beebs - 2012-04-17 5:51 PM
So it comes up all to often... How much faster is a tri bike... Well I finally have gotten my tri bike put back together and rode it for the first time in the last 8 months today on my favorite TT course. The fastest I have ever averaged on my road bike for this course is 19.4 mph. Today, with a bad fit (seat too high of course and extensions too long), I did 21.3 on my tri bike.
Couple of things to chew on:
Road bike: Round tube Motobecane Grand Record, 700c Krylion carbon tires, butyl tubes, box rims, rode on drops mostly, good fit, about 2lbs heavier, 209 watts average
Tri bike: Round tube late 90's Quintana Roo, 650c Michelin pro3 race tires, butyl tubes, box rims, seat too high, unkown wattage (probably less than 209, half-bonked during a century on Sunday, bad fit, and not used to riding aero)
Course and conditions: Hilly with a couple of bail-out gear climbs and run out of gear descents, about three weeks between runs, ftp wattage hasn't changed in last month, both days the wind was calm and conditions similar, same exact clothes and helmet and bottle placement.
I expect to pick up a little bit more with a 404 front, disc rear, tri suit, and aerohelmet... Anyone care to guess how much?
1.5 mph with the aero front and disc is my guess from my experiences with aero wheels.
How did the 650 wheels feel compared to the 700s? What cranks are you using on each bike?