Tri Bike vs Road Bike

new2703

 I'm beginning to think about getting a new bike.  This isn't going to happen in the next month or so but probably the next year.  Currently ride a standard road bike but its twenty years old (only used two years before this season) with the "shortie areo bars.  The main question is do I purchase a tri bike or a road bike?  Advantages or disadvantages of both?  So far thinkiing about Cervelo P1/2 or Cervelo S2

new2703

Do I let a bike fit help me determine which might be better. I know tri bikes have a more aggressive seat angle but is that always best?

novaavant

I wouldn't commit to a brand before looking at what type of bike you are going to fit on comfortably. Cervelo bikes tend to be long and low while other brands have a short and tall geometry like the new Specialized Shiv for example.
Your body will dictate which will fit you the best so don't fall in love with any bike until you know what type will best fit you.
Here is some background reading to get you started: http://www.slowtwitch.com/Bike_Fit/index.html

baprince

Fit matters. How you plan to use the bike and budget are also a big deal. We all know that we'd like to have a bike perfectly suited to every situation, but most of us can't afford that. If you are going to train on your own (not in group rides with roadies), and your focus is triathlon, I'd go for the tri-bike. A road bike's advantage is flexibility in use, but it will definitely be slower than a well-fit tri-bike.
I, for instance, have decided to keep my 10 year old road bike for times when it is appropriate, but used my tri-bike for 90%+ of my rides this year.
One word of caution, the Cervelo P2 does NOT have a replaceable rear derailleur hanger. This bit me hard when the hanger broke on me this year, and I needed to get a whole new frame. To Cervelo's credit, they gave me a great deal on a frame, but on my road bike this would have been a $10 fix.

new2703

Thanks guys. Think might invest in bike fit for current bike and see if can use that data to help determine next bike. Not committed to any one brand just looked at cervelo because know several people that have and love their bikes

Paul Scholz

 John would really strongly recommend you go through  http://ttbikefit.com/

contact Todd Kenyon to do your fit. EN gets a discount and what he will do is give you a range of frames and geometries that will work with you re: your fit.  He is extremely knowledgable and very customer service-oriented.

best decision I made and there are lots in the Haus who have gone through TTbikefit.

Dino Sarti

Hi John - Just my two cents. If I could have one "nice" bike, I would go with a road bike. You will get much more use out of it and it will be far more versatile and flexible. A TT bike is a really specialized piece of equipment. They don't handle well, they are "twitchy" in the decent, they don't climb well at all and it takes focus and flexibility to stay in the aero bars. I can stay aero for quite sometime, so can many many others, but for most you need to work to get there and many athletes I speak with stuggle to stay in the aero bars for more than 15 minutes at a time.



A nice road bike will get you around a wide range of terrain and offer far more performance over a really wide range of situations versus the solo time trial. Think of it this way, not too many people have a high end two seater sport car as their primary vehicle. For most, they also have another more useful, flexible means of transport as well. I think that is the same story with a dedicated TT Bike.   That being said, there are a number of people, my hero Ray Maker included, that only ride TT bikes exclusively.



Now everything I have said depends on the state of your current road bike. If you like it and it works well and you are happy to continue riding it part time, then get the TT Bike, but I know most people I ride with, myself included, grab their road bike for most riding and working out while they force themselves into the TT Bike 6-8 weeks before races.



Just my opinion... Other will disagree for good reasons. Everyone needs to do their own inventory and decision making.

new2703

Dino. Sort of what I was thinking. I've only ridden a road bike and really like how they feel and handle. Im comfortable with really fast descents and like being able to shift back in saddle for climbs. My current road bike is 20 years old, an 8 speed and shifters on the down tube. Was planning on using this bike mainly for indoor rides.

GMAN 19030

John, I think it all comes down to what you plan on actually doing with the bike. If you predominantly plan to race/train triathlons with it... buy a tri bike. If you're looking to mix it up with tri/road/group riding... then maybe a road bike makes more sense.

I ride my bike for tri racing and training only. Getting a tri bike was a no-brainer.

John Withrow

I have a road bike and a tri bike. If I could only have one, there is no question whatsoever, I would keep my tri bike. I spend about 95% of my bike time on it and it just feels right. Most of my rides are for training and racing, but I do almost all of my riding alone or with a handful of other tri peeps.

ezellrh

John, I think it all comes down to what you plan on actually doing with the bike.

Bob's note is really the key. What are you looking for out of riding? Groups or solo, road riding or tri-riding? I'm lucky enough to have both, but if I had to go with just one, I would definitely pick a road bike. I've ridden a season of tri's (including an Ironman) on a road bike. I couldn't show up for my group roadie rides on my tri-bike. So it really depends on what your goals/needs for the bike itself are.

Coach Rich

As others have said, best to have both but, in my opinion, if you can only have one then a road bike is one to go with.

What a tri / TT bike does better than a road bike is have geometry that allows you to get very low in the front (very aero) if that's the style of TT riding that you're committed to. The less likely you are to go all in with a very aero TT position, the more a road bike will provide you with the solution you're looking for. IOW, a lot of folks out there riding a P3 with a zero or positive drop (set up like a beach cruiser).

I know I could get pretty aero on my road bike by sliding the saddle all the way forward, putting on shorty bars, and maybe swapping out the stem for a longer one. I could make those changes in a couple minutes when needed.

 

[Deleted User]

To add to the confusion, and diversity of opinions, if I could only have one bike it would be a Tri bike! But I don't do group roadie rides - and when I ride with my triathlete friends most of us are on Tri bikes. The only reason I ride a bike at all is to train for and compete in triathlons. I am extremely comfortable on it (and have a negative drop) and it goes up and down all the steep hills around here just fine. I am more comfortable on the Tri bike than road bike - maybe because my road bike is low-end entry level and I never ride it, so my body is not adapted to it. Someday maybe I'll invest in a quality road bike and see the light, but for now a Tri bike suits my needs and is what I want to be riding.