General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Adjustment time from road bike to tri bike Rss Feed  
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2011-12-21 1:15 PM

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Regular
51
2525
Tampa Bay, FL
Subject: Adjustment time from road bike to tri bike

I'm sure the answer will basically be 'your mileage may vary"... but, is there any 'typical' amount of time that people try to give themselves for adjusting to fit/feel when switching from a roadie to a tri bike?

I have a road bike with clip on aerobars now and it did great through my first year of triathlon races.  But thinking about at some point this coming year of getting a tri specific bike.  I'm just curious if there's a big risk or ding to training if making the switch say 2 months before IMFL (next year's A race).  Ideally, you'd have all your training time/volume on the race bike, but is changing things 6-8 weeks prior to such a big race an issue? Reason for waiting that long is just a "financial planning" kind of thing

 

Thanks!



2011-12-21 1:28 PM
in reply to: #3948234

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Master
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San Antone, Texas
Subject: RE: Adjustment time from road bike to tri bike

I wouldn't make the switch only 6-8 weeks before your A race.  I would want as much time on the bike I'm racing as possible.  I think it takes months to adjust fully and be comfortable in a tri bike.

That said, I'm pretty much in the same boat so my advice isn't from too much experience.  I just went from road to tri and my first ride on the road in aero position felt like it was the first time I had ever ridden a bike in traffic.  Took me almost the whole ride to start feeling comfortable and not nervous with cars whizzing by me.  So based on that, for me I want as much time as possible for the aero position to feel like second nature and to get my bike handling skills while in aero position up to par. 

2011-12-21 1:37 PM
in reply to: #3948234

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Pro
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, New Hampshire
Subject: RE: Adjustment time from road bike to tri bike
I would say that you need at least 2-3 months of solid riding before your race. And this is of course if you have been fitted, otherwise, 2-3 months to "never going to happen".

Winter is kind a funny place to be... you usually get the best deals on bikes (close outs) and a perfect time to get use to the change in geometry (all the hours spent on the trainer...). If you can swing getting a tri bike now, you can save both money and make sure you get into the spring comfortable.
2011-12-21 1:41 PM
in reply to: #3948234

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Elite
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PEI, Canada
Subject: RE: Adjustment time from road bike to tri bike
N=1 here but I got my tri bike and was immediately comfortable riding it.  2 months would have been more than enough for me to be happy racing on it.  Just a guess but I suspect it may have to do with how radical the change is between the road bike setup and the tri bike. 
2011-12-21 1:46 PM
in reply to: #3948234

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Pro
5892
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, New Hampshire
Subject: RE: Adjustment time from road bike to tri bike
Ok, maybe I should've been clearer... you can be comfortable from the first second, but to to truly get the advantage of a tri bike (which will put you in a different position than on a road bike), your muscles will need time to get used to it. It's not that uncommon that you're as fast on your tri bike as your road bike after the first couple of rides, but that's not really what we're hoping for, right?
2011-12-21 1:48 PM
in reply to: #3948234

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Master
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Westlake Village , Ca.
Subject: RE: Adjustment time from road bike to tri bike

It does take a bit to get your balls and neck a little tougher on a TT bike...Maybe a few weeks though.

You could switch 8 weeks out and see how it goes....you'll know in a couple rides if your pecker is about to fall off or if your are instantly comfy.



2011-12-21 1:53 PM
in reply to: #3948309

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Pro
5892
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, New Hampshire
Subject: RE: Adjustment time from road bike to tri bike
Fastyellow - 2011-12-21 2:48 PM

It does take a bit to get your balls and neck a little tougher on a TT bike...Maybe a few weeks though.

You could switch 8 weeks out and see how it goes....you'll know in a couple rides if your pecker is about to fall off or if your are instantly comfy.



Hm... that's all a poor bike fit. With a decent core and a good fit, you should have none of these issues...
2011-12-21 1:57 PM
in reply to: #3948234

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Pro
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Norwalk, Connecticut
Subject: RE: Adjustment time from road bike to tri bike

I ride and race my road bike and 95% of my training is on my roadie. I'll ride the TT bike a couple times before i have a Tri or TT just to make sure things are good with the equipment. Hardly ever train on it, it is primarily a race only bike. I find no issue getting on it and riding it with maybe only a couple 10-20 miles on it prior to a race, usually less.

That being said, the bikes are set up very similarly so that helps tremendously.  Alot of angles on a road and TT bike should be the same or close, all you are doing on a TT bike is rotating your body forward and resting on your skeleton instead of muscles.

I would concur with others that fit is probably the most important. The closer the fit between bikes the easier the transition should be.

2011-12-21 2:01 PM
in reply to: #3948323

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Master
2356
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Westlake Village , Ca.
Subject: RE: Adjustment time from road bike to tri bike
audiojan - 2011-12-21 11:53 AM
Fastyellow - 2011-12-21 2:48 PM

It does take a bit to get your balls and neck a little tougher on a TT bike...Maybe a few weeks though.

You could switch 8 weeks out and see how it goes....you'll know in a couple rides if your pecker is about to fall off or if your are instantly comfy.

Hm... that's all a poor bike fit. With a decent core and a good fit, you should have none of these issues...

Yeah...that's not true. Neither is using different muscles on a TT bike than a road bike...

2011-12-21 4:57 PM
in reply to: #3948234

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Veteran
157
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Wilson, NC (East of Raleigh, NC)
Subject: RE: Adjustment time from road bike to tri bike

If you get a bike fit on the new tri bike I think the flow is almost seamless.  I got my new tri bike in April of this year, and basically got on and rode the wheels off.  I got back out on my road bike only for an upcoming HILLY du in September.

If you are used to the aero position, I would say give it a few weeks by all means before hitting a race up, or any ride with major hills.  Learn the handling first, but seems like you are familiar with the aero position riding so give it a go.

Kristin

 



Edited by orreo5859 2011-12-21 4:59 PM
2011-12-21 6:24 PM
in reply to: #3948234

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Regular
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Westfield, IN
Subject: RE: Adjustment time from road bike to tri bike

Honestly, weeks and months seem like a ton of time to me.

It only took me probably 100 miles to really get used to it.



2011-12-22 7:59 AM
in reply to: #3948234

Subject: ...
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Edited by BrickLayer 2011-12-22 8:11 AM
2011-12-22 10:18 AM
in reply to: #3948234

Expert
2555
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Colorado Springs, Colorado
Subject: RE: Adjustment time from road bike to tri bike

It took me one ride. The only major adjustment was getting comfortable with where the brakes and shifters were at. Position didn't seem that much different than my road bike with clipons.

BTW, I did the fitting myself. I took the bike in for a pro fitting a couple months later and only one minor change was made. That may not work for others, but I had been biking for 30+ years and had a good feel for it.

2011-12-22 11:18 AM
in reply to: #3948234

Regular
51
2525
Tampa Bay, FL
Subject: RE: Adjustment time from road bike to tri bike

Thanks everyone for the great feedback.  Yes, if/when I get the domestic financial approval committee's blessing on this, there will most certainly be a fitting involved.  I did the Retul deal when I got the roadie and T2+ clipon bars and have been really happy since and do the majority of the rides on the bars fine.  Basically it sounds as if, it's not a big jump to adapt to over a couple of months (especially with the ride volume the IM training plans typically call for), but the sooner the better.

 

Thanks again!

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