Wanting to get into TT
- Thread starter Andy_G
- Start date
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You'd be surprised how efficient you can be on a standard road bike with clip on aero bars. Take a bit of time to ensure the setup is right, and give it a whirl.
I rode a short club TT last summer on a standard carbon road bike with some £35 clip on profile bars and posted the best time on the night, so it didn't do me any harm, and there were plenty of aero helmeted, skin-suited, TT bike riders in the field.
I'd make sure you've got some decent rubber on though I.e conti gp4000s as that will make more difference than you'd think.
Good luck.
I rode a short club TT last summer on a standard carbon road bike with some £35 clip on profile bars and posted the best time on the night, so it didn't do me any harm, and there were plenty of aero helmeted, skin-suited, TT bike riders in the field.
I'd make sure you've got some decent rubber on though I.e conti gp4000s as that will make more difference than you'd think.
Good luck.
Rob3rt
Man or Moose!
- Location
- Manchester
Turn up to a club event, sign on, warm up, go to the line a minute or 2 before your allocated start, clip in and take a few deep breaths as the holder holds you up, then go go go!
That is all there is to it!
Don't spend money (other than entry fees) until you know whether you like it.
That is all there is to it!
Don't spend money (other than entry fees) until you know whether you like it.
Not paid huge attention to it this year but didn't I hear that Brad finished the Giro TT on a standard road bike after puncturing his TT bike the other day and still came in second?
At a club level it's 96% rider. Wheels, aero frames, skin-suits etc all make a difference, but we're talking fractions not chunks. A change in position, a set of tyres, a decent technique will reap far more benefit than any aero benefit from a TT bike will, especially when just starting out, so the cost benefit ratio just doesn't stack up.
Once you've done a few, you're enjoying them, but your times have plateaued and you're feeling that to get better times you need to invest in kit then go for it then, but you'll still only be talking marginal gains.
Rob3rt
Man or Moose!
- Location
- Manchester
TBH, it is definatelly chunks in my opinion, minutes = chunks, a few seconds = fractions. But this is besides the point really, since you really need to be enjoying what you are doing to stick at it so before spending money, find out if you enjoy it.
That's said, tri bars on a road bike will almost certainly save over a minute on a road bike if you can get a decent position on it.
The benefits of an aero frame are more to do with being able to get a better position (aero and powerful) on the bike than with a road bike and clip ons IMO, not the aerodynamics of the frame as such (although every W counts). This saves a substantial chunk of time.
It is hard for me to quantify the gains I get form aero equipment since my fitness improved drastically too but once thing I did notice a big gain from was a disc wheel.
I think we're coming from the same place here.
I was just meaning that if you normally average 18mph on a ride then pushing yourself in a TT you might get up to 19/20. A TT bike might make you average 21/21.5 which depending on the distance could well be minutes, but it's not going to help you break the hour for a 25. That comes with a lot of training and practice.
It's like buying a new fangled set of golf clubs that might take your handicap from 25 to 22 without doing anything differently, but putting in time and effort practicing with your old clubs might get you down to 14 and save you a lot of money.
(Am I now facing a ban for using a golf analogy on a cycling forum?)
No you didn't. He changed from the Bolide to the Graal, different generations of Pina TT bikes.
@OP - Testing isn't for everyone. Some have a power profile that's unsuited, others struggle with the psychological aspect, some just don't find it interesting enough. Don't spend any money until you have found out if it is right for you. There are lots of types of racing that you might find more fun, if you're more of an adrenaline driven racer.
Ahh, apologies. I must have read some poor journalism in a tabloid somewhere. Ignore me and carry on.
Rob3rt
Man or Moose!
- Location
- Manchester
It will definitely help
It won't ride itself though, which I think is the point you are making?
Sittingduck
Legendary Member
- Location
- Somewhere flat
+1 for turning up on a normal road bike and giving it a bash. You may hate it, so not worth splashing the cash until you have at least tried it out. If you have the engine, you can still put in a respectable effort with a normal road bike and no extras. I have only done 2 TT's and the first one was on a Verenti Millook, which has 'sportive' geometry, e.g. a 195mm head tube!
I will never be a TT lover but will use them for something to aim towards and as a way to measure improvements or losses of sustainable performance.
I will never be a TT lover but will use them for something to aim towards and as a way to measure improvements or losses of sustainable performance.
It will definitely help
Oh yeah! How many people do you reckon would get under the hour on a road bike? A lot fewer than currently do, that's for sure.
