TT Bike Vs Triathlon Bike...What's the difference?

Tri and TT bikes are very similar and are optimized for low wind resistance on the assumption

that you to can ride like Tyler at 30mph. Wind resistance becomes significant above 17-20mph

and is really noticeable above 25mph. Tri bikes frequently have 650 size wheels, where TT and

road bikes have (mostly) 700c size wheels. a 700 rear and 650 front allow the rider to drop down

a few more inches (1.1") and thus reduce frontal cross section. The reason for 650 size is

a bit obscure but entrenched in Tri lore. Tri bikes are marketed to the tri folk who go all wobbly over a Quintana Roo. TT bikes to the TT specialists and a few confused Tri riders. TT types get excited over

Litespeed Blades and such. A good Tri/TT bike will knock a few percent off your time over

25miles compared to a road bike. OLN had the US national TT televised a few years ago

and one poor sot was DQ because his bike would not allow a business card to be slide between

the rear tire and the cutout frame. It slid before, but not after the ride. I guess the tire

got hot and expanded. Steve

Tri-bikes are also designed to save your legs a little bit for the run. The angle of the seat is often different then a TT or road bike to give you speed but not rack your legs so you can hit the road.

Pat

It can be sort of ambiguous, like the Cervelo P3 Carbon was used by team CSC during the Tour de France on all their TT stages, but it is also a very popular Ironman bike. Don't buy a bike because it's TT or Tri specific, buy it because it FITS! That is the single most important property of a bike. Different Tri or TT frames have different geometery, and as a result a TT bike might be more comfortable (and generate more power) than a Tri bike for one person, and the polar opposite could be true for another person.

TT and Tri frame geometery is weird, so you really have to try some out and see what you like.

that dude knows nothing. here is the deal

tri bikes have a seat tube angle of 76-79* to make it easier to ride in an aero tuck position over the handle bars. this works for triathletes who do all of their racing in no-draft time trial format.

TT bikes are more like traditional bikes which require huge amounts of strength and coordination to ride on and stay aero. They have seat tube angles of 72.5*-75* along with aero profiles and wero set-ups. This works for pro-cyclists who do all their riding on 73* traditional bikes and then have to get aero for time trials on rare occasion.

There is also a newly popular "slam" position which is a 75*-76* seat angle on either a conventional bike with shorty aero-bars or on a triathlon bike with a shorter top tube. The slam allows you to take bigger pulls to maximize power but is not quite as aero. Works well on hilly, technical courses.

No one rides the 650 front/ 700 rear any more. Triathletes generally ride 650cc wheels, and TTers rock the 700cc wheels. Why Tris use still use 650cc wheels is beyond me. Not only are 700s FAR more available, but generally cheaper due to that.

The Litespeed Blade, to be honest, blows as a TT bike. Heavy as hell, way overpriced, and not that aero. Dozens of better, cheaper bikes out there. Go get yourself a Giant/Cervelo/Trek/Cannondale and then blow the extra money you'll save on 1) nice aero helmet, and 2) some Zipp 808s.

I currently do a lot of training on a normal road bike, would switching to a tri-bike or a tt bike be better off for my running? I don't know how big of a deal that would make in terms of switching the muscles that get used.

BUMPER TOPPER

TT bikes are expensive, period. DO NOT train on them. They are only for racing. And you can change what muscles you use through saddle/cleat adjustment, saddle height, etc. and save maybe $2000. Out-of-the-saddle climbing works exactly the smae muscle groups as running hills...

some of the best triathletes I know (and yes, they're very good--nationally competitive--not just 1st place in their age group at joe-shit-the-rag-man sprint triathlon in po-dunk iowa) insist on training on their TT bikes. They want to train specific muscles and get used to the low position

I'm not saying everyone should do it that way, but some good dudes do.

personally, i don't have the money to maintain two good bikes now, so i stick to my tri bike.

650c wheels offer quicker excelleration and weigh less. They climb better and offer a lower profile, less wind resistance.

Also, a steeper seat tube angle which tri bikes generally offer allow you to have fresher legs for the run. Traditional seat tube angles leave your legs feeling like lead, tougher to run after biking. The steep angle is easier on your hammies.

Train on the bike you will race on, i used to train with Mark Allen, Wes Hobson, Kenny Souza, and Greg Welch to name a few. They trained on their racing bikes.

low rider wrote:

650c wheels offer quicker excelleration and weigh less. They climb better and offer a lower profile, less wind resistance.

Why would you need quick excelleration or light weight in a triathlon? Or need to climb? Aren't almost all courses near pan flat?

Sounds more like crit or stage racing than a tri...

I would think that a light but not superlight, deep dish front and a disk rear 700cc combo would be more effective than a 650cc combo. Mainly because of the flywheel affect.

The track hour record was recently set with a rear wheel that weighed around 4kg, I think.

if you are not able to get a separate bike for training and your biathalons, you can turn your seat post around to effectively change the seat angle to a more tri angle. This only works if you have a seat post with a set back. By the way you can get disk wheels in the 650 size. Also many top rims only save maybe 5-10 grams/rim from a 650 size to 700 size which means there is not much flywheel effect. If you want some good advice on a bike set up try visiting www.weighweenies.starbike.com and go to the forums section. to post you need to register, but you can search through the threads to find a lot of good suggestions on equipment and the like.

NICE! I was just assuming that the poster was new to Tri/TT.

Man, I wish I had the cashflow to ride my HED Aerolab V04 in training, that thing can move...

Unless you plan on doing a sub hour 40K, stick with your road bike, buy some clip on aero bars and call it a day. Waste your money on aero wheels, and a nice Rocket TT helmet.

I don't see the difference in the 650 vs 700. I rode a Cervelo P2 with 650's and now have the same with 700, I still ride the same speed, actually faster. Unless you are 5 foot, and ride a 50cm bike, there is no need to use 650.

Another thing, keep your road bike. It's much easier (comfortable) and better for you to train on a road bike, especially if you are training with traffic. Save the tri bike (aerobars), for days you want to do workouts on closed, or very little traffic courses. You will have no control of the bike in the aero bars.

Solely training on a tri-bike is old school. You will be much happier on a traditional style road bike and more willing to put in good training. I actually raced at the 2003 Duathlon World Champs on my road bike (mainly due to the excessive climbing the course involved).

My opinion: (take it for what it's worth) if you can't afford both bikes, keep the road bike with some nice aero bars. If you can afford both, buy a nice TT/tri bike, 700, and only train on it when you really plan on using the aero bars. Get some nice wheels and helmet. Don't wreck and kill yourself.

Good luck!!

go to tntritraining.com

Very few people ride 650's anymore.

A tri bike has a steeper seat tube angle so your hip angle is not too tight when you're down on the aero bars. By moving the seat forward, you also shift emphasis from hamstrings to quads which saves your legs for the run. However, a lot of runners don't ride as well real far forward because their hamstrings are so much stronger than their quads.

Since I ride in more of a road position (rearward seat) for tri's, I can effectively ride in an aero or road position on the same bike. At the other end, it doesn't make sense to me to train in a road position if you ride real far forward on your tri bike so why have two bikes? If your tri bike is that uncomfortable, maybe you need a new tri bike.

The wheels are also closer together on a tri bike so your center of gravity is not too far forward. I understand a road bike is better for climbing for this reason.