General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Road bike VS Tri bike for ironman Rss Feed  
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2014-07-16 2:30 PM

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Kingston, Ontario
Subject: Road bike VS Tri bike for ironman
Going to take the plunge and try an ironman ... Not sure what to use.. road bike or triathlon bike.. people have been saying ill be way to sore to use a triathlon bike for 180KM however i see people on TV do it all the time.. Only thing is im no pro so maybe a road bike is the way to do it.. i already have a good triathlon bike and dont really want ot make another investment on a road bike. What do you guys use?


2014-07-16 2:38 PM
in reply to: katan2212

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Subject: RE: Road bike VS Tri bike for ironman

If you already have a triathlon bike that fits you, then use that.  There is no reason to get sore on a triathlon bike over the IM distance if your fit is good.  Sometimes you may want to tweak the fit just slightly for longer distances, but not much.

2014-07-16 2:47 PM
in reply to: Jason N

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Kingston, Ontario
Subject: RE: Road bike VS Tri bike for ironman
she's fitted... cost me a little bit to get it done but i did. i feel pretty comfortable on it.. havnt done no 180km on it in a sitting but i figured it would be ok. Thanks for the response
2014-07-16 3:16 PM
in reply to: katan2212


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Arden, North Carolina
Subject: RE: Road bike VS Tri bike for ironman
When you say "people" have told you you'll be too sore, who are these people? I've routinely been doing 90+ mile rides on my tri bike very comfortably. At IMAZ a few years ago 95% of the people were on tri bikes, that's what they're for, triathlons.
I couldn't imagine buying a road bike, if you already have a tri bike, to do a triathlon.
It may be a bit uncomfortable at first, but you get used to the extended time in aero after enough rides. And your legs will thank you when you start running. I've been running so much faster since I got my tri bike
2014-07-16 3:34 PM
in reply to: TriDadinAsheville

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Deep in the Heart of Texas
Subject: RE: Road bike VS Tri bike for ironman

Unless you plan on doing the Ironman without any practice, you should have plenty of hours riding in aero during your training.

2014-07-16 3:42 PM
in reply to: katan2212

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Pearland,Tx
Subject: RE: Road bike VS Tri bike for ironman
Kyle

You have a Vector PM right? Compare the TriBike vs. roadie in terms of Power Values, expenditure , then you decide which is better.

good luck!!



2014-07-16 3:56 PM
in reply to: strykergt

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Master
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Overland Park, KS
Subject: RE: Road bike VS Tri bike for ironman
TT bike fit for Sprint/Oly might differ from bike fit for HIM/IM distance so that may play a role also.
2014-07-16 4:02 PM
in reply to: strykergt

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Champion
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Montague Gold Mines, Nova Scotia
Subject: RE: Road bike VS Tri bike for ironman
If you have road and tri bikes available and power for both, certainly do some testing. When I did this, I was consistently 7s/km faster on my tribike than my road bike.

Shane
2014-07-16 4:49 PM
in reply to: 0

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Subject: RE: Road bike VS Tri bike for ironman
Originally posted by katan2212 Going to take the plunge and try an ironman ... Not sure what to use.. road bike or triathlon bike.. people have been saying ill be way to sore to use a triathlon bike for 180KM however i see people on TV do it all the time.. Only thing is im no pro so maybe a road bike is the way to do it.. i already have a good triathlon bike and dont really want ot make another investment on a road bike. What do you guys use?

I don't do IM distance, but I do race in triathlons up to and including the half-IM distance (that's plenty long enough for me). To answer your bike question (road bike or tri bike?), there is actually a third option, one that provides enormous versatility and saves you from having to buy another bike. You could use your existing tri bike, but use it with a drop bar, clip-on aerobar, and STI shifter set up. For a visual, here is a small photo album of a bunch of different tri bikes set up with drop bars (link here).

Why do this? Well, there are lots of reasons. For starters, you get most of the aero and positon advantages afforded by using a tri bike with minimal aero penalty. And, such a set up (if done correctly) can be far more comfortable and even safer than a full aerobar set up. I briefly wrote about some of the potential pluses and minuses of such set ups, with a focus on what bike a beginner triathlete might buy as their first bike. Link to the BT thread (see first post) is here.

Something to try ...

Greg @ dsw



Edited by DarkSpeedWorks 2014-07-16 4:58 PM
2014-07-16 4:55 PM
in reply to: katan2212

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Elite
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Austin, TX
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Subject: RE: Road bike VS Tri bike for ironman
"People" are idiots, to be blunt. As stated, if you're properly fitted (which it sounds like you are), there is no reason to use a road bike over a tri bike. If you do, you'll be giving up a ton of time unless your tri fit is very upright.

I've done 3 IMs and never considered using a road bike, even at IMLP, which was my first in my second year of doing tris. In fact, I'm far more comfortable in aero position than I've ever been on a road bike.
2014-07-17 9:02 AM
in reply to: dgunthert

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Kingston, Ontario
Subject: RE: Road bike VS Tri bike for ironman
hey guys thanks for the advice.. just going to continue putting miles on the tri bike.. ill keep yah posted if it gets uncomfortable .. cheers


2014-07-17 11:26 AM
in reply to: katan2212

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Subject: RE: Road bike VS Tri bike for ironman
Originally posted by katan2212

Going to take the plunge and try an ironman ... Not sure what to use.. road bike or triathlon bike.. people have been saying ill be way to sore to use a triathlon bike for 180KM however i see people on TV do it all the time.. Only thing is im no pro so maybe a road bike is the way to do it.. i already have a good triathlon bike and dont really want ot make another investment on a road bike. What do you guys use?


I am sorry but I have to be blunt here. The "people" that told you this are morons. Unless your Ironman is entirely climbing and twisty roads (hint, none of them are), you are better off on the tri bike. Even a crazy mountainous course like IMLT is a tri-bike race.

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