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2014-11-12 3:50 PM


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Subject: road bike or tri bike
Ok yes I know I need to get a bike fitted. I was wondering do I go from a mountain bike to a tri bike or mountain bike to a road bike? Any thoughts?


2014-11-12 4:23 PM
in reply to: eclat404

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Regular
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Central Coast, CA
Subject: RE: road bike or tri bike

If you are going to be doing pretty much only triathlons, go for a tri bike. If you plan on doing group rides or other more social riding that frowns upon aero bars (for safety reasons) then a road bike is a good option.

2014-11-12 5:57 PM
in reply to: #5067147


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Subject: RE: road bike or tri bike
I purchased a road bike and regret it. I like it. It works. But I'm not a group rider and only occasionally ride with a couple other people and we're not drafting.
2014-11-12 7:22 PM
in reply to: eclat404

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Subject: RE: road bike or tri bike

I went with a road bike first.  I then added a tri bike 8 months later.  I love my road bike.  It gets about 98% of my miles, even though most of my riding is solo.

My tri bike is very important to me.  It allows me to go much faster in races, but I don't actually enjoy riding that bike for fun.  

2014-11-13 8:18 AM
in reply to: eclat404


467
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, Wisconsin
Subject: RE: road bike or tri bike
If you like to bike, you'll always get plenty of use from a road bike. I'm pretty serious about biking and decided I'd get way more use from a road bike. So, I bought a new road bike and kept my 28 year old steed as well. Most of my rides are solo. IF I find that I'm really progressing and that the extra speed of a tri bike is important, I will likely look for a great deal on a used one.
2014-11-13 8:43 AM
in reply to: eclat404

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Champion
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Albuquerque, New Mexico
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Subject: RE: road bike or tri bike

What kind of riding you you *LIKE* to do and what kind of riding do you *mostly* do?  
How important are seconds to you in a race?
How important is "the look?"  

Every bike has advantages and disadvantages.  

I prefer the road bike over the tri bike when I ride a hilly route, ride in traffic (On the road bike, my hands are over the shifter/brake hoods most of the time.  On the tri bike, the shifters are on the aerobars and brakes on the bull bars.), or when tne environment is hard on the bike (rain or expected gravel stretches).  My road bike is an appliance, easily replaced if needed.  My tri bike is a classic and would be hard to replace if it broke.  

A tri-bike will be marginally faster than a road bike with clip-on aerobars and of course screams out "triathlete" when you ride it.  

 



2014-11-13 9:18 AM
in reply to: Jason N

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DC
Subject: RE: road bike or tri bike
Originally posted by Jason N

I went with a road bike first.  I then added a tri bike 8 months later.  I love my road bike.  It gets about 98% of my miles, even though most of my riding is solo.

My tri bike is very important to me.  It allows me to go much faster in races, but I don't actually enjoy riding that bike for fun.  




Concur & couldn't have it any other way.

To the OP, in my experience, going from MTB to roadie was a big change. Same holds true going from roadie to tri. I don't think I would have gained confidence on my tri as soon as I did were it not for my experience on a roadie.
2014-11-13 10:24 AM
in reply to: Porfirio

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Subject: RE: road bike or tri bike
Originally posted by Porfirio

Originally posted by Jason N

I went with a road bike first.  I then added a tri bike 8 months later.  I love my road bike.  It gets about 98% of my miles, even though most of my riding is solo.

My tri bike is very important to me.  It allows me to go much faster in races, but I don't actually enjoy riding that bike for fun.  




Concur & couldn't have it any other way.

To the OP, in my experience, going from MTB to roadie was a big change. Same holds true going from roadie to tri. I don't think I would have gained confidence on my tri as soon as I did were it not for my experience on a roadie.


How much training do you guys do to get used to the aero position on a tri bike? Is one training ride a month enough, or do you need more. I am upgrading my road bike next year, but if I stick with tris and find that I like longer distances, I might get a tri bike in two years. They really don't look like as much fun to ride, though, and most of my rides are very hilly. I am wondering how much training has to be done specifically on a tri bike to make it effective.

To the OP, before you decide, are you comfortable handling a bike with your head that low? Even a road bike can be tough to get used to if you have only been riding something upright. You feel like you are going over your handlebars for the first several hills you go down. If you are a good mt biker, you should be OK, but if you have only been commuting, it feels pretty vulnerable, and the tri bike might be a bit much.
2014-11-13 11:24 AM
in reply to: eclat404

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Subject: RE: road bike or tri bike
Getting a new bike? Yes. But get a tri bike or a road bike? Well, there is actually a third good option. I posted this earlier, maybe it will help your decision:

If you're considering your first decent bike purchase, if the plan is to get involved in triathlons, there is often a dilemma: what kind of bike to get when you're starting out? A road bike with traditional geometry and road drop bars? Or, an aero tri bike with a steeper seat tube angle and full aerobars?

Each type of bike has advantages. The road bike has the brakes and shifters in easy reach, the drop bars have lots of hand position options, the bike will be welcome at group rides, it's faster (and safer) for fast descending and cornering, it's more versatile for utility riding like navigating traffic, trips to the store, commuting, etc. But a tri bike is typically faster and the frame is more aero (both pretty important qualities for a tri race bike), a tri bike allows you to get in a better position for generating good power while maintaining a very aero position, it can sometimes be more comfortable for riding on aerobars (if fit correctly), etc.

But there's also a third option that can give you the best of both worlds (and might even save you some money and from buying extra bikes). And that option is a tri bike but fitted with road drop bars and (well-designed) clip-on aerobars. In many ways, it is the true multisport bike because it makes for an aero tri bike that is equally fast on super fast descents as it is on pancake-flat time trial courses.

It also give you three options as you enter different events or progress in skill and experience: (1) keep the drop bars and clip-ons on the bike and use it that way for your training and/or multisport racing. Or, (2) keep the drop bars on the bike, take the clip-ons off, and use it for road riding if your triathlon passion morphs more to a bike riding/racing passion (nearly all tri frames, with a few small position tweaks, can--and do--function perfectly well as 'road bike' frames). Or, (3) switch out the drop bars and clip-ons for full aerobars if you want fully maximize your aero advantage on flat courses."

For a visual, here are a few photos of tri bikes set up with drop bars (one of our fb albums):
http://goo.gl/MhJS4o

You might be a good candidate for the tri bike with drop bar solution. When set up right, it rides flawlessly, it's super versatile, and it's fast. And it has worked great for us.

Greg @ dsw
2014-11-13 11:36 AM
in reply to: eclat404


112
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Union, Kentucky
Subject: RE: road bike or tri bike
I just bought an aero road bike- I was replacing a 20 year old bike and it's pretty hilly where I live so going with just a tri bike wouldn't be a great option. I'm really happy so far with the new bike (a 2015 Felt AR5), and it's definitely faster than my old bike. One selling point of the bike was that I can flip the seat post around for a more forward position and add some clip on aerobars and then have it set up very similarly to a tri bike. I probably won't get around to trying that until spring, but as long as I get the geometry adjusted right it should work well.
2014-11-13 4:00 PM
in reply to: eclat404

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Champion
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Tacoma, Washington
Subject: RE: road bike or tri bike

I guess I just don't understand the use of the word "or" in this context...



2014-11-13 5:01 PM
in reply to: #5067169


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Subject: RE: road bike or tri bike
I went from a mountain bike to a road bike. I expected the change to be drastic and was very surprises to realize it rides almost identically. Try them and see which ones you prefer. You will not want to train on a torture instrument anyway...
2014-11-13 5:26 PM
in reply to: briderdt

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Extreme Veteran
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Cypress, TX
Subject: RE: road bike or tri bike

Originally posted by briderdt

I guess I just don't understand the use of the word "or" in this context...

 

Me neither.  # of bikes purchased since 2009: 4 tri bikes, 2 road bikes. 

Currently have 1 tri bike and both road bikes.

2014-11-14 12:38 PM
in reply to: Jason N

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Master
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Kailua, Hawaii
Subject: RE: road bike or tri bike
Originally posted by Jason N

I went with a road bike first.  I then added a tri bike 8 months later.  I love my road bike.  It gets about 98% of my miles, even though most of my riding is solo.

My tri bike is very important to me.  It allows me to go much faster in races, but I don't actually enjoy riding that bike for fun.  




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2014-11-15 5:27 PM
in reply to: metafizx

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New user
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Green Bay, WI
Subject: RE: road bike or tri bike
Originally posted by metafizx

Originally posted by Jason N

I went with a road bike first.  I then added a tri bike 8 months later.  I love my road bike.  It gets about 98% of my miles, even though most of my riding is solo.

My tri bike is very important to me.  It allows me to go much faster in races, but I don't actually enjoy riding that bike for fun.  




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