend not to argue with people that know much more than I do.  Namely professional cyclists, olympic/college swimming coaches, and even Terry Laughlin.

If doing other strokes didn't make a swimmer faster in their discipline stroke; then college and olympic swim coaches would never have them do any other strokes!

Also, if riding a road bike didn't make you a better cyclist, then Peter Reid, Heather Gollnick, and Cam Widoff would never ride anything but their tri bikes.

I'm not a coach, nor do I pretend to be one, however, what I do know is what has proven to make competitors into world class athletes and MOPers into elite athletes.

I am not one to argue or second guess their results only to emulate their techniques to become the best athlete I can genetically become.

I completely see your view as not everyone wants to be the best athlete they can genetically become, but rather just do it to gain self-esteem, loose weight, or simply be part of something larger than themselves that makes them feel good.  For these people, you're suggestion of  "If your gut says get a tri bike get one. If your gut says get a road bike get one." is a good one.

However, if you're goal is to progress as an athlete and become more and more competitive season after season then you must not overlook these simple proven performance enhancements.

Make sense?

NO NOT REALLY.  This is my hobby. I'll go out on a limb here and say the majority of people on this site do it as a hobby, ie-part-time. 

I wanna do the best I can do, again, I'll go out on a limb and say most people here are trying to do the best THEY can.   I do NOT have the time or the resources to train the way world class athletes train.  Do you have to get a hyperbaric chamber also?  Thats a proven technique isnt it?

In the limited time I have to train, I do what I think will best help me become a better triathlete, based on what I've read, NOT emulating what world class triathletes are doing- they have just a bit more talent than I'll ever have no matter WHAT I do, and I think a lot of their workouts are geared to that talent and ability.  I may try to pick some things that they're doing and try to incorporate them in my training, but doing EVERYTHING they do? C'mon get real.

I also STILL do not understand your point about training on a tri-bike limiting your development as a cyclist???  Is the reverse true?  Training on a road bike only will limit your development as a cyclist?   Do all the guys in that little race in France every July train on tri-bikes?   

It seems to me that if you're going to "limit your development as a cyclist," that it would be better to limit it to the machine and the style of riding that is most efficient, most comfortable in the aero (i.e., racing) position, especially if that is the only style of riding that you want to do.

Also seems to me that what you're talking about (training with the road bike, utilizing four strokes) can be referred to as cross-training, even within the same discipline. Good to do, certainly beneficial, certainly makes you a better triathlete. But, if you had the resources to do only one (buy only one bike, train with only one swim stroke), it would be better to do the one with which you race.

Would someone just tell that golfer to BUY A TRI BIKE?

Hell, if s/he's dumping money into GOLF, then s/he sure as crap can justify purchasing a tri bike.

I did: "YOU should first determine what kind of cycling you are going to be doing. If it's strictly triathlons then get a dedicated tri bike."

BTW, I don't have access to the articles Steve referenced, but if someone wants to scan them and send them to me, I'd be happy to read them.

If you will only do one tri and planning on biking for other reasons get a road bike.

If you are getting into biking only to do tri's, get a tri bike.

When I went to the bike store to buy my first bike (a mountain bike with road tires), there was one section of bikes that drew me over.  And every time I went back, I would always migrate over and drool over them.  When I was ready to step up and buy my next bike, the bike shop guys (mostly roadies) tried to steer me to a road bike. I knew though that I would never be happy with a road bike, so I went with the tri bike and have never considered getting a road bike. If I want to do a group ride or ride around the city, I just take out my hybrid.

zakk - 2005-05-22 8:21 AM get a road bike. any road bike. Any sub- $1000 bike today would absolutely demolish what won grand tours 10-15 years ago. So any roadbike you get will be a decent on as long as its from a reputable maker (Lemond, Giant, hell, even house brands like Scanate (sp?), Douglas, etc.) You should get a road bike because a Tri bike is a very twitchy character when properly set up. It does not handle well, staying aero is tough, steering, drinking, etc. are all harder when you're aero. IMO, its even harder when your on the attack bars. A road bike is set up for riding of all kinds. Just want to spin? sit on the hoods or on the tops. Feel like a sprint? get in the drops, go fast. I would ride the bike for a few months (Ride Lots!), do a few races and then see where your at. At that point, you should have "Ride Lots" in and be ready to try clip-on aero bars. after a few more months of that and you're addicted to Tri's, then you can get to looking at a TT bike like a Cervelo P3C

LOL maybe if you rode your Tri bike more you could handle it better.

Funny. Probably true, but funny .

I have to disagree with this, to the point of suggesting that you maybe have your "set up" looked at by an expert. Handling is twitchy, but stayin in the aero position should be easier and more comfortable on a tri bike. That's the primary reason for its design.