modified road bike (seat post, clip ons, etc)

If you are looking for a dedicated tri bike, this route would not be the best. If you are planning to have one bike and thus need this bike to do both duties (traditional road and tri), then it can be made to work ok. Keep in mind that you are disturbing the balance of the bike by basically changing the weight distribution forward (tri) compared to how it is designed to be ridder (more of center and backwards).

Can you still get comfortable and efficient, within reason yes you can. Because you are changing the weight distribution, the fit on the bike gets to be exponentially more important when you do this; you simply have less margin for error.

i would have a fit done to get me positioned right, however didn't know if I could have the "tri" position defined with the FF seat post and bars, then if/when needed swap out the existing road seat post to put me back to a typical road riding position (having the height, etc documented).

I would prefer a full time Tri bike however that isn't in the cards right now, possibly later this year/next year.
Thanks

All i added to my road bike are some aero bars i am very comfy, but, i have to warn you they take some getting used to. I like you aim to get a tri bike, but, for now i do pretty good with what i have, remember its the engine that counts.....;-) I love aero position i just wish i could ride in it all the time.

I did this, for a while.  But bear in mind that switching back and forth from a tri position to a road position is very unlikely to be as simple as swapping out the seat or seatpost.  (My 'tri' setup involved a different stem, for example.  You are likely to at least need to adjust the height of the handlebars as well.  None of this is rocket science, but it isn't a 10 second swapout of the seatpost.)

Also bear in mind that the full assortment of adjustments can start to get pricey itself.

**I am NOT a bike fitter**

You may be able to get the seat forward enough with your existing seatpost, especially if you have a saddle with long rails like Fizik or Profile Design, or a "zero-setback" seatpost...  slide the saddle tip about 2 inches (5-7 cm) behind the center of the bottom bracket (but probably not a lot further forward than that, IMO, to preserve balance and center of gravity). You want to change the seat angle from about 73 degrees (typical road bike) to about 76 degrees (a little shallower than an agressive 78 degree tri bike). I keep my tri saddle on one zero setback seat post, and my road saddle on a different standard (10mm setback)post, and this allows for a really quick swap, since fiddling with saddle rail clamp bolts is a hassle.  Then modify cockpit with a slightly shorter stem, maybe 90mm if you are using a 105 mm stem now, and maybe a different stem angle, and clip-ons, and I'll bet you are really satisfied with the result. About an inch (25mm) less cockpit length is typical...Let us know how it works...

Edited by jsselle 2010-01-15 7:19 AM

I have a tribike but also do some draft legal racing and have aerobars (occasionally) on my road bike.  My recommendation would be to get a set of shorty aerobars that are designed to be used on a road bike and leave the rest of your setup alone (provided you are comfortable with your fit).

IME trying to adjust a road bike with a FF seatpost, different stem and longer aerobars usually results in the worst of both worlds.

Shane

I love this discussion, because I have a road bike, can't afford a new bike, and am going to use the road bike at IM Lake Placid this year. I was just wondering about this last night, so please keep the info and opinions coming. Thank you!

There's no silver bullet, you can't have a bike that's fitted perfectly for both road and for tri at the same time. That means you either have to, like you said, switch back and forth between seatposts (and probably other adjustments as well) OR make compromises and have a more middle of the road fitting to give you a position that gives you a taste of both worlds.

I opted for option 2 when I added aerobars to my bike. I had my fitter (knowledgeable in both road and tri fitting) set me up in a way that I could ride both road and tri effectively with my fitting a hint balanced towards tri since that's what I wanted. I ended up with clip ons, a new seatpost (not an FF, just one that would allow me to move more forward), and a new stem along with some adjustments.

As far as handling goes, aerobars take a few rides to get used to as the bike is more sensitive to your movements. Moreover, making changes in general will probably need some getting used to but I don't think it's anything to fret about if you are comfortable on the bike, it'll all come to you quickly.

I have a Felt F65 with Profile Design clip ons, and am considering a Tri seat to get more forward before adding the FF seat Post.

Why would someone want to change the setup back and forth? 

I would think if your focus is Triathlon that you would want to do most if not all of your training with that setup.

This user's post has been ignored.

I raced my first two years on a Trek 2100 with the seatpost turned around backwards, seat slammed forward and vision tt bars and levers in place of the stock bars/controls. Worked just fine. Wasn't an optimum fit but it worked well enough. The bike weighed in at 17 lbs on the nose with a pair of tempest IIs. 

I have a Specialzed Allez with FF seat post, aero bars, bull horns, and bar end shifters/levers. I've tweaked the fit a few times and can only get to a certain point before I sacrifice too much comfort for aerodynamics.

Handling seems fine, but this is the only bike I've ever used as far as triathlon goes.

really appreciate the feedback on this guys, helping me out quite a bit.

THanks again
Derek

I have a road bike, Motobecane Immortal Force, which I use for triathlon.  Last year I added clip on aero bars and moved my seat forward and had no problems.  Did a Sprint, Olympic and HIM with this set-up.  This winter I purchased a FFC seatpost and an Adamo Race seat, which helped to move my position even further forward.  I am planning on using this set-up for IM Wisconsin this year.  I rode it outside a few times before it got to cold and I didn't have any handling/balance problems.

If you are an experienced rider and can adjust to changes in the handling of your bike than you should have no problem.   You will see a lot of folks who use this set-up in all lengths of tris from sprint to full IM.  All your doing is effectively changing the seat angle of your bike when you move the seat forward.  Weight distribution will be changed toward the front somewhat as your weight is being shifted in that direction.  However I can't see how the handling would be substantially different from a Tri bike, but I may be mistaken.  Seems like both setups bring the weight forward with a steeper seat angle.  Good luck with your set-up. 

Greg 

I bought a used Trek 5200 that needed a new front shifter, so got it at a great price.  I got a vision aerobar with bar-end shifters and then had it professionally fitted .  They added a ff seatpost and made several adjustments.  Seems to handle fine - not much difference from my Giant road bike, although I admit I'm not much of a biker compared to many on here.   I like the roadie better on the hills, but can fly on the flats on the tri setup compared to the roadie.







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