Tri bike to Road Bike Conversion

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2007-01-23 3:18 PM

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Champion
10154
500050001002525
Alabama
Subject: Tri bike to Road Bike Conversion

I had the best of motives for buying a triathlon bike - I do triathlons - but I think I was ill-advised by my LBS.

I bought this bike: http://www.fujibikes.com/2006/bikes.asp?id=141 about a year ago.

Only I couldn't get used to shifters being on the aerobars. So I decided to buy some STI shifters and put them on the handlebars.

Then I found that the 12-23 cassette I had on the bike just didn't give me the climbing power I needed for the rolling hills I train on so I bought a 12-27 cassette.

After having 2 spokes break on me, my LBS concluded the Formula XR-1 Aero wheel on the bike was not hefty enough for a full-figured gal like me so I went with a heavier wheel with more spokes.

One day I posted a picture of my bike on BT one time as was told that my STI shifters on the tri bike type handlebars looked "goofy". Someone (Jim) suggested I go with drop bars so it wouldn't look so goofy and also give me another hand position. So I recently bought some new handlebars.

And so the conversion is almost complete. Anybody got any idea how I change the angle of the seat? j/k!

~Mike

2007-01-23 8:16 PM
in reply to: #665269

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Champion
10668
500050005001002525
Tacoma, Washington
Subject: RE: Tri bike to Road Bike Conversion
As much as you're joing about changing the angle on the seat, let me just pipe in and say you don't have to. I raced USCF for years without ever measuring the effective seat angle on my bike (a custom SoftRide), and was surprised to find out it measured out to 77 degrees. And I never felt like I was tipping over forward or anything. Of course your particular morphology may be very different than mine... I'm just saying that it may be fine the way it is, with a 76 degree STA, not-too-short chainstays (400mm) and a wheelbase that's right in there with the standard road race rigs. An up-sloping stem might be a good idea, if you don't find it too aesthetically disquieting.
2007-01-23 8:22 PM
in reply to: #665269

Master
1728
100050010010025
portland, or
Subject: RE: Tri bike to Road Bike Conversion
You can buy a Thomson set-back post to make the seat angle more slack, but I'm not sure why you want to. You're changing the front-end for comfort, not neccessarily to ride as a road bike. A slacker seat tube angle is going to stretch you out on the aero bars.

Unless you're too far forward on the bike currently, there's no reason to adjust the seat angle, IMHO.

scott
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